Rememberng "Dee Dee":

My Grandfather passed away three years ago today.  Until that day I had no idea it was possible to miss anybody as much as I miss him.

For his "Celebration of Life" many people wanted to speak about their experiences of him.  I did as well.  Unfortunately, being the procrastinator that I am, I waited until the day of to begin writing a speech and was, in fact, at the location of the celebration before I began. 

As people began to arrive, I sat in the back of the room with a legal pad putting together what I thought would be an appropriate and heartfelt speech.  I remember very little about that day but my mom later told me that I received a standing ovation for what I read.  I'm told this is fairly unusual under the circumstances.

Because it is the anniversary of his passing and he is very much on my mind, I wanted to post that speech and share with the world at large what I think of my grandfather and what he means to me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had to severely pare this speech down.  If I had not, I could've talked about my grandfather for the rest of the afternoon, and probably kept you here well into the evening.

This is ironic, considering that I don't believe that anything I say can adequately describe my feeling of love, respect and admiration for him.  But I will try...

In the cosmic family lottery, I won the jackpot.

Many of you know that I called my grandfather "Dee Dee". What you may not know however is why.

When I was a baby, my mom had a hard time making the transition between calling him "dad" and calling him "grandpa".

During this transition, she would sometimes stutter when she would catch herself saying "dad" instead of "grandpa".  I picked up on this and the stutter became "Dee Dee".

Considering the role he played in my life, I think that this transition between "dad" and "grandpa" is particularly fitting.

I had a hard time growing up.  It was not until just a couple of years ago that my family and I came to understand that this was largely due to an undiagnosed case of Attention Deficit Disorder.

With all the troubles and tribulation I put my family through, the one constant in my life was the knowledge that Dee Dee was--and always would be--there for me...to support me in every way he knew how, and even when he didn't know how, by just being present.  He never gave up on his belief in my potential. 

What I am finding myself missing most, now that he has passed on, is the simple sense of his supportive presence.

As a role model, Dee Dee was a template for how to be a good man.

He defined integrity and character.  His word was his bond.  This can not be argued with.

He was fearless--and in fact ferocious--in defending his family, his friends, his country and his sense of honor.

Dee Dee liked to repeat a quote, with a twinkle in his eye, that goes, "I will stand my post in a military manner and take no shit from the company commander."

In my experience of him, Dee Dee always stood his post, he always conducted himself in a military manner and he didn't take shit from anybody.

For the rest of my life I will remember my grandfather, (his name)--Dee Dee--as possessing a keen mind, a good heart and a noble and indomitable spirit.