The Ran Fam: December 2015

As we normally do, we headed into NJ for Christmas with Oma and Opa and the rest of the family (Matt and Erin were in Disney this year, so we did not get to see them this year while we were in.). Seth and I were able to go on a date night while we were there too which was really awesome! Oma and Opa headed to McDonald's and Christmas at the Turtleback Zoo--with Seth and I meeting up with them after our dinner.

Happy meals!

It was VERY cold while we were at the zoo, but the kids didn't seem to mind (or notice?). They were pre-occupied with the animals, roasting s'mores over the zoo's firepits and the cute snowman cookies that cost us a small fortune. :) But look at that cute smile!!

On the carousel with Oma!

At one point, we went into the stingray house to warm up. Carter was pretty into it but Addison would have none of it and didn't want to touch anything! It sure was nice to warm up a bit. At the zoo, we also rode the train all through the property and actually way out along the water and into the woods. It was really cool and the kids got a kick out of it!

And--we of course celebrated with Ben, Salli and the kids. We were down three kids this year but it was still very exciting and lively! The kids LOVE sorting out all the presents by recipient before we begin (and then going youngest to oldest to open).

Climbing up above the garage to check things out (and get their old sleds)! Boys will be boys I guess?

For some reason, our cute little stinkers always get up early in NJ but that isn't usually a problem since Oma and Opa are up well before them. Addison sure thought she was pretty cool making pancakes with Opa!

We had a great time celebrating with the family. We headed home today and on the way home, decided that we were just going to take it easy, order in Chinese, watch a movie and hang out. It was glorious!! Happy (almost) 2016!

My grandpa passed away peacefully on December 22 surrounded by his entire family. Right before he passed away, he told my grandma he was going to see Jesus. What a precious, special moment for her (and all of us). Today was his funeral and leading up to it, the grandkids pulled together memories and ideas for a tribute. My cousin, Megan, and Michelle did a great job writing everything up and speaking at the funeral. So I always have it--and so you can get to know the wonderful man my grandpa was--here it is. It's long but worth it.

(Megan)
Papa, pawpaw, papis, grandpa, grandpa Ray, Papa Ray, grampus. He went by many names. But no matter what we called him, he was always there--the projects, the holidays, the birthdays, the full week of Roxbury camp. He always had a toothpick. When we made homemade ice cream, he always got the paddle. Sometimes he would share. :)

He was always willing to take us on tractor rides. He let us count his big jug of pennies and see how much you could save in 1 cent coins. He always refused to join in on all the game playing, but he'd sit and visit with us anyway. If you could get him to play rook though, he’d win.

He used comfortene for every ailment. He loved to listen to quartet music in the car. He loved raisin filled Christmas cookies. He loved to garden, and often gave us a bucket to fill with green beans right alongside him. And he grew a crazy amount of tomatoes. And he would come in from working outside and fall asleep on the floor while grandma cooked, and I would squeeze in beside him.

He'd be sure to get up and help out by telling grandma what to do and what not to do. But he would also say “ask your mother” or “ask Mit” what to do if he didn’t have a particular opinion.

Jeremy said recently, “I'll never forget the last words I heard him say, they were so grandpa Ray. Annette was trying to get him to eat something and asked him which shake he would prefer or something along those lines. Without hesitation he said "ask your mother" and looked at me and winked. I'll never forget that. Every time he made a joke or told "Mit" to do something a certain way he would always wink at you.”

He had this electric fly swatter. Jeremy recalls the times papa took Bradley and him to the barn with two or three of those electric fly swatters in an adventure of zapping spiders. “We'd get all the ones we saw, but everyone was looking for the biggest ones that would really spark. I remember him smiling and laughing with us and holding us up so we could get the high ones.”

One of the annual events for the family was husking and brushing the fields of corn that grandpa had grown. It was known as the best in the valley, and we always had a fun day on their picnic table covered in the husks and strings. We refer to grandma and grandpas home as 'the farm' and it is our homestead, our home base.

Mom and dad (Annette and Randy) tell stories of grandma and grandpa hosting dad's graduation from his residency. Papa got a huge barbecue pit and barbecued 50 chickens on the farm.

If we had a need, grandpa would come and help. We wanted a barn, grandpa came. We wanted to finish the upstairs, grandpa came. We needed stuff done all the way up in Caribou, Maine, grandpa came. When Heidi was born, gram came to help with the baby and Papa came along and decided all the work needed done.

One time they came up with grandma and grandpa Keefer and they rebuilt the rotting garage front.

He was definitely happiest when he was working: He helped us move, he helped us with our cars, he helped with us kids. Mom and dad needed us out of the house or needed someone to take care of us and they'd be down. Heidi and Jeremy remember when they were being homeschooled and when dad had a work trip to go on, gram and papa would come along and help with the kids.

Whenever we had a garden project or car issue, they’d "call grandpa, he'll know what to do."

If you have any questions for papa and he didn't know, he would see what his friend Bingy thought-and that was as good as gospel.

He liked to people watch when we went shopping. When gram and mom wanted to go, he'd just sit in the middle and watch. He almost always came along to things, even if he wasn't terribly interested in what we were doing.

He built a tree house back behind the house and that was about the best thing as a little girl with my big cousin Bradley. That was his way of distracting us and keeping us from constructing forts with blankets and pillows and the old church pew. I guess he did that to get the mess out of the house.

One time grandma was out and about, maybe getting her hair done, grandpa was left with me. Well I’d say I was about 8 or something, and I made my way down to the woods by the creek and kept myself busy playing down there. When I came back, I knew he wouldn't be too happy because I had been about waist deep in mud and wasn't I surprised when he told me it was cow manure and had me strip down and hosed me. He was all about quick fixes.

