(picture July 4th 2008)Grandpa Bud
When I was small I looked forward to visits to Grandpa's house. He was jovial and round, generous to a fault and had an endless supply of cookies and ice cream. In my young mind this is exactly how a Grandpa should be. His favorite pastime seemed to be showing off his grandchildren. We couldn't go anywhere without running into someone Grandpa knew and his standard line was “Do you know who this is? They call these Grandkids.” It wasn't hard to see that he was proud of us, and it made me proud to belong to him.
As I have thought about him today a few memories and impression keep coming back to me and I want put down a few of the things I remember and a few of the things he has taught me.
I have no memories of my Grandma Edna before she had Alzheimer's. By the time I was 12 years old any lucid sentences from her were rare. I remember sitting with her when one of these short periods of clarity came to her. She gestured to Bud across the room and said “See that nice old man, I don't know who he is, but he takes good care of me.” Her health and memory continued to declining for another 10 years before she passed. Grandpa Bud was with her through it all. He kept her moving, took her to the cabin, to the theater and out on errands. His constant attention kept her going. I recall him pointing to her often and saying “Look how pretty she is” He got little affection in return, but I never knew him to give up on her. Never have I witnessed a more perfect example of unconditional and enduring love.
Grandpa Bud was a generous man. I remember him handing out dollars (peel-a-bucks) to me and the other kids so we could walk to the Brighton store and buy candy. He often treated us to lunch at the Cowboy Grub, McDonald's or the ZCMI Center. The Cabin was always available to anyone who wanted to use it, even if Grandpa didn't know them personally. He was kind and affectionate to everyone we met.
Christmas was a special treat at Grandpa's house. I was fascinated by all the automated toys that covered the pool table during this time of year. I remember running around upstairs, full of anticipation, waiting for the moment the double doors would open to the basement and we could all run in. We would race to our stockings to see what fun treats and toys Bud had for us that year. Bud would eventually have 20 grandchildren. Luckily he had the biggest fireplace I have ever seen, so almost all of the stockings could hang there.
It's no wonder the a man as generous as him would be drawn to service organizations. He had a great love for the Brighton Girls Camp and for Boy Scouts. Over the years I saw him donate a great deal of time, money, and effort to these organizations. I remember one night I went with him to the weekly devotional at the Girls camp when they called on him to share his thoughts. I can't now recall the specifics of what he said, but I remember being very moved by this testimony that night.
I now can't think of my Grandpa's life without being reminded of his love for the gospel. His faith seemed to influence everything he did. I remember him often finding opportunities to share a part of his testimony with us or to point out a gospel parallel in some seemingly ordinary thing.
Last, but not least, was his sense of humor. Every time I saw Bud he was ready with a joke or three. Though in later years it was often the same three jokes over and over, the message was clear. He was a man that loved to laugh. His humor and good spirits drew others to him. He will be deeply missed.
Love you Bud.
When I was small I looked forward to visits to Grandpa's house. He was jovial and round, generous to a fault and had an endless supply of cookies and ice cream. In my young mind this is exactly how a Grandpa should be. His favorite pastime seemed to be showing off his grandchildren. We couldn't go anywhere without running into someone Grandpa knew and his standard line was “Do you know who this is? They call these Grandkids.” It wasn't hard to see that he was proud of us, and it made me proud to belong to him.
As I have thought about him today a few memories and impression keep coming back to me and I want put down a few of the things I remember and a few of the things he has taught me.
I have no memories of my Grandma Edna before she had Alzheimer's. By the time I was 12 years old any lucid sentences from her were rare. I remember sitting with her when one of these short periods of clarity came to her. She gestured to Bud across the room and said “See that nice old man, I don't know who he is, but he takes good care of me.” Her health and memory continued to declining for another 10 years before she passed. Grandpa Bud was with her through it all. He kept her moving, took her to the cabin, to the theater and out on errands. His constant attention kept her going. I recall him pointing to her often and saying “Look how pretty she is” He got little affection in return, but I never knew him to give up on her. Never have I witnessed a more perfect example of unconditional and enduring love.
Grandpa Bud was a generous man. I remember him handing out dollars (peel-a-bucks) to me and the other kids so we could walk to the Brighton store and buy candy. He often treated us to lunch at the Cowboy Grub, McDonald's or the ZCMI Center. The Cabin was always available to anyone who wanted to use it, even if Grandpa didn't know them personally. He was kind and affectionate to everyone we met.
Christmas was a special treat at Grandpa's house. I was fascinated by all the automated toys that covered the pool table during this time of year. I remember running around upstairs, full of anticipation, waiting for the moment the double doors would open to the basement and we could all run in. We would race to our stockings to see what fun treats and toys Bud had for us that year. Bud would eventually have 20 grandchildren. Luckily he had the biggest fireplace I have ever seen, so almost all of the stockings could hang there.
It's no wonder the a man as generous as him would be drawn to service organizations. He had a great love for the Brighton Girls Camp and for Boy Scouts. Over the years I saw him donate a great deal of time, money, and effort to these organizations. I remember one night I went with him to the weekly devotional at the Girls camp when they called on him to share his thoughts. I can't now recall the specifics of what he said, but I remember being very moved by this testimony that night.
I now can't think of my Grandpa's life without being reminded of his love for the gospel. His faith seemed to influence everything he did. I remember him often finding opportunities to share a part of his testimony with us or to point out a gospel parallel in some seemingly ordinary thing.
Last, but not least, was his sense of humor. Every time I saw Bud he was ready with a joke or three. Though in later years it was often the same three jokes over and over, the message was clear. He was a man that loved to laugh. His humor and good spirits drew others to him. He will be deeply missed.
Love you Bud.
(Robert Franklin Barnes is survived by his 4 children, 20 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren)
7 comments:
Julie, thanks for writing this. I got up this morning and read it, and it was really comforting. We'll see you guys at the funeral :)
Julie,
Very well said, can we read this at the funeral?
Susie
Oh Julie, thank you for this post! Similar memories have kept me up most of the night. You've helped inspire to blog myself. Beautiful tribute. I especially loved the part about Grandma telling you that nice man takes good are of her.
Well put Julie. Grandpa was wonderful and he'll be so missed. Thank you for sharing your memories.
I loved it! He really was such an amazing man and grandpa. I'm so happy he is back with grandma. What a sweet reunion. Thanks for the post and I'm excited to see you at the funeral. Booked my ticket this morning :)
This was a very nice tribute to your Grandpa. I am sorry for your loss. He sounded like an amazing man. I will be thinking about you.
Thanks Julie ...
You are so strong and such an asset to the Barnes family. I appreciate you.
Love
Uncle Mike
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