Farewell Grandpa Henry

It was only an hour ago that I found out that my Grandpa Henry died. He has been ill for quite some time now, and his passing is not a shock. But still, saying goodbye to someone that you love is always painful. I actually didn't know Grandpa all that well...in fact, he was always a bit scary to me. He was often gruff and liked his beer. I remember as a kid, when I would call to talk to grandma, he would answer in a low, impatient, yet slow "hello." I would say, "hi, is grandma there?" and he'd recognize my voice. He'd perk up and say "well, hello Miss Nicole, how are you?" I always loved that he called me "Miss Nicole"...he always made me feel like a lady.

Mr. And Mrs. Henry and Barbara Balensifer

I have few memories of spending time with my Grandpa, but the ones I do have always involve a good time. He never went camping with us, but he always hauled the trailer down to Spruce Run and back so we could camp with Grandma. I remember packing meat in his shop and helping with the labels...I was probably 5 or 6. I only went fishing a few times, but we took trips on the boat even if we weren't fishing. My dad was always with us. Dad spent a lot of time with Grandpa...hunting and fishing. The best was when they would go crabbing. I have quite a few memories of eating warm crab right out of the cooker at Grandpa's house. One of my favorite things to do was hang out while all the guys worked on the fishing nets. I loved laying on the big net piles and sorting cork floats and weights.

I have many memories of Christmas...like the first Christmas I spent with him. I was 5 and he had given all 3 grandkids (at the time) our own wooden rocking chairs. I've since forgotten the story, but I'm pretty sure he made them and he also painted our names on them. Of course, I still have mine. He was very artistic and good with his hands. When he was on fishing trips in Alaska, he would send me postcards written in perfect print...so perfect, he could have his own font in Microsoft Word! He was always very thoughtful when it came to giving gifts and liked to play jokes or wrap things with boards and duct tape. One year, when he gave Grandma a big fat heirloom diamond ring, he cleverly wrapped it in several layers...almost like a puzzle. I think the ring eventually came out of a notch carved out of a piece of wood.

In the last handful of years, his health has been slowly deteriorating. With that, he also acquired a bit of dementia. He was often confused, and repeated things...but he was also a lot more mellow and polite. Grandma always worried about him, especially when he was out on a drive. Grandpa drove a LOT. He would slowly cruise around Warrenton, checking up on family and friends several times a day by driving by their house. He's a retired Game Cop...so it's all in the routine. Without his daily drives, his wife, and his Jack Russel Terrier "Jackie," he would have had little else to do.

I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to paint the inside of his house last October. If it had been a few years ago...Wendy and I wouldn't have even been allowed to paint because Grandpa would likely have had a fit. But, he did little complaining and a whole lot of joking around. He was so pleasant to be around and I had fun kidding around with him for those 4 days.

Not long after that, I found out that Grandpa had been attending church with Grandma. What a shocker THAT was! AND, he wanted to get baptized! Praise the Lord! All of us, especially Grandma, had been praying for many years for the day that he would turn his life around. So, without much delay...as we knew the end could be soon...he was baptized in a small ceremony with just family and a few friends from church. It was amazing! What's even more amazing is that his baptism only occurred 1 month ago. And now he's singing with the angels in heaven.

Grandpa's Baptism 2-8-09

Farewell Grandpa Henry, I'll see you in a few years (hopefully 50-60!).