Love you always Grampa

February 8, 2012

Robert E. ‘Bob’ Foster

AnonymousClinton HeraldThe Clinton HeraldWed Feb 08, 2012, 10:42 AM CST

CLINTON — Robert E. “Bob” Foster, age 81, of Clinton, died Thursday, January 26, 2012, at the Clarissa Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf. A private family funeral will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012, at the Pape Funeral Home. Burial will be in Clinton Lawn Cemetery. Casket bearers will be his grandchildren.

Bob was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on December 4, 1930, the son of Lee and Evelyn (Freeman) Foster. He graduated from Central High School in St. Joseph in 1949. From August 1951 to August 1953, Bob served with the 82nd Airborne Division with the U.S. Army, trained as a paratrooper. He married Lavern Fry on December 15, 1951, in St. Joseph. Bob worked as an agent with Prudential Life Insurance Company for 31 years retiring in 1991. He was a member of the First Baptist Church, Order of the Eastern Star #65 and was a 50-year member of the Scottish Rite, Kaaba Shrine and Lyons Masonic Lodge #93.

Bob is survived by his wife, Lavern; a daughter, Beth (Bruce) Johnson of Richmond, Virginia; a son, Keevin (Christy) Foster of Camanche; seven grandchildren, Jennifer (Chris) Evoy, Charlotte Smith, Christopher (Krystal) Johnson, Gregory (Ashley) Johnson, Abbi (Joel) Triphan, Molli (John) Bachenberg and Tony (Marisa) Foster and ten great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and a great-grandson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, First Baptist Church or the charity of your choice. Online condolences can be left at www.papefh.com.

Death date: Jan. 26, 2012

Already a year...

Gramma, Grampa, and Me when I was 4 days old

Last year this time, we were preparing for trips to New Jersey and Iowa to bury two very important people in our lives.  On this, the one year mark since they were welcomed into heaven, I thought I'd share a few stories that my Grampa used to share with me.  I have to say, I really didn't think that the pain would still be there a year later but I guess that just shows how much I loved my Grampa.

My Grandparents were married in December of 1951 just before my Grampa was to be transferred to North Carolina in the services.  My Gramma decided to marry him and make the trip with him.  She had no idea this would be one of many cross country trips they would make in their married life. 

Grampa was a paratrooper and was stationed in Fort Bragg, NC.  They lived in a small home that was shared with another couple so this way, the rent was cheap.  I can remember my Grampa telling me about how all the men in his company knew he had a wife at home who could cook.  So Grampa would make a deal with them, if they bought all the food, he'd get Gramma to cook it BUT, he and Gramma got to keep any leftovers!  Even now as I write this story, I can recall the twinkle of cleverness in Grampa's eyes.  So with the deal made, he went home to tell Gramma that he was having the guys over, and oh yeah, your cooking!  LOL....I can just see this conversation playing over and over in my head....

But it didn't stop there. Grampa had a car when no one else in his company did.  So, tricky Grampa, used this to his advantage.  The men wanted to go to the drive in movies.  OK, not a big deal, right?  Well, Grampa decided, I'll drive but you have to pay for me and my wife and the gas.  (there's that twinkle in the eye again)  I love how my Grampa would laugh whenever he shared this story.  He thought it was so funny that he just had to show up and drive the car and not spend a dime!

Grampa and Me

I can sit here and remember all the little things Grampa used to say.  Whenever I called and he answered, I'd always get a "Hi there Sweetie".  Whenever he told a "fish" story, the fish would get longer and longer with each story.  I recall all the inside jokes we used.  I can remember each time going to visit, walking through the back door, Grampa sitting at the kitchen table, and me kissing him hello on the top of his head.  I remember him always having certs breath mints in his pocket.  He always wore his suspenders so his pants wouldn't fall down.  And one time, I remember him getting so irritated with me because I had secretly taken his jar of peanuts and sucked the salt off of each one.  He couldn't understand why the jar said salted when they clearly weren't.  Yep, I liked the salt, not the peanut!  I can remember going with him one time when he went out to pick up deer meat and watching him interact with his hunting friends and seeing an entirely different side of my Grampa.  I can still see him at the stove helping fix dinner and taking little bites of the ground beef before it's cooked and saying, "Mmmm, good" and me freaking out because it's still raw.  And I love hearing the stories of how his own Mom couldn't cook.  She'd overcook green beans and kill a perfectly good steak which is one of the attributes he loved in my Gramma, her good cookin'.  Oh, and his LOVE for chocolate.  I laugh because I see this same love of chocolate in Matthew.  He is his Great-Grampa's boy alright.  Chocolate cake, chocolate milk shakes, chocolate ice cream, fudge, chocolate anything!

Me trying to teach Grampa how to drive

I have a ton of memories all tucked away in my heart, some more personal than others.  But I can say, I was a Grampa's girl.  I loved being with him, watching him, listening to him, I just loved him.  He was one of the strongest, most dedicated people I ever knew. 




