The End of a Generation

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Today my grandpa, Clement Henry Langreck, was laid to rest. And we couldn't be there because we are sick. He was the last of my grandparents. The end of a generation. How quickly it all goes.

And yet what a long life. 97 hardworking years on this earth, 7 children, 18 grandchildren, and 31 great grandchildren, each one of whom he handcrafted a cedar chest for. He was in his shop making cedar chests as long as he possibly could. Grandpa was out mowing lawn just earlier this year, and walking to get his mail. I pray he is reunited with Grandma, and that they're both with Jesus now.

The kids will miss your merciless teasing, Grandpa. They will miss the bowls of ice cream you were so generous with. They'll miss the lemon drops from the pockets of your bib overalls, the Big Red gum from the top drawer of the dresser, the fishing trips and watching all the stray cats you used to foster and chuckle over. They'll miss your chats about the crops, and the weather, and the markets...but most of all, we'll miss you. So we'll hold onto the memories, and pray you're in a better place.