Who Loves You Baby

"Gentleman." I heard that word tossed around more than once during his funeral. "He was a real gentleman." they said. And, it's true - there are not many people like him left in the world today. He never had an unkind word to say towards or about anyone, and he'd give a stranger the shirt of his back if they needed it. He worked hard as a carpenter his entire life, and even after retirement he would mow lawns, do yard work, and handy man tasks. He was a devout Catholic and it brought him tremendous joy when any of his family would attend mass along with him. He was the epitome of an English Gentleman in look and mannerism with a strong accent and sense of propriety. His favorite past-time was watching sports, however my fonder memories include him kicked back in his lounge chair with me laying on the living room floor in front of him as we took in episodes of Kung Fu and Kojack on blistering Florida summer afternoons. He'd always greet me with an enthusiastic "Who loves you baby?" to which I'd gleefully shout "You do Gramps!" and a bear hug would result. Often he'd slip me an old-fashioned English toffee, Chicklets gum, or rise to retrieve a coffee can full of change from the hall closet that he'd been saving just for me. He loved his family and his wife tremendously, and even as death greeted him his main concern was that each detail of his Will, ensuring his wife would be properly taken care of, was covered to a T. He passed quietly with the majority of his family around him and his daughter holding his hand until the very end. A peaceful death if ever there was one, for a peaceful, kind and loving man. On the eve of his funeral the family passed around a glass of J&B Whiskey and we took turns sipping the lethal fluid--Honoring him by partaking in one of his favorite vices - a single belt of the amber-colored liquid after each evening meal. During the funeral a butterfly swooped in while my mom was doing her reading, it circled around her head, fluttered around the inside of the gazebo and remained throughout the service. "Gramps was here visiting" I said. My sister-in-law corrected me, "They say that whenever there is a butterfly around, there are angels around you."

Who loves you baby!