Saying Good-bye for now

John's dad just passed away after battling cancer. And I miss him.

I have cried many times this week and the tears start again as I think about my father-in-law.
And how grateful I am to be a part of his family.

I don't know of many people who crammed more into life than he did.

He was a person who took everything that came his way and celebrated it.

This was in October. He did not feel well, but still came dressed up in funny ears and nose.

Nothing crossed his path without becoming better. When we built our pool, we had used pavers as our decking and as the border around the pool. It looked nice, but the edges were rather rough, so people would often get a scratch or two getting in or out of the pool. So Kent showed up at our house with his grinder and ground down the edges (top AND bottom) of each and every paver around our pool and our spa. And it is not a small pool. And it was very hot outside. But the end result was wonderful.

He was constantly seeking ways to help others and to be better.

He was enthusiastic about everything. We ended up with tickets to the World Series when the D-Backs were in it. John immediately knew he wanted to ask his dad to come to the game because he knew how excited he would be about it. And he was.

He was hard-working. Boy, was he hard-working. I honestly believe that there was not much difference between work and play to him. He derived just as much enjoyment and satisfaction from working hard and accomplishing a task as he did from playing.

When we were putting some dirt in our backyard, Kent and Suzann showed up one afternoon with gloves and a wheelbarrow to help. Andrew grabbed his wheelbarrow and kept pace with Grandpa. I am so glad I have these pictures of my kids "working" with Grandpa.

He was diligent. And I don't know if he gave less than 100% to anything he did...ever.

He loved the gospel and the scriptures and took every chance to share that. And he had a great talent for teaching. He made the scriptures come alive. One of my favorite memories is when we went to visit him and Suzanne in Indiana when they were serving a mission. We stopped to eat somewhere and the waitress was wearing a Star of David necklace. He was always very friendly to everyone, and he started talking with her and explaining that they were missionaries. And somewhere in there he noticed her necklace. As she walked away from the table he called out, "You're Judah, we're Joseph!" I'm sure she didn't have any idea what he was talking about, but I just loved his enthusiasm. He was never afraid to share something that he felt was important.

He could fix anything.

He loved making his yard beautiful.

He was always so excited about each new grandchild.

With Andrew

He was genuinely interested in others. And his family remembers that he would invite people to their home all the time when they were growing up. Many times people he had never met before, but who needed a place to go or somewhere to eat.

The first time I met him was at my parents' home. I was graduating from law school and John's brother Dave was in my class at school. I was not dating John at the time. We had invited some people and families over for food and a graduation "party". I still remember how Kent went out of his way to introduce himself. He was so openly grateful about the invitation, complimenting the party and the food and asking me genuine questions about myself.

These pictures below are from my and John's wedding. I love how they have captured Kent visiting and interacting with others.

With my grandpa Rowberry

He never hesitated to tell you how proud he was of what you were doing. And you never wondered if he cared. He was always interested.

I'm so grateful that I have memories with Kent. That we lived close by.That John is like his dad in so many ways

This is the first time I have felt a death so strongly. All of my grandparents have passed away, but I never lived by any of them and although I loved them, there was not really a hole left when they died. Now I feel a hole. He was a big part of my life for the last 7 1/2 years. Even though he has been pretty sick for over a year and so has not been as involved as before, I still miss him being here. And I'm sure I will miss him again and again. When this new baby is born this summer. When we bless her. When John graduates with his MBA.

I was talking to my sister-in-law and she was saying that this is what the opposition principle is all about. We would not feel the pain if we had not felt the joy. The fact that he was such a wonderful father, grandfather, husband, teacher, person, and father-in-law means that we will feel some pain now that we are missing him.

It is sad to say good-bye. But how grateful I am that it is not good-bye for ever. I am sure we will be reunited with him again. How sweet the gospel message of families and eternity is right now.