On Tuesday morning of last week, I got a call. A bad call. To date, the worst call of my life. Glenn called to tell me his father had passed away in his sleep.
What? No answers, just gone. K, that ain't right.
It doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel real, it feels numb. Even now, after seeing him off with grace and dignity, he's not gone to me. He's in my mind so clearly, sitting beside me, telling me stories about his adventures, teaching me about rocks and minerals....holding our children. How can Grandpa Glenn be gone when I can still smell him and hear him?
I can feel his love and support still, his words echo in my ears: Welcome to the family. That was 14 years ago and I can still feel that bear hug! He's still with me and always will be. I still think in the same terms: Wow, that was spicy! Your Dad will love this!....and I cry.
Beautiful man, smart, funny, compassionate, kind, firm, dedicated, loyal, diligent, faithful...they don't make him like that, and I mean they never did. He was a unique person, and I do not exaggerate. No one has ever been on this earth, in his way, so purely selfless. So often misunderstood, but brilliance usually is. I see him in his boys, strong men, loving men, totally frustrating men they are so independent. Grandpa Glenn always took the high road, was always honest and never had anything to ever be ashamed of, he lived so wholesomely. People missed that about him because he was so intensely private, they rarely were there when he stopped to help someone on the side of the road, or jumped in his boat to race to a car that had gone off a bridge and into the water, intent on helping (turns out they were filming a TV show :) )but he and his boy, MY boy were going to help no matter the personal cost!
He was always thinking of others, and especially his children. They were the center of all he did. Many years ago, he was approached by the property master filming a movie, Grandpa Glenn had just purchased some surplus equipment and the man inquired if they could use some, or all, of it for a couple scenes, offering payment. Sure, he said: But I won't charge you if my kids get to be on set. So, when Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz are thrown out of the University and their office is being cleaned out...yea, that was Dad's equipment. And his kids were there.
I once told him I needed to get an alternator for Glenn's car...and I was hoping to buy a rebuilt as money was tight back then. I told him I would be heading down to the parts store at 7:30 the next morning. At 7:00 am there was knock on the door and this greasy hand came shooting at me gripping an alternator. Here, he said, I think it's the right mounts for a chevy. I had to dig through a box of 5 but I think this is it. And, I'll be damned, it was. He watched me fix it (not one to intefere unless asked), and we drove it around the block. You see, it turns out that Geologists are great to have around, the good ones don't trust anyone else to repair their equipment and so they stock the most wonderful things! I believe I earned his respect when we were at a junk yard and I found him a 5 ton hydrologic jack and bell housing. I dragged the jack over, he stood there with this grin on his face, watching me, and I said: I think you can use this. He smiled like a kid who had just seen the world largest gumdrop and said: I think I sure can!
I am really gonna miss him.
