Bittersweet

 

A few weeks ago we got the call from Marilyn (Yosh’s mother) that Grandpa Wilson (who just turned 93 on Feb. 4th) wasn’t doing well. In January, grandpa’s sister, Thelma, had passed away at the young age of 104! Yes I just wrote ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR years old…(the genes in that family are amazing!) and Grandpa seemed to have been declining ever since.  So on February 27th, in the early hours of the morning, Grandpa Wilson peacefully passed on to be with his siblings, wife and son in Heaven.  Very sad. He lived such an amazing life being born in Oklahoma in 1918. The stories he told Yosh could be published and taught in a U.S. History class. He lived and saw so much of what we talk about in our American History!

 

I’m so thankful for the few months he stayed with Al & Marilyn last year. Owen & I got to meet and spend some time with him and Yosh got to chat with his grandpa which he hadn’t got to do in a very long time! Grandpa Wilson even came to the Souza house for Owen’s first Christmas!

Talk about a picture of generations! Love this picture!

 

So we made the road trip to Fresno for Grandpa’s funeral. I was nervous about the long drive and Owen but man my child is just amazing! He did AWESOME the whole 4 hours or so that it took to get there. The drive was absolutely amazing. I didn’t know that it was such a beautiful drive!!!!  Between the farms, crops, cows, BEAUTIFUL scenery And the  Cherry Blossom Trees that were in bloom…they are amazing.  The whole way home I thought to myself “Get out of the car and take a damn picture of this”…buuut didn’t want to pull over on the freeway. We stopped in Bakersfield on our way home to meet a dear college friend, Amy Newman (formerly Davis) for lunch, and she text me a pic of this cherry tree the next day…Thank You Amy!  But I think these “snowy” trees will always have a special place in my heart!!!

Anyway…back to the trip, we stayed at the same hotel as my in-laws which made it nice. They got to spend some quality time with Owen while we just hung out in the room.  Yosh has family all around California (and some in Louisiana), but doesn’t get to see them very often (last time was probably 14 years ago when his Grandmother passed away).  I got to meet his Uncle “Butch” from Kerman/Fresno, Cali, his kids Joanna, James, Frank; Uncle Chris and his wife Arlene from Louisiana; Uncle Phillip from Fresno and some of his kids, like Sheri.  The night we arrived in Fresno, after the viewing we went to a “Me & Ed’s” pizza place for dinner and had a lovely time to just sit and chat. Was really nice.

          Phillip & Marilyn                                       Butch, Chris & Arlene

How can I explain the funeral?? It was so different than any funeral I have been to. I have been to A LOT of young people’s funerals…too many if you ask me. Those funerals are sooooo tragic, emotional, drama filled and just straight out DRAINING. They are horrible. But old people’s funerals are so different.  I mean, I have attended “old peoples” funerals before, like my Grandmother’s and Great-Aunt Kathleen…but they were very Catholic and not many attended. Small families and …I don’t know. But Grandpa Wilson has been in California for a long time and had made many friends and has LOTS of family! The chapel was packed.  Of course there are tears, mostly w/ the stories and memories that people remembered, but there were more laughs than there were tears.  It was so peaceful and almost happy. He lived such a long life and was loved by so many people.  Yosh’s family is just so big, and it was cool to see them all together.  I had to sit in the back of the chapel with Owen, who after an Elvis song that was played for Grandpa Owen said very loud “Good Song Mama”…made me giggle. Yosh was seated in the front row w/ the other Pallbearers, and was very emotional thinking about his grandparents, but heard Owen and just smiled.

In our culture it isn’t right to take pictures at a funeral, but I did w/ my phone for Missy (my sister-in-law) since she wasn’t able to get there from New York.  I got permission from Yosh to post these in my blog, but I’m very sorry if they offend anyone!

 

Such a big crowd for such an old man! …so awesome! He’ll be buried with his wife, Ella, and next to his son George.

Yosh and his cousins were the pallbearers that Grandpa Wilson requested!

It was so bittersweet to get meet family like this, but I’m so happy we got this opportunity!  Grandpa Wilson lived such a wonderful life, I wish we were able to spend more time with him, but we all know we can’t start with the “woulda shoulda coulda” game. 

Rest In Peace Grandpa!

 

Wilson Wesley Workmon

February 4, 1918 – February 27, 2011