Me and Grampa

Gramma gave me his pocket Bible (that I never even knew he carried) last year after his funeral.  It is one of my most treasured belongings.  I love to hold it and feel the worn cover.  I love the way it smells.  I love the little notes he'd written in it.  I love how he had a index sheet tucked in it with the steps to bring someone to Christ.  I love knowing that this Bible was carried in my Grampa's pocket and that he was a good, God fearing, Christian man.  Most of all, I love that a lot of the verses he has marked in his Bible, I had the same ones in mine.  My favorite though is a notation he made in Acts.

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

 Acts 16:31

I have confidence in my heart that Grampa is in heaven enjoying the light of Christ.  Savoring every minute and sitting there with Jesus retelling stores with that twinkle in his eye. I know in my heart that my Grampa was saved.  He believed in Christ Jesus and because he ran his home and family this way, we will meet again at the gates of heaven.  Oh how marvelous it will be.  We will all look our best, feel our best, and be so filled with the Light of Christ we will sing and dance.  I imagine Grampa at his finest.  His hair wavy and full.  His hands stronger and his step quicker.  This is the image I carry in my heart.  My Grampa, at his finest, watching over me until it is time for me to come home and then, that's when I'll hear him say, "Hi there sweetie"....

Matthew and Grampa
(Matthew was 5 weeks old)

A New Chapter Begins...

Thirteen years ago today, I made the trip to the hospital filled with the anticipation of knowing that within hours, my son would be in my arms.  Knowing that I would be able to look at him and memorize every feature.  I would be able to see his eyes and dream of all the possiblities life had in store for him.  Thirteen years ago today my life changed in a way I never thought possible.  Today is Matthew's 13th Birthday and with that comes a new chapter in our lives.

I can still remember everything about that winter morning when labor began.  I can recall the exact moment I heard his first cry.  It's like it was just yesterday and yet it's been 13 years.  I don't know if I'm ready to be the Mom of a teenager.  But then, is it the teen years that I'm scared of, or rather, the fact that I'm faced to own up to the truth that Matthew isn't my little baby boy anymore.

Am I the only Mother who is torn between excitement for their new teenage child and utter fear of the future?  I'm having a  hard time dealing with the reality that my son is becoming an independent young man.  Gone are the days when I would walk into the room and his eyes would light up and he would run over to me, climb up in my lap, and wrap his arms around me.  Gone are the days where his hand fit so perfectly within mine and gave him security.  Gone are the days where only Mommy's kisses could cure a boo-boo.  Instead, I'm welcoming days of more independence, of loud music, of less time together and more time with his friends.  I'm not sure I'm ready for this.  But it's not about me is it?

God gifted me Matthew at a time in my life when no other gift could have been so great.  Matthew is the perfection that grew from a broken marriage.  Matthew is God's perfect creation.  Every hair on his head, God knows.  There is nothing Matthew can't do, with God by his side.  I want Matthew to grow up a responsible, independent, Christian young man.  But to grow up, then I have to begin to let go.  I have to be just as excited for this new chapter in Matthew's life as he is.  I have to trust that God is walking with us as we begin to take steps in this new direction.  I don't know what the future holds for Matthew but I do know that God will always be with him.

I know that every parent goes through these changes and every parent has to trust and have faith that we will all come out the other end alive and well.  It's an adjustment for all of us.  And whether I like it or not, I have to put aside my wants and live joyfully through Matthew's new journey.

Matthew, my son, the absolute sweetest boy in the world...I love you so much.  From the moment I first held you, I knew that God had given me you for a reason.  You have helped me to become strong, stronger than I ever thought I could be.  You have taught me patience when I thought I had no more to give.  You have shown me love like nothing I have ever experienced.  Even when we've had our tough Mother and Son patches, I have admired your strength and independence.  You have so much potential and can accomplish absolutely anything you put your mind to.  I pray for you everyday and hope that you will always put God first in your life.  Remember who you are, what you stand for, and who you represent.  Don't ever say you can't do something because with God's help, you can.  Don't ever give up because you are stronger than you think.  On the day you were born, God entrusted me with you and I knew that one day you would no longer "need" me like you used to.  You no longer need me to kiss your boo-boos, or to tuck you in, or to hold your hand when we cross the street.  Son, I know you are growing up and with every new day, I see you in a new way.  You are becoming a very strong and independent young man and I am very proud to be your Mother.  May today be as exciting for you as you've always dreamed it would be.  May today be the beginning of a new chapter in your life and may this chapter be filled with blessings from above.  Always remember that I will always be your Mother and that I will ALWAYS be right here whenever you need to hold my hand, crawl up in my lap, or have me kiss a boo-boo.  You are the most perfect thing I ever did in my life and I praise God that I was given you.  I couldn't ask for a better son and on this your 13th Birthday, I wish you a Happy Birthday with all the love I have in my heart.  I am so proud of you and I can't wait to continue on this journey of "teen years" together.  Love-Mom