Celebrating Grampa Shantz

This week we went to Janesville, Wisconsin to celebrate the life of Craig's Grampa "Lee" Shantz who lost his fight with cancer last week, but won his precious place in Heaven. Here is a tribute that Craig wrote...

There are 16.5 feet in a rod. A 16 penny nail is called a 16 penny nail because it was the cost of buying 100 of them in the old days. McCausland was a Confederate General that participated in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. These are things that I learned from my grampa. He was the original Google. The breadth of his knowledge was immense and his ability to provide mostly pertinent information was measured in tenths of a second. I was always amazed by his retention and ability to spout useless trivia at the drop of a hat.

These are some of the things I've learned and a trait that I enjoy about myself. However, there are things that my grampa taught me that Google can't. He taught me the importance of being a loving husband and taking care of family. I remember visiting my grandparents while Gramma was in the late stages of her struggle with Alzheimer's. The care and compassion that he showed to her came from a deep place... not one that came and went with his moods, but one that was based in a decision made many years ago to love and cherish the woman he married.

I also learned the importance of singing. I remember sitting in church and listening to my grandparents sing in the choir or in the pew. I also remember Grampa singing any number of silly non-sensical songs to amuse us grandkids. The necessity of having music in our life is important.

Service to others does not come from Google, but does come from Grampa. He participated in church and other organizations with relish. In 7th Grade, he became and AWANA leader so we could spend time together. To be honest, I can't imagine volunteering to work with Jr Highers at any age.

And there's one thing that I wish I had learned and didn't. I wish I had learned his ability to create things with my hands. He could take a chunk of wood and create ad beautiful bookcase, bed or bench. He could draw a plan on a napkin and turn it into reality. That is a skill I did not inherit.

As with any personal memory, mine is incomplete. I'll have to get my inane trivia from Google rather than Grampa, but I'll always have the important lessons of living that I learned from watching him life his life well.

I'll miss you Grampa!

Some favorite pictures of Graham Lee and Grampa Lee...