My Grandfather passed away this morning.

First of all thank you to all of you who took time to well-wish and pray in the other thread where I mentioned he was near death.

Today I mourn the loss of the most important man in my life.


Nobody has to read through all of this, and I don't expect a lot of people to... but I just wanted to kind of get this off my chest. I'm in a grieving state and its helping me by just remembering things about him.

A little backstory...

I grew up without a father.

My mother remarried, I was never close to her husband.

My Grandfather was an incredible man.

He had great success in business. He was a CEO of a big tractor company in the 70s and previously was VP of Melroe industries which manufactured the first Bobcat Skid-Steer loaders. He enjoyed playing golf and bridge in his retirement years. He always appreciated a good clean joke. Even if it was about Norwegians. His wife, my grandmother passed away in 1998. It was very difficult for him, they had just celebrated their 50 year wedding anniversary months earlier.

However, he found love again with a woman who had also lost her long time husband. She took great care of him and was very good to all of us grandchildren. She was there today still looking after him when he passed away this morning.

To say My Grandfather was a generous man would be a understatement.

He donated thousands of dollars to charities and funds. The greatest charity case of all might have been my family. My stepfather makes very little money being self-employed. My mother had to home-school the 3 children they had as well as me. My grandfather gave us money countless times. He would always send me a birthday check. He even bought us a house to live in. We tried to pay rent, but he'd usually end up giving it all back to us anyway.

More than his money was his time. He was caring. He loved children. Seeing his grandchildren get good educations was extremely important to him. He set up a trust fund that continue to help me pay for my college today. He always told me that he was proud of me in whatever I had accomplished.

He always seemed to feel badly that my father never wanted anything to do with me, and I thats why he seemed to favor me over some of the other grandchildren at times, although he loved every one of them equally. He knew how to say the things that would build up my low self-esteem. When my stepdad wouldn't bat an eyelash at anything I ever tried to do to win his favor, my Grandfather would gush about me even over trivial things.

I had a special bond with him. He would talk to me about football, and then we'd go out driving and he'd tell me about how important it is that I go to college and get a good job. He loved talking about the family history and telling me stories about my ancestors that immigrated from Norway. I always listened to everything he said.


Its hard to lose somebody special.

He was diagnosed with Lung Cancer last year. It was a shock to most of us. He had never smoked at all. We didn't know how much time we'd have with him, so I made sure to visit him twice last year and write him a couple letters. He also got to meet Shannon, which was very important to me. He had gotten better all the sudden when I went to see him last summer and I was very glad that he got to spend another Christmas with the whole family.

We got the news about 2 months ago that the cancer was back and this time there was little they could do. It had spread too much. Then about a week ago I got the call that he was fading fast and approaching death.

I remember talking to him on Father's Day... it was the last time I ever spoke to him. His voice was very weak and he sounded tired, but he asked me how Shannon and I were doing. His memory wasn't what it used to be, but he seemed to vividly remember the time Shannon and I visited him that past spring. He made a complementary remark about her, and then I told him that I was going to ask her to marry me (I hadn't really told anyone else but my mom yet.) He agreed to keep it a secret until I popped the question. He did.

When I go up for the funeral in a few days there will be a lot of sadness. I assume the funeral will be huge. My Grandfather was a well-liked man, and it was easy to see why. Though there will be sadness, I will also celebrate his life and everything he accomplished as a person.

I wrote a little poem a few days ago.

I wrote it in perspective, about 5 days ago... at that time I knew he was non-responsive and even if I went up there and he hadn't passed away yet... he would be unable to open his eyes or speak to me.

So I wrote the poem as if I was sitting right by him, calmly waiting for his pain to stop.

I enter the room and my hero is sleeping.

This cancerous pain will be over soon.

Let the sleep comfort your weary bones.

Not long ago you lifted me up in your arms.

Now your arms are too weak for you to even wave me a hello

Your voice was once powerful. Men heeded your words.

Your voice which always spoke words of encouragement to a young boy who needed them so desperately.

Now you cannot manage to greet me.

Your face is withered and your eyes are nearly closed shut even when open.

Eyes which once were so keen they could see into the future.

I grab your hand and place it in my own, for you can no longer reach out to me.

Not long ago you could take me by the hand and lead me down that old dirt road to buy me candy and take me swimming.

Your hand that guided me in the right direction.

Pointing me in the way I should go. Ever effective.

I would love to heed your wisdom just one more time.

I wish we had more time to spend, you and I... but there is a greater plan that is beyond my comprehension.

There is a purpose.

But nobody said that would make this any easier.

You lay there peacefully.

As peaceful as a warm August night when the lake was still and the wind was calm and we'd go for one last swim before the darkness fell.

Now your breathing is labored and aided by machinery.

You used to breathe life into machinery... your life's work. You succeeded.

You worked hard to give us all we have.

Your heart.

Your heart is still the same. still beating, but the rest of you cannot keep up.

Your heart never failed. Strong as ever.

It was too powerful to ever consider it.

I sense now that your heart tells you I am here and you and I wish that you could wake up and hug me one last time and tell me how proud of me you are.

even if I didn't think I had done anything to be proud of. You still told me. That meant the world to me.

You were the most generous man I ever met.

I know you wanted to say goodbye.

But your body won't comply.

Don't worry.

I already know.

Thank you.

There goes my hero.

Thank you.

no sunset to ride off into.

There is only a withered body that contains a wonderful spirit awaiting to ascend.

Farewell, for now... until I see you again

Farewell Grandfather,

Farewell my friend.


In Loving Memory of

Eugene R Dahl.

August 3rd 1924 - July 23rd 2008.

R.I.P

​