November 17, 2008
Today would have been my Grandpa's 100th Birthday!
He passed away a couple weeks ago on Halloween night.
He just missed his big day.
As young girls, my sister Ali and I spent tons
of time with my Nana and Grandpa. My Nana
passed away before I had this blog, so I want
to take this opportunity to share some photos
of them both.
Atlantic City
(that's my grandpa on the far right)
my nana and grandpa
at home in Miami, Florida
with my Mom and Aunt Judi
above...my Mom, little me, Grandpa and his mother
below...Grandpa and his brother Al
that's me above:)
that's when Grandpa was Cowpa and after
that he was PopPop for many years...
then I got too cool and started calling him
Grandpop or Grandpa.
In almost 100 years, you can imagine the many
experiences he had...living through the depression,
a veteran of WWII,
he raced motorcycles, he owned a gas station
and he painted airplanes for Pan Am.
My PopPop
loved to fish and make things with
his hands
like this doll house and cradle for me.
He loved to bowl and play cards and watch
game shows and snack on pretzels and nap in his chair.
He always looked the same...
with his handsome full head of white hair
and face that defied age.
There were no strangers to my PopPop...
he would talk to anyone and everyone.
And every time you went to a restaurant with him,
he'd walk out saying the same thing to a passerby...
"wanna know the bad thing about this place?
it kills your appetite!"
We would stay with Nana and PopPop
every summer. They would take us to
Circus World and Weeki Wachee and Disney.
They had a huge garden where we would
pick things for our salad each night.
They would treat us to dinner out at Pizza Hut
and take us bowling. They would let us wind
the cuckoo clock and look through old pictures
and go for bike rides. We would attend Mass
with them on Sundays.
My Nana would always
pick her jewelry out of her jewelry box and put
on her red lipstick and perfume and
I would love the way she smelled.
My sister and I would hide their cigarettes
and tell them to stop smoking...
my Nana finally did...
PopPop was sneaking them until
the very end:)
Nana taught me how to iron and cook.
She loved owls and gardening and sewing
and doing crosswords. She and my PopPop would
fight like cats and dogs but always loved each
other in the end.
They loved to travel...
and go on cruises and visit with their friends
at the clubhouse in their retirement community.
Nana saved every piece of mail we ever sent them.
All the cute little drawings and funny misspelled words
on Holly Hobby stationery.
I loved my Grandparents very much and while
I miss them...I will always cherish these memories
and moments.
Happy 100th PopPop!!
xoxoxo...jenn
