Today, August 11th, was my Father-in-law's birthday. Pop, as I affectionately called him would have been 80 years old. He passed away in 2003 after a ten year battle with cancer. The family still misses him so much. So I decided I would share a few of my favorite memories that I associated with Gary's dad.
First of all, family was everything to Pop. He has five children and he spoke of them proudly and continuously. Maxine, Gary, Jerry, Annie and Amy (the baby) were five of his favorite topics....then came the grandkids. Twelve grandchildren and he saw them all as much as possible. When Nicholas was playing soccer at Westminster College (which was very close to my in-laws' home), Pop would bring his folding chair and sit on the sidelines and watch practice! Afterwards, he would give Nicholas packs of crackers and generic pop. We still laugh about his love for generic items and his passion to shop with coupons and see how much money he could save!
Then when Kimberly went to college, Pop visited her that first fall at her dorm room and called Gary and me and yelled at us because we allowed her to be in co-ed dorm! At that same visit he took Kimberly and her roommate, Molly, out for pizza. What a treat for college kids. Kimberly's college was about 1 1/2 hours away from my in-laws.
But Pop was a gem. When he first retired from the steel mill, Gary and I had returned from living in Idaho Falls, ID and had moved to Pittsburgh. We were approximately an hour and 45 minutes from my in-laws and my mother-in-law was still working. Pop would come down to visit and take the kids (double stroller and all) on a walk so I could jog in the middle of the day. Sometimes he'd take us for lunch in Station Square, or he'd babysit so I could go to lunch with my friends. Little things that mean so much to a mom who lives away from family and is home with two little ones while dad works everyday.
I could go on and on. I guess I'm missing him more this year on his birthday because of Kimberly's recent wedding. Pop always danced with his daughters and granddaughters at their weddings. There are many pictures taken as evidence of that fact. Our lives go on, but we'll always enjoy remembering how he lived his life to the fullest, making memories that each one of us treasure (I could continue with multiple stories; meeting Gary in Reno when Gary was on business and having a blast for a few days; taking Kimberly for steak and eggs at 2:00 a.m. after a game of cards when she mentioned how hungry she was; participating in the Relay for Life at Westminster because Nicholas wanted to honor him for his valiant battle with cancer; always having several half gallons of ice cream in the freezer when I would arrive for a visit because he knew that the other person who loved ice cream as much as he did was me).
I was deeply blessed to have a father-in-law that loved me as one of his own girls. Happy Birthday, Pop. We miss you.
First of all, family was everything to Pop. He has five children and he spoke of them proudly and continuously. Maxine, Gary, Jerry, Annie and Amy (the baby) were five of his favorite topics....then came the grandkids. Twelve grandchildren and he saw them all as much as possible. When Nicholas was playing soccer at Westminster College (which was very close to my in-laws' home), Pop would bring his folding chair and sit on the sidelines and watch practice! Afterwards, he would give Nicholas packs of crackers and generic pop. We still laugh about his love for generic items and his passion to shop with coupons and see how much money he could save!
Then when Kimberly went to college, Pop visited her that first fall at her dorm room and called Gary and me and yelled at us because we allowed her to be in co-ed dorm! At that same visit he took Kimberly and her roommate, Molly, out for pizza. What a treat for college kids. Kimberly's college was about 1 1/2 hours away from my in-laws.
But Pop was a gem. When he first retired from the steel mill, Gary and I had returned from living in Idaho Falls, ID and had moved to Pittsburgh. We were approximately an hour and 45 minutes from my in-laws and my mother-in-law was still working. Pop would come down to visit and take the kids (double stroller and all) on a walk so I could jog in the middle of the day. Sometimes he'd take us for lunch in Station Square, or he'd babysit so I could go to lunch with my friends. Little things that mean so much to a mom who lives away from family and is home with two little ones while dad works everyday.
I could go on and on. I guess I'm missing him more this year on his birthday because of Kimberly's recent wedding. Pop always danced with his daughters and granddaughters at their weddings. There are many pictures taken as evidence of that fact. Our lives go on, but we'll always enjoy remembering how he lived his life to the fullest, making memories that each one of us treasure (I could continue with multiple stories; meeting Gary in Reno when Gary was on business and having a blast for a few days; taking Kimberly for steak and eggs at 2:00 a.m. after a game of cards when she mentioned how hungry she was; participating in the Relay for Life at Westminster because Nicholas wanted to honor him for his valiant battle with cancer; always having several half gallons of ice cream in the freezer when I would arrive for a visit because he knew that the other person who loved ice cream as much as he did was me).
I was deeply blessed to have a father-in-law that loved me as one of his own girls. Happy Birthday, Pop. We miss you.
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