Much of My Story Begins With Papa…

Yesterday was a tough day. After living a wonderful life of 98 years, my grandfather known as Papa to my sister and I died.

One of my proudest life facts is that I knew and remember my great-grandfather who lived until he was 98. As of May 13 – my kids will tell the same exact story. I have always insisted to my kids that the greatest gift I could ever give them was to have and know a great grandparent. They offer so much perspective, so many stories, and have such a different way of looking at the world. Papa, like his father, saw a lot in his 98 years of life. He lived through the Great Depression, fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War ||, owned more TVs and watched less TV than anyone I have ever met, travelled out west with my mom and grandmother, was an avid camper and outdoorsman, loved gardening, loved ironed clothes, ate ice cream every night, was someone who got 2 hole in ones while golfing, and was the only other person I say could possibly be more of a Penn State fan than myself.

Looking at my own life after thinking about everything he was and did made me realize how much I have have learned from him.

Where to begin…

First and foremost – I learned genuine kindness. Regardless of where we were – everyone knew and loved my grandfather. His smile was infectious and he was always genuinely happy to see and interact with people. Anytime we went anywhere – people would comment on how much they loved my grandfather – even if they just met him. He had something really special about him and he made you feel special too.

He also taught me to value people and not things. My sister and I were Papa’s only grandchildren. Because of that we were fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with both him and my grandmother (Gaga). The excitement for my grandparents to pull in the driveway on Christmas Eve was much more than opening any present under the tree on Christmas morning. If I could have one wish – it would be a simple one to go back to a Christmas dinner with my grandmother next to me and my grandfather across the table smiling at me. I loved every moment we spent together. Whether it was just my sister and I going on a walk with Papa on the railroad tracks (such a treat) or on a walk through the woods past the old tennis court near their home – the simple moment always felt special.

My grandfather loved to travel. The destination did not matter – it was the experience. He spent a lot of time camping throughout the US and Canada and just enjoying the simple things: friends, food, and nature. Some of my favorite memories as a kid were spent camping with my grandparents in Pennsylvania and Kentucky as well. With them, life did not have to be exciting to be special – we loved sitting around the campfire and being with each other.

Watching my grandfather work was also something I take with me in my everyday life. Whether it was cutting down trees, tending to his gardens, building a house, backing up his truck with a camper, or simply mowing the lawn he took more pride in his work than anyone I have ever met. He was known as “Perfect Spike” as he found joy in the accuracy and precision of everything he did. The only sense of urgency to him was to do it right the first time. He sent his soil to be tested at Penn State to ensure his soil was perfect for the garden. To better improve his perfect mowing – he got advice from a farmer in Iowa who told him to look out at the horizon when mowing to improve the straight lines. He made sure any measurement he made was exact.

Over the last few days as I have taken time to reflect on him and his life as I knew it – it became clear that just about everything he loved in life I love as well. His wife/my grandmother meant the world to me. I enjoy people and hope I bring a smile to their face as he always did. I created a community garden at my kids’ elementary school in hopes I could spread my grandfather’s love of gardening. I have taught my kids to value people and our travels more than the trinkets you can pick up along the way and to always treat people with kindness.

I will end this with the what I consider the one of the most defining storie in my life – my journey to Penn State. I love Penn State. To me it is more than a university or a football team. Penn State has always been one of my grandfather’s favorite places on earth and he loved every moment spent there. After obtaining football tickets because of a letter he wrote to the university president, he took me and my family to my first game. I was only three years old, but it was at that game I told him I was going to go to attend Penn State when I went to college. It was at that moment that I could sense this tremendous love he had for Penn State and the Penn State community. Needless to say – I spent my entire childhood in Penn State attire and attended/graduated from Penn State. While I loved every moment of my Penn State experience – the thing that made it so special was thinking about how much it meant to my grandfather. When you see me in my Penn State apparel – know I am not just wearing it in honor of my love for Penn State, but also because it reminds me of my grandfather and his love for Penn State too.

I know I made him proud throughout my life and I will forever thank him for everything he did and was for me. May his memory live on through our family. Thanks for everything Papa!