March 17, 2011

A Special Day...

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Elies!

I love this picture of my Grandpa Elies.
He looks like the Marborlo Man or something.
I always thought he was a very handsome man. I miss him everyday.

Grandpa would have been 80 today if he were still with us. Our family lost him way too soon. He passed away 26 years ago yesterday. I was nine and remember it like it was yesterday. It was a very sad time for our family.

Some of my memories of Grandpa...

Cold Peanut M&M's in the fridge- A staple
Giving him manicures
Him taking Jess and I to State Street Grill for silly sacks
His laughter
Watching the t.v. SO loud! I will forever remember the words "Solid Gold"!(t.v. show)
Him tinkering in the garage, building buggy's, hot rods and who knows what else?
He was so tall some of his shirts were usually too short :D
The way he smelled of aftershave and the garage
His glasses had pits in them from welding things
Him laying on the couch and taking up the Whole length
His nickname was "Stretch" his name Hans Eric Elies
He loved us and loved treats
His German Ancestory
He grew up in Jersey City
His Father died in a tragic accident when he was just a baby

I'm sure there are more. This is all that comes to mind at the moment.

A couple years ago we were able to do Grandpa's & Grandma's Temple work. It was a very special day to be able to seal my Dad to his parents. I miss them both dearly and love them so much! I'm so thankful for Eternal Families. And for our sweet Uncle Alex. He is my Grandpa's brother, he has recently been a part of our lives for about the last 10 years? That is another story in and of itself. It is a pretty cool one I will have to post one day.

2 comments:

Ashley Welling said...

They say likes and things are run in the family. Maybe that is why I love peanut M&M's??? Especially cold ones.

Carolee said...

Grandpas are the best. They love to spoil and tell stories. Those are the kind of things that stick in a kids memory.