Martinizing: February 5, 2011

My sweet grandpa Lloyd Smith Furniss died on January 29, 2011. He was born on January 24, 1918. 93 years old and hilarious to the end.

I was able to spend a few weeks with my parents in Idaho in December. Grandpa was in a rest home in town, so I got to visit him quite a bit during his last days. My favorite line from those visits is when I asked him what he had discussed with his doctor lately, and, clearly misunderstanding me, he said "I would tell him to take his pills and go to hell." I think he had had enough with all the pills.

This is the last picture and day I got to spend with him. Christmas 2010 at my parents house. This is my dad, my Grandpa Curtis, and my Grandpa Furniss, sharing Christmas dinner with us. (Side note: Grandpa Curtis is wearing a Snoopy shirt to please my children. I've never seen him wear a t-shirt. So sweet.)

Lloyd Furniss as a young man in art school. So handsome! He left quite a legacy of pictures for his family, being a photographer. All the grandkids were able to go through the old photo books and find buried treasures from our past. He did such a good job of documenting our childhoods.

I'm regretful that I didn't write more about him when his death actually happened. I was so busy with life that I didn't feel like I had a moment to reflect on this great man and his presence in my life. I love that he loved to learn and was always reading books. His National Geographic collection was quite vast. I also loved looking at pictures of he and my Grandma Carol traveling the world once they were empty nesters. He always spoke so highly of her and said that they had 50 years of wedded bliss. Now, knowing that life happens, I'm sure that not every moment of it was bliss. But the fact that he remembered only the good parts is awesome to me.

I wish the occasion for my siblings being all together was more happy, but we made it happy because we were together and we were able to remember Grandpa together and say good-bye.

We're all here except Aaron.

Kenzie, Katy, Nicole, Allyn, Melissa, Jen, & Rob

The funeral itself was beautiful. All who spoke shared wonderful memories, over which we laughed and cried. The music was beautiful and the whole spirit of it was sweet.

I had never been to a military funeral before. Grandpa served in WWII and could speak to us in Mores code. It was very reverencing and beautiful to have the flag over the coffin and the trumpet playing.