Grandpa's House

So my Grandpa lives out in Seattle...or should I say he DID live out in Seattle as he passed away almost 2 weeks ago now.
We didn't have a traditional funeral for him as he donated his body to Science. Yes, you read that right, he donated his body to the University of Washington. Did I mention we are TRUE blue Washingtonians?? Yeah, we are about as Washington as you can get.


So instead of having a funeral we had more like a gathering at his house where people could come and it was basically a party. I'm not a drinker at all, but Grandpa was a Rainer Beer Drinker (again - Washingtonians to the CORE) and in honor of his favorite beer there was plenty to go around.


Like i mentioned in my previous post, we were not close and while I would love to say I wanted to get to know him better I learned at an early age it was easy to be replaced by 2 other girls who were around my age. Ahhh Debbie & Cindy. I could never met up to their wonderfulness it seemed. Now Debbie and Cindy are not related to me at all -- their dad is just a family friend. But their pictures were around Grandpa's house and growing up it broke my heart to see their pictures hanging there when it should have been me and my brother.


Eventually he lost touch with me as we got older and so did he. sure we did the usual forced family visits with my Dad (My Grandpa was my Dad's Dad), but my Grandpa was a very very quiet man who hardly ever spoke. He was more of a watcher really.


I never forgot that Debbie and Cindy seemed to have a prominent spot in his heart. Clearly I did nothing to change that either and what a shame that is. Hindsight is 20/20 in more ways then I want to think about right now....


Debbie & Cindy did not come to the Party. They I heard thru the gossip mill had basically lost touch with their dad (their link to my Grandpa) due to fight over valuable merchandise he owns.


But when we were there at Grandpa's house I overheard a lady mention something about Debbie & Cindy coming or being there. I wanted to go over and shake her and say, "They are NOT related to him!! I'm the TRUE Granddaughter!!" But how Petty and stupid would that have been?
I mean after all I may have been the "true" Granddaughter, but I didn't keep in touch with him and for all I know they visited him all these years. Some how that thought comforts me. In a weird twisted way. ;)


Mostly the party was full of people I didn't know nor would have ever known. They were friends of my Uncle's rather then true friends of my Grandpa....sort of sad, but at the same time it was good to have the house full of people.


Mostly I just talked with my dad's wife and that was about it. My dad was probably a little more loose after having a few drinks in him after awhile. Not something I see very often! Of course I don't hang around him at parties with Beer flowing from every cooler in the house!


I'm a little sad to be seeing my Grandpa's house sold. It was his house from the very beginning -- like he bought it when it was first built! Not that I'm moving up there anytime soon nor would I be offered anything anyway. We (my brother and I -- the only grand kids) were not mentioned in the will so its good to see the stuff going to those who truly were in my Grandpa's life.

So for you Grandpa I say I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I wasn't a better Granddaughter like I should have been. All those times I turned down the chance to come visit you was probably not mentioned, but I did see those pictures of me when I was in probably 4th or 5th Grade above your TV. Those pictures may have been put there by my Dad in an effort to show he had some pictures of us around.


Either way Grandpa where ever you are I hope you are at peace. I'm sorry you left so soon. Too soon.

E. Kahler

March 1929-December 2009