My grandpa passed away this morning. I was really young when my dad’s passed, so he was the only one I knew. Pretty sure this is solely for me to process things, but shit sucks. 94 years full of life, awake for all of it. Virginia Tech basketball, Korean War vet, married 70 years, engineer, built our family’s home away from home. He made these dumplings that are THE staple at thanksgiving. Thin brown gravy, thin rolled dough, perfect for the plate. More importantly, he pretty much crushed my idea of what a grandpa should be. We built a tree house in my woods when I was like 8 and I used it as a quiet spot in middle school. When I went to college at UNCW, he’d drive up and take me to the all you can eat Chinese food buffet once per month and just check in on things. Every year on my birthday, he’d play a “happy birthday” recording on this plastic cake he bought in 1997. It broke 10 years ago and he fixed it just to keep doing that. I didn’t take it for granted, and I can only hope that I manage to live such a full and long life as him. Rest easy, Papa Bill.