R's dad passed away yesterday. We knew it was coming, as E had been in bad health for many years, but it still hurts. E, while quiet and reserved, was a larger than life presence. He commanded a sense of reverence when you were around him. Every word he spoke, was said in a deliberate and meaningful manner. This was partly due to the fact that he struggled to speak thanks to his ailments, but even still...E wasn't a man to mince or waste words. When he talked to you....you knew he was sharing something important.
I'll never forget the first time I met him. R and I had been dating almost a year. It was our first Thanksgiving together and his parents drove all the way from Orlando to Little Rock. R was working as a restaurant manager back in those days. I was so incredibly nervous to meet them, so I arrived at R's restaurant and waited at a table near the door. He had told me to look for a "very tall man, with white hair, a beard, and a cane." What I believe he meant to say was "look for the most majestic person in the world to walk through the door." Finally, I saw him. First, a boisterous tanned woman and then...the most majestic person in the world. He walked slowly, relying on his cane to assist him. I hugged R's mom and then, timidly, him. Funny enough, R's mom never intimidated me. But, E...oh yes. Why, I'll never be sure. He was quiet and seemed pensive. I thought maybe he didn't like me. But, I realized soon after that he was just as nervous as I was. Nervous to meet me and excited to see his son for the first time in almost a year. Over the course of that week, I learned much about E. I learned that even though he was quiet, he was wily as hell and hilarious. He loved politics, Budweiser, and Microsoft products. And, he loved kids. Now, earlier, I spoke of his majestic appearance. I say "majestic" because the man was Santa Claus. He looked just like him and even had the red suit. He even spent an entire evening while in town that week at the restaurant playing Santa and taking pictures with the kids. I have to admit...even I had a hard time believing that he wasn't the Jolly Red Giant, himself. I looked at him, starstruck, as my own personal Santa and even bragged to my friends that my possible future father-in-law was Old St. Nick.
E loved our animals, especially Marley. He would sit and play tug of war with Marley for HOURS. Where I usually give up after 5 minutes or so, this guy was tireless...tugging back and forth with a rope or a chew toy saying "Give me thaaat!" :) He had a tremendous amount of patience... He was also very affectionate and sensitive. He made sure that everyone knew how much he loved them. When R and I announced our engagement, he was thrilled and couldn't wait to come back up to Arkansas to celebrate with us. E was the biggest hit of our wedding. All of our friends and family loved him and made sure that he was well taken care of. One of my favorite moments from that night, was the Father/Father dance. My dad and E, dancing together. Two of the most handsome men in tuxes if I may say so. Then there is the dance with my sister-in-law sitting on his lap. He was surely the stud of the night. ;-)
Although E lived in Florida, he was a Yankee through and through...and I always had to chuckle when E would say "I love youse guys." He said it often and he said it heartfelt, but his New Yorker accent always threw me off...partly because he lived in Florida and I didn't realize then that Floridians were the yankees of the South, but also because he was so calm and mild mannered that I just never could make the correlation.
I'm sad that he's gone...I'm sad that our son will never know how much his Grandpa loved him...but, as I said...he was very sick. So, for that reason, I'm glad he is at peace. I am forever grateful to him for having raised such a wonderful man (men...R's brother is pretty great, too) I know this blog really doesn't do E much justice and for that, I apologize. I think to fully explain our love and appreciation for E, would require a book of encyclopedic proportions. So, for now, I leave you with just this little blurb on his life as I knew him and these pictures.
The B Family
Santa and his Elves
Father/Father Dance
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