Goodbye, my sweet Grandpa.

My grandpa passed away one week ago. He had a heart attack last Wednesday, and his heart suffered too much damage that he could not recover from. His first heart attack was 20 years ago when I was only 8 years old. I remember being in the hospital with my family back then. I stayed in Lincoln with my mother while he recovered because, even then, I could not leave my Grandpa. I remember buying him a silly little heart shaped ball from the gift shop while he was getting better, and he sincerely thanked me, saying he could squeeze it to help him get his strength back. He was so good at making you feel so comfortable, even a nervous and shy little 8 year old. He had several scares throughout the years, but he always bounced back. We always said he had 9 lives because he always surprised us....surviving heart bypass surgery, multiple stents, and a stroke from just last May. This time, he just couldn't bounce back.

He passed away with his wife, daughters and sons-in-law, several grandchildren, and great-grandchildren at his bedside on October 29. It was definitely a full hospital room. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever experienced. The doctor told my grandmother that the hospital staff was in awe of our family and how we stayed with him until he left us to go to heaven. It was nothing new for us because we always called ourselves the "Hover" family because of how we hovered around my grandparents when they would be hospitalized. We all wanted to be there for our sweet Grandpa Everett. I think Grandpa would have been so pleased, as he really did take so much joy and pride in being with our family.

I was so fortunate to share one of my greatest loves in life, Nebraska football, with my Grandpa. I fell in love with college football after Nebraska's 1994 National Championship where I experienced the true magic of being a Husker fan. Because my grandparents saw my excitement, my Grandma gave her ticket up for me to go with my Grandpa to the football games. From the 1995-1999 season, I attended every home football game with my Grandpa. I was probably different than most teenage girls because in addition to reading my TEEN magazines, I also read and memorized the Husker football media guides for the seasons. Grandpa stopped even buying programs or picking up the free rosters because I could regurgitate the information so accurately that they weren't worth the money. :)

My grandma told me so many times how much he liked going with me, and I hope he knew how much I enjoyed it too. Since I've lived in Missouri and Texas, I've had to tell the story many times of how I am a Husker fan, and going to the games with my Grandpa was always one of the first things I told people. After all, I'm not a Husker fan because it is fun to tailgate or just because "I'm from Nebraska." I truly believe it is in my heritage, and I was taught by one of the truest Husker fans just how special it is. It was pretty tough to go to the football game the day after he passed away, but I knew he wouldn't want us to waste those tickets. He was always worried about who was going to the game. :) My cousin, Brielle, and I went to the game, and we let off red balloons in his memory after the first Husker score.

It will be so different around the holidays and other times in which we experience the "firsts" that Grandpa will not be a part of. At the same time, it has sort of renewed the importance of spending time with family and really treasuring the moments we have together. The weekend after Grandpa passed away was so difficult for every one of us that cared for him, but it was slightly easier because we were all together. We could reminisce and even laugh about some of the memories that we had of Grandpa, looking over old pictures and telling stories about him. I'm just so thankful that we did get so many years with him. Many people do not get to have their grandparents into adulthood, but we did. I know I will always miss him and wish he was still around, but I'm trying hard to just be thankful that we had him at all. He was truly a one-of-a-kind person with the kindest heart and best sense of humor. We were so lucky to have had our lives touched by such a good person.