Bump

               

               As most of you know my Grandfather, Raymond Young, Bump passed away recently.  He was quite ill and his passing was an unexpected expectance.  I’m very happy that I was able to be there for Gram-gram the day it happened.

                If you want to get technical about it, Bump was my step-grandfather, but he and Gram-Gram had been married for nearly 40 years, longer than I have been alive, so he is my Grandfather.  We were all very lucky to have him as our Grandfather.

                My memories of Bump are all fond ones.  I never saw his raise his voice, except at the dogs, and he was always quick with a joke and a smile.  He loved golf, cribbage, beer, and most of all Gram-gram, or maybe beer first.  He was very handy with wood and I have several of his creations in my possession that I have always and will always cherish. 

                In eighth grade I did a report on Bump and his involvement in WWII and I learned things about him that I never knew, and things about the war I had never read in history books.

                Every time I see one of the temporary orange Bump signs I have always thought of him.  

                In one of those, it’s a small world stories, it turns out that Kate’s Grand Dad and Bump were good friends.  Apparently several years back at the golf course Bump and Grand Dad first met when Bump was leaving the club house, he has his WWII hat on and Grand Dad asked Bump if he bought that hat or earned it.  Bumped responded “I earned this son of a bitch.”  It was a start of great friendship.  Grand Dad was also in WWII and both he and Bump traveled to the same places and fought in the same battles, they just didn’t know each other and don’t remember if they actually ran into each other or not back then.   When Grand Dad found out that Bump was my Grandfather I was in!

                What I will remember most though, is all the times we played cribbage together over the years.  I will always be thankful for all the times that he let me beat him, thanks Bump.  I hope someday when I am an old codger I can sit and play cribbage with my grandchildren, I’m sure I’ll let them win too.