He used to joke a lot. If we ever had our nails painted when we came to see him, he'd say 'what's that barn paint doing on you?'

And if you left the door open he’d remind you that you weren’t born in a barn.

Recently, when gram and papa came to visit, grandma would walk in first and immediately Lukas would run around her yelling "pawpaw." Grandpa got down on the floor and would play with us-and the more recently the great grandkids- or take us along in tow to the barn or wherever he was going to do work.

He was hardworking and showed us what doing a hard days work really meant. Papa came the moment we needed him, and he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his time and energy to lend a helping hand, some needed advice, or a lap to crawl up into. We will warmly look back on the time we had with him, knowing that the Lord’s timing is good, yet missing the time we had together.

Some people may think Christmas is a sad time to mourn the loss of someone dear to you, but I think there would’ve been no better season to celebrate the life of someone who--like Christ--came, served and sacrificed.

(Michelle)
Papa was a character. No doubt about it. We lived within houses of him and Gram our entire lives so we got to see him pretty often and were blessed to spend time with them. My family still lives just houses away, so bike rides out the lane and walks to the barn to see the kittens have always warranted a visit.

We had many sleepovers growing up, always had to watch Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights, spent time there when our parents traveled, got to play on a swing papa hung for us in the big oak tree in their front yard, were able to bottle feed many new calves, held baby pigs, begged him to get us a horse (he refused!) and even got talked into unloading hay wagons with him.

He sure loved his word search puzzle books and did them quite often. You also never dared to steal the TV remote or change the channel.

He helped us learn how to drive. A stick shift. With no prior practice. Imagine how that went. He was patient as we went up and down the lane, again and again. And, when we practiced parallel parking at their curb. Amusing for him, I’m sure. Or a test of his patience.

Papa helped to build my house. He was at our land day in and day out, for hours on end, six days a week, from July to December. From foundation work to siding, working with him on the shingles, framing the deck, climbing very tall ladders, and most any other job you could think of, he was there. Happy to help and unable to stay away. Just wasn’t possible for him. There was plenty of sweating, laughter, story swapping, silly mistakes, and even a few accidents that warranted a call to me while I was at work and had me worried sick.

We’ve always loved his soft hair and frequently rubbed his buzz cuts and commented how cute he was which made him beam.

Becoming a great grandpa made him a bit more of a softie. He could always be found with our kids on the floor playing trucks, throwing the balls that are kept in a little drawer on the porch, blowing bubbles on the steps outside or even sitting on the back steps eating the traditional snack at mawmaw and papa Ray's house – "his" juice and mini marshmallows. Consequently, he also followed the kids around to tidy up.

We shared many visits–whether on the carport, the front steps, the big red picnic table, on the glider, by the pool, or at any of the house on the hill. Sometimes for elaborate meals, a game of football, homemade icecream, sometimes for a quick visit and often for hours on end. While he was not particularly fond of wasting gas, he was always there when asked or invited.

He was always there with gram to chat about important topics and to give you a hug or give you a shoulder to lean on when the world seemed to be caving in.

He also never missed a great grandchild’s birthday party and was able to attend several school events. They loved to wear his hats and could frequently be found in his slippers or shoes; whatever they could find on the steps. They loved to crawl up in his lap on his recliner to watch a special show. They have also been blessed to share in one of our childhood favorites – church camp at Roxbury. As Megan mentioned, we have all been to camp and most of us have never missed a year. And now, the great grandkids have gotten to experience that with him these past few years. We will miss him sitting on the porch with us and helping to keep the kids’ truck roads, bikes and all the dirt in line. Our kids will never forget those times.

There were times when he did not appreciate suggestions or requests made by our gram. However, if I called or stopped to talk to him about the very same topic-in a very special, "only for him" voice-I could always twist his arm and he’d readily come or do whatever I (or gram) had suggested. A quick example…A few weeks ago on a Sunday evening, I invited my parents and gram and papa out for pizza and snacks. Gram and my mom were doing something and when gram called to see if he was interested, he declined. I did not like his answer all that much and wanted him to get out of the house, so I called and asked him myself. He was ready and at my house within 10 minutes.

While preparing the twins a bit for papa’s death and what that would mean for us left behind, both were quite sad about losing him. They were visibly shaken by the conversation, so we talked a bit more. McKenna asked me if Papa had asked Jesus into his heart. I answered that yes, he did. She lit up and got all excited and said, “Mom, I have Jesus in MY heart. That means I’ll get to see him again someday.” Thankful for that promise.

And, on Christmas Eve, while talking about going to mawmaw and papa Ray's house, Carter asked Danielle how he could see Papa Ray again because he wants to be in heaven with him when he dies. She explained to him that we're all sinners. But if we ask Jesus into our heart, he will forgive those sins and we are welcomed into heaven. Carter was very intrigued and continued to ask a lot of questions about papa's new body. We just think it's pretty awesome that a 5 year old great-grandson would want to find out what he has to do to see Papa Ray again.

We sure miss you already Papa, but I’m pretty sure you must be busy checking things out in Heaven–the fields, the animals, tending to something special, maybe testing out a tractor or two if there are any there, and visiting with your family and friends who’ve gone before you.

We know that you haven’t stopped smiling since your arrival and are just so thrilled to be cancer free and be racing around at full speed again.

We’re so thankful that we got to joke with you and give you a hard time, even up to your last conscious moment.

We were blessed to be with you to the end and we’re so glad we will see you again one day.

While you sure did go by many names to each of us, we were all privileged to have you as our Papa, pawpaw, papis, grandpa, grandpa Ray, Papa Ray, and grampus and hope we can make you proud.