In loving memory of Grandpa Richard

Peter's dad, Richard passed away Friday night. He'd been fighting cancer for the past 15 years, still his passing shocked the family. He'd been in and out of the hospital as long as I've known him. He'd get sick, then somehow he'd always fight it off and get better. This time he didn't. Peter visited him at the hospital Friday, he stayed with him for most of the day. Then shortly after he got home, we got the call. He simply fell asleep.
Within a day, family members from all over Canada and the US filled Rowena's house. Some jumped on a plane, some made the 14 hour drive to get here. An incredible number of people showed up for the wake Monday to pay their final respect. Family, friends, neighbours, even our co-workers were there. The funeral was yesterday. The service was beautiful and the flowers were gorgeous. At the end, Rowena had them play a religious song, that had a rock and roll tune to it. It brought a smile to everyone's face. Richard would have loved it.
Peter took it better than I thought. He had moments when he was close to breaking down, but he stayed strong. He could have had 3 days off, but he decided to go to work instead, to get his mind off of what was happening. I told him to think of all the great things his dad got to see and enjoy. Our wedding, his first grandchild, the baby's first Christmas...we have a video of him singing Christmas songs to Sarah.
Rowena's doing OK, for now, the house is still full of relatives. They'll all be gone by the weekend though. Mom and I are planning to take her out for lunch next week with Sarah. She always cheers her up. She's starting to talk now. It's only baby-talk, but it's adorable. I'm going to try and take her over to Rowena's house more often. Even on sad days like these, Sarah can still make grandma smile.