My grandfather, John N. Simpson, passed away on April 24th at the age of 83. He was a resident of Maine but spent his last few months at a nursing home down here in Georgia so he could be close to many of his remaining family members. My parents stopped by to see him every day and my siblings and I swung by whenever we were in the area. But he had a huge number of people who cared about him in Maine, so his memorial service was held in Maine in May.
He was a remarkable man. He held degrees in ministry and psychology and devoted his life to serving God as a pastor in multiple churches and hospital settings. He was very kind-hearted and generous. He could talk to anyone about anything but was also an excellent listener, truly interested in learning more about the person he was talking to. He was also a pack rat, bordering on hoarding, which made cleaning out his house quite a task. Gotta have some quirks to balance out all the other good traits I guess. :)
My dad drove up to Maine early to begin the process of cleaning out the house. It took multiple 20 and 30 yard dumpsters to accomplish the task. My mom and I flew up with Claire on Wed. May 8th, which was also Claire's last day of school. So Jeff and I went to her little party at school, left a few minutes, and drove straight to the airport so Claire and I could make our flight. We helped out where we could, getting things ready for the service and working an impromptu yard sale to get rid of some of the better items Grampy had stored away. Family members arrived at varying times on Weds, Thurs, and Friday. Jeff flew in Friday afternoon. That evening we had a nice dinner with various extended family members from all sides.
That night, Jeff came down with an awful stomach bug. So Saturday morning I was at CVS trying to pick up prescriptions he called in for himself to try to relieve some of the misery. Fortunately there was plenty of family around to get Claire ready for the memorial service that morning as I took care of Jeff and then scrambled to get myself ready.
The service itself, held May 11th, was wonderfully done. It was led by the pastor at the church my grandfather had been attending since his retirement. He and my grandfather had formed a friendship so it was very personal. My dad also spoke, giving a wonderful speech that captured who my grandfather was and his contributions to all those around him. The ladies of the church put on a fabulous luncheon. After the service, immediate family went to the cemetery to inter the remains next to my grandmother and aunt. The rain held off just long enough. Although he is greatly missed, the morning was a perfect tribute to a special man.
That night we had a big party at my aunt's with lobster and a shrimp boil and lots of yumminess. Jeff recovered enough to visit a little bit. The next day was Mother's Day. We celebrated with lunch on the water in York, Maine with a big group of family. Here are a few pictures we snapped by the ocean. Then we did a little outlet shopping with my mom and siblings while my aunt took the kiddos back to her house for naps.
Despite the sad reason for our visit, it was a nice trip to Maine.
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