Grandparents memorial thread

I couldn't think of a better place to post this than here so here goes. I am sure most of us have lost loving grandparents in our lives and are still feeling the pain from losing them. This is a thread to share your thoughts and stories from memories past. There is just something so special about grandparents that really cannot be explained, their love is genuine and unconditional, their teachings can't be matched. I've personally learned more from my grandpa than any teacher has, and will ever teach me. Anyway, to keep things on track, here is a picture of my late Grandpa Jack and Grandma Judy relaxing in front of the camper out at the lake one summer.

Not a day goes by I don't think of them, still hard to swallow the fact that they are gone. Grandma passed away in April of 2002 after loosing battle to lung cancer from smoking, and that was the first traumatic death experience of my life. I was only about 9 years old then. Grandpa held on until March of 2010. He and I had become big time pals after Grandma passed, I always looked forward to spending weekends with him, and dreaded leaving. He was so funny and witty, always cracking some joke about an advertisement on TV or poking fun at my little brother, which I always thought was hilarious! We would watch sports together on Sunday's, NASCAR and NFL mainly, and sometimes MLB. He had a little dog named Pepper as well, that always seemed to go on an eating spree when I was around. That little dog managed to eat 11 of those little milk bones in one day! Keep in mind he was a Pomeranian/Papillon mix so wasn't very big. Something about me triggered his desire to eat more I guess lol. I remember how in the mornings Grandpa would cook a simple breakfast, usually bacon and eggs. The years went by at a quick rate, and one morning I woke up to my sophomore year in high school. I along with my second grandmother (on my dad's side of the family), who had recently visited Grandpa Jack up at his trailer in the mountains, began to notice something wrong with him. He was loosing weight at a dramatic rate, as if he wasn't eating at all. We both tried to pursuede him into eating, and even brought food out to him figuring he would appriciate a good, home-cooked meal. Still he continued to get thinner, and like most old men, refused to see a doctor. Also his motivation to get up and do anything dwindled, twice he had missed the boat to come to family gatherings like Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner, claiming he was going to spend them with his brother. (we later found out that he told his brother he was spending the holiday with us) Grandpa also became very irritable over the smallest things and didn't joke or laugh much at all anymore. The fall of that year I didn't spend many weekends up there, even though I had just gotten a drivers license and could easily have done it if I wanted to, but for some reason I didn't. And I kick myself for not doing it now, because in the dead of winter that year, Grandpa was hospitalized for influenza and later placed in the hospital's nursing home. He was never the same again, his brother who is my great uncle, had found him collapsed on the floor in his kitchen after he had taken a fall and was unable to get up. He lay there for 2 days he claimed. Idk if it was Alzheimer's or what, but his memory clouded over really bad, and he mistaked me for his nephew Chris all the time. I tried explaining who I was, and he would remember for the rest of that visit, but the next time I came, he had forgotten. Sometimes he was asleep when I visited him, but I would spend an hour sitting in the room with him anyway, watching the telly. Even through the memory loss, he never failed to smile. I remember how the last day I saw him, he had the biggest smile and his eyes shone ever so brightly. I think he knew that his time was just around the corner and it brought out a flicker of happiness in him again. He would soon be reunited with Grandma up there, and he was. On March 1st, I was on my way home from Las Vegas after the NASCAR race there, and was in a layover at Denver Airport. I had conked out in a chair and was taking a pretty good nap when he came to me in a vision. Now I know lots of people probably will think I am crazy, but that is your opinion. In the vision, I was hanging out in the dining room of my house, sitting in a chair and watching out the window. When I saw Grandpa's tall figure come strolling up the street. It was bright, and sunny day, and he was dressed in his best, and completely restored to health as I remembered him. I ran out and confronted him, I knew he was going somewhere, so I asked.
"Grandpa, where are you going?" And he looked down at me and smiled, and looked onward.
"I'm going home."
I was a bit astonished, "you mean back up to the mountains?" And this time our eyes met, and a big smile crossed his face, and his eyes were bright with happiness.
He looked up toward the sky, "I'm going home!"
Then, just like that, he was lifted up to the heavens. I looked up, and it wasn't sunlight, it was something far more beautiful, it was all golden and I could hear faint vocals way up there. It had to be angels singing, and just like that, I snapped awake from the vision. Less than 15 minutes later, I got the call from my dad telling me that Grandpa had passed away in his sleep. On the flight home, over the mountains where he had lived, I was presented with the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. It was perfectly golden, and the snow capped trees reflected it. I will never forget all the memories I shared with him and Grandma, days like this I really am missing them, if only I could pick up the phone and call them in heaven. Anyway, I am about out of words, so feel free to share your stories and memories!