It's a lot harder to process and sometimes doesn't feel quite real because it was so sudden. He was burned in a house fire and sustained severe burns that his body was not able to handle. Luckily the burn center was able to keep him comfortable and he did not suffer in pain.
I've not yet decided whether being the executor of his will and being the one to make the funeral arrangements has helped or hindered my grieving process.
Grandpa and I were very close. I was fortunate to know him well and hear so many of his stories over the years. Grandpa left home as a child and spent most of his life working the carnival where he met my Great Grandma Madge. Having grandparents with the carnival was a great perk. Most people are unaware of the carnival world, but it is quite interesting and provided grandma and grandpa with a lot of fun and opportunity. Since the same people travel to all of the shows year after year, they had a lot of great life long friends.
Grandpa retired from the carnival a few years after Grandma passed (which was in 1990). He continued to live in the house that he and Grandma had shared since the 1950's. Although Grandpa didn't have any family in the small town that he lived in, he was surrounded by great friends. He was loved by so many and will be missed more than he could ever have imagined.
I'm very grateful that he was able to meet my daughter before he passed. I included his name in her middle name to honor him. Her middle name is Rayden. Ray obviously for my Great Grandpa and "den" for my Father Dennis.
