My Granddad passed away last Friday. April 24, 2009. He was 2 months shy of 90. That's a long life. He outlived his wife of 52 years and 2 of his 3 children. He retired twice. Once in his 50's and once again at about 82 years of age. He LOVED work. Good, old-fashioned machine-shop work. When he retired this last time, I knew he wouldn't know what to do with himself.
Sitting at his graveside service, I just couldn't grasp how he fit in that coffin. Not just physically- although at 6ft. 2 in., he always seemed like such a big man to me. It was his personality. Strong, silent, hard-working, genuine. As my husband put it- very much "Johnny Cash". I like that description. Burying him just didn't seem right. I know he wasn't really there, but to put him a box and walk away was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I remember when my Grandma died, he said something I'll never forget. He said that when he got out of the limo at the cemetary for her burial, he, out of habit, reached back for her hand. Sob.
He loved country music, the Dallas Cowboys, University of Oklahoma football and playing golf. He was born in Oklahoma, and except for a stint in the Navy during WWII, he never left. But I won't hold that against him. Despite my disdain for the Sooners (big Texas fan, myself), I crossed the Red River often to see my Grandparents. Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and one week every summer were spent in Duncan, OK. My brother and I went to work with he and my Grandma at the machine shop he owned and where my Grandma was the receptionist. We spent many years hanging out in the break room and at Grandma's old typewriter behind her desk. At home, they had a pool table in the sunroom where we played and played. We got pretty good at it, too. Home-cooked dinners every night and cards being played til wee hours in the morning. Good times.
We buried him in Apache, OK, next to my Grandma. And my Uncle Larry. And my mom. That was a hard sight.
The title of this post is not a reference to Jesus' act. It's the name of a song by Randy Travis. I was in high school when this came out and I made a cassette tape of that song and sent it to him. I also put a song on there by Dolly Parton for my Grandma, entitled "Angel When She Flies". So I dedicate this song to him again. Here are the lyrics...
He wore starched white shirts buttoned at the neck,
And he'd sit in the shade and watch the chickens peck.
And his teeth were gone, but what the heck,
I thought that he walked on water.
He said he was a cowboy when he was young.
He could handle a rope and he was good with a gun.
And my mama's daddy was his oldest son,--
And I thought that he walked on water.
If the story's told, only heaven knows.
But his hat seemed to me like an old halo.
And although his wings, they were never seen.
I thought that he walked on water.
Then he tied a cord to the end of a mop,
And said, "Son, here's a pony, keep her at a trot."
And I'd ride in circles while he laughed alot.
Then I'd flop down beside him.
And he was ninety years old in sixty-three
And I loved him and he loved me.
And lord, I cried the day he died,
'Cause I thought that he walked on water.
If the story's told, only heaven knows.
But his hat seemed to me like an old halo.
And although his wings, they were never seen.
I thought that he walked on water.
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