Aloha-oe Grandpa! Until we meet again...

 My sweet Grandpa Cooper passed away last week. We knew it was going to happen soon, but that never makes it any easier. My mom and her sister received a call last Wednesday that he wasn't doing well and they should head down to St. George to say goodbye. My mom is one of 4 girls and they were all right by Grandpa's side, and so was my sweet Grandma, his eternal companion, as he passed into heaven. My brother and his family were also there and he said it was such a neat experience to be there, so peaceful. I am so lucky he was my grandpa. So many wonderful things I will always remember about him. I just want to write down a few of my favorites.

- digging for worms in their garden at their house in Idaho Falls so we could use them for bait for fishing

-fishing up at the cabin with grandpa, making him put the worm on the hook because i didn't want to squish it in my fingers.

-sitting on the cabin porch watching grandpa work around the yard

-eating the delicious breakfasts at the cabin that grandpa would whip up

-listening to him talk about growing up on the farm in Idaho

-hearing his stories of being a sailor in the US Navy

-watching him tease my kids

-the way he loved my grandma

Grandpa's funeral was such a wonderful, fitting send off. It was fun to see my cousin Brady that I hadn't seen in at least 8 or 9 years. And it was so sweet of our dear friends the Mauss's (Dan, Mare, Justin, Jake and Megan) and the Walters (Mike & Lisa) to drive down from SLC in a crazy spring snow storm. It meant so much to us that they were there. True friends that are more like family whom I love just as if they were. While I will miss seeing Grandpa when I pass through St. George, I am so grateful he was my gramps and that I was his granddaughter! 

 Grandma, Mom and her sisters

 Balloons to heaven...

This boy was tired and fell asleep in Grandma's arms. She loved it!