My Grandpa Kermit: The Father Of My Mother's Life

Everybody needs someone in their life to look up to and admire. In my life, that person was my Grandpa Kermit. He was the patriarch of my mom’s side of the family and he was the glue that always kept my family together through thick or thin. He made sure we stayed in touch with our relatives in South Dakota and he made sure we made time to see each other. My Grandpa was all about family dinners, having fun and spending time together. He also was all about personal accountability, doing your very best and striving for more in life. He was one of the strongest men I have had the privilege to know. As a child I knew my grandfather was special but it wasn’t until I was older and saw how he cared for all of us, that I realized just how special

Each week they did the same things and had very set agenda of activities planned for each day. As a child, I didn’t realize, why we always had Chinese food on Thursday night. Dinner at the Chinese restaurant was just what we did. It was just dinner. I was too young to understand that we did this because it helped my grandmother know it was Thursday. I always thought that my grandfather really liked the restaurant and egg drop soup. I imagine this planned schedule was difficult for my grandfather and at times he got frustrated and needed some space, but he always made sure she was safe and cared

His death came with the sudden realization of how advanced the disease was and how much he really did to help her on a daily basis. She didn’t remember us at all. She had no connection with the date or what was occurring. My grandfather had been so effective at providing hints, providing routine and preparing her for events, that none of us realized how much she had already forgotten. When he passed away my grandmother’s grip to reality was gone.
When I lost my grandfather, I also lost my grandmother. My friends at school did not understand what I was going through. They would say “at least your grandmother is still alive” and all I wanted to say was: “Yeah, sort of.” None of them could have understood what it was like to have a grandmother who couldn’t remember who you were. My family never realized how much my grandfather was my grandmother’s base to reality. We didn’t realize how much he wanted to shelter all of us from this reality. I know this put a great deal of stress on my grandfather and probably even helped contribute to his