February 25, 1923 - October 29, 2008
A couple of weeks ago, Kris and I decided we should go to visit his grandparents in Vernal. We were going to go today because I had the day off. The weekend before last, Motown (Kris' nickname for his grandfather) got pneumonia and we started praying to know if we needed to go earlier. Last Tuesday, Kris called me at work. I had been there for two hours and Kris said,"Kelli, we need to go sooner." 
I didn't question him at all, but asked if I needed to take the next day off. He said, "No, we need to go now." I raced home and we left immediately for Vernal. We spent the day there and came back that evening.The next morning, Motown passed away. The last couple of years, Motown was developing Alzheimer's and was beginning to forget things.
In May, the family put him in a nursing home because Kris' grand- mother couldn't take care of him by herself any more. While Motown faded quickly, the sickness at the end is not what Kris will remember about him. It is the fun-loving man that his grandfather was. He loved children, animals, hunting, and getting into trouble. He loved to tease his grandchildren, scare his great-grandchildren and was a perfect example of hard work. Kris said that he learned how to work from his grandfather. He continually encouraged every one he knew to stay out of debt, to have a food storage and be prepared. These are just a few of the things Kris remembers so fondly about his dear grandfather.We've been in and out of town a lot the last week and a half and for that reason, I haven't posted this earlier.
Over the weekend, we were in Vernal seeing family and celebrating the life of Clifford Zufelt. He served in World War II in the Battle of the Bulge and loved telling his war stories. At the funeral, they honored him with the military rights, and it was a really emotional thing to watch them take the American flag that laid on his casket, fold it gently, and present it to his loving wife of 63 years. The bugle played "Taps" and what a beautiful thing it was to listen to.Kris and I will miss having Motown in our lives, teasing, scaring, and above all, being an example for us and our son.
2 comments:
Hey, Kelli!
I'm very sorry to hear of Chris' dear Grandpa's passing. What a sweet post you did about him. It was nice to read a little bit about his life and how he touched others...thank you for sharing. Alzheimers is so sad I'm glad to know he is at peace now.
Wow, what a touching post, kel. Motown sounded like a great man and one to dearly miss. I'm grateful for people like Motown who made the world a better by living who they were. My love to you and Kris!
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