My grampa died this morning

My sister called me this morning and told me that my grampa died this morning. Then Mom emailed me the particulars: he didn't want a funeral and wanted cremation and to be interred at the National Cemetery in Portland, OR. It was all pre-paid and everything.

It's so weird that there won't be a funeral or anything. I feel like I should do something to note his passing. And honor him and the memories I have of him. The things I loved about him.

And the graveyard in so far away. Realistically, I won't be visiting his gravesite.

Rainbow suspenders, cacti, RedLo Cacti stationary, the sound he made when you'd snap the suspenders, the game he'd play that made you look away from your plate so he could steal food (or your fork), his laugh, his weird glass eye, his marvelous garage that held awesome treasures: wood building stuff, rock polishing stuff; his greenhouse, his dahlias that topped the clothesline, his black glasses, his thin white hair, typing on my first computer at his house, learning how to play cards from him, the chinese checkers board in the coat closet at his house, the ring he made me, the table he made me, the step he made me, the clocks he made, his genealogy quests.... mostly his joy of life and all the things he yet wanted to learn! Those are the things that I remember about him.

My mom wrote: "Noteworthy and a little sweet……….  I was hoping Grampa would make it to Friday, since that was their 58^th anniversary.  When I mentioned that to Gramma this morning, she ask for today’s date.  I told her it was the 25^th.  She pointed out that the date that they really got married in 1950 was November the 25^th.  So he DID make it to their anniversary."