Cayetano C. Pérez
Grandpa - In Memoriam
4/18/2020
A LIFE IN PICTURES
SECOND FATHERHOOD
A LIFE IN PICTURES
SECOND FATHERHOOD
I doubt it could ever be easy, for me at least, to write about the death of a loved one – particularly a parent. And this is a special case, which brings up a lot of emotions from the past. Grandpa took charge of raising me as his son, all the while balancing access to my mom and dad. While I was struggling to understand my place in our family, he made sure that I felt loved and that I also had the opportunity to connect with my parents constantly throughout my childhood. He would drive me to California to see my mom, and took me to my dad’s on weekends.
I am forever grateful for everything he did for me. He worked hard for his entire family, and raising two generations is a big undertaking. All of the typical milestones a child would experience with his dad, I had the benefit of Grandpa being a part of them.
I am forever grateful for everything he did for me. He worked hard for his entire family, and raising two generations is a big undertaking. All of the typical milestones a child would experience with his dad, I had the benefit of Grandpa being a part of them.
As a baby, he rocked me to sleep while humming and singing, and fed me mushed up bananas. As a kid, he went to my school plays, sports events, piano recitals and band concerts. He played catch with me, swung piñatas, took me to parks. He took me to see relatives in California, Texas, and Mexico.
He taught me to ride a bike, drive a car (and a stick-shift, at that!), and deal with bullies. He showed me what kind of work ethic you needed to hope for success in college.
Grandpa also made sure I stayed in touch with my siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews throughout the years. There was always family around, and today I realize how special it is that our family is so well-connected. Grandpa dutifully cared for and involved his whole family as much as he could. There are so many memories I get to cherish because he took me to see everyone as often as possible.
Grandpa also made sure I stayed in touch with my siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews throughout the years. There was always family around, and today I realize how special it is that our family is so well-connected. Grandpa dutifully cared for and involved his whole family as much as he could. There are so many memories I get to cherish because he took me to see everyone as often as possible.
When I started to have my own children, he shared our joy and helped us take care of them, too – with a smile on his face, he let our kids know they were loved by our whole family.
I am grateful that Grandpa was able to see me through college. To hear him say that he was proud of me wasn’t rare – but I wanted to truly do my best, in part to show him that I was able to succeed because of his influence in my life. In fact, if it weren’t for his help throughout all these years into my adulthood, I doubt I would have gone very far. When his family struggled, you could see that it hurt him deeply. When I made mistakes, he would let me learn from it and grow. When I finally took the initiative to move forward, I was able to make it happen because of him – and he would try and fill in the gaps where circumstances would get in the way.
This is hard to write as a grandson. There is so much to say, because he wasn’t a grandparent that I would go see on weekends – my experience is so much deeper than that. I have an entire life with his direct influence as a father, and of course I wish that God could have let him stay just a little while longer. But I am so thankful for the life that I got to spend with him. I pray that his soul rests in peace, knowing that his hard work and love was not in vain. I pray that my family, and especially my Grandma, finds peace knowing that Grandpa is no longer in pain, and is in a much better place, waiting for his family to see his smiling face when it’s the right time.
Love you, Grandpa.
-Jimmy
-Jimmy