Our beloved Granddad passed away a few days ago and is now finally reunited with Grams. They were instrumental in my life and the lives of the rest of our family. If you were casting a movie and wanted to fill the role of family patriarch than my Granddad would get that part (and not just because my Uncle Marvin was a film and tv produced :)) Granddad defended his country on the high seas from WWII to Vietnam and retired a Captain in the regular Navy. He cared and raised his younger brother (a Navy aviator who becamse one of America's first jet pilots and afterwards a force in Hollywood and early days of TV) after thier father walked out on them during the Great Depression. He met his soulmate on a blind date that resulted in a loving and united family that will forever cherish the memories, lessons, and love he bestowed upoun us. While I often kept him apprised of family life here in Nevada, I started daily email updates after he lost Grams. The emails were just short snippets of life and often included pics of his numerous great grandchilern. Yet, he often commencted on how much he enjoyed them so I thought I would share my last one:

Good morning Grams and Granddad - It is filling that I write my last email update on a Sunday. Telephone use at military school was very restricted (I wonder what the policy is now at RMA when everyone basically has access to  computer in the format of a phone) but back in the very early 90s every Sunday the cadets were allowed to phone home. I would trek up the hill from Delta Compay (since torn down) to the long hallway with dozens of black pay phones with those silver meta cords at the cadet guard house with a fistful of quarters eagery looking forward to talk to both of you. (Later Grmswould buy phone cards by the dozen which made it much easier to carry an dial.) I always eagerly anticpated those Sunday chats when I was living thousands of miles away from home. Our Sunday phone conversations contiued when I came home, at college, Law School, and every week until now.

You sailed every ocean on the Globe Granddad in defense of our country. You proudly wore the Navy Blue on ship and shore - from Paris to the White House to Siagon and Newport - from the Pentagon to California to the rolling hills of Moscow, Idaho and all points in between. But the most important mission you ever successfully completed was a blind date many years ago. Now you are reunited with your soulmate and will never be seperated from Grams again.

You have both given me so much love. You have looked out for me, cared for me, loved me, and were always there for me since before I can even remember. So many great memories instantly spring forth: Thanksgivings in Oak Harbor and other locations, road trips throughout the South during my spring breaks and other vacations in Military School, graduating from Law School, listening to all the sea stories and oral family history, weddings, trips to the golf couse, dinners at the officers club, Grams strict instructions on where to not go to keep your suprise birthday a suprise, haircuts at the PX,winter break in Oak Harbor when we got snowed in, trips to Fort Casey during sumer vacations, walking the deck of the USS Orlock in Tacoma, looking at the massive guns of the USS Missouri as Granddad described seeing the mighty battleship during the surrender cermony that ended WWII whe he was a young midshipmen and of course every Christmas will always be with me along with a million other happy times.

I am so happy that you two are reunted forever. Your love for each other is timeless and etenal. Nothing on this world or the next could ever prevent you two from finding everlasting happiness toghether. Our family will forever cherish your memory and love. - So now off we go like a herd of turtles. Love The Las Vegas Abbotts, Eagle Rige Abbotts, Tacoma Wolperts, Monroe Jansens, Tacoma Prentices, Steliacoom Wolerts, Moscow Wolpert, Seattle Merrimans, AL & UM.

PS - What do Turkeys say in November? PSS- "Moo!" -