Our family has only had the pleasure of knowing Pastor Dave, Kathy, and their family for a half dozen years, but we feel like we have known them forever! They are the best next door neighbors, but more than that they are the best cheerleaders, supporters, prayer warriors, extended pseudo-family members that anyone could hope for! We feel beyond blessed to have had them in our lives and even more than that, in our children’s lives.
Our youngest, Genevieve, was nicknamed “G” by Pastor Dave when she was still very small. G in turned named him PawPaw before she was even 18 months old. I shared this with him and he said “I’d love to be her PawPaw” and so to our family that is what he’s been called and known as, even since. I was saddened this week when I realized we don’t have any pictures of him with our children, but then quickly realized how he is actually in so many of them in indirect ways – from having the house that felt like home to our kids, to the backyard that made so many memories for them, to helping Victory to grow enough to create the dreamy location they have resided for so long, for founding the preschool that has helped our daughter grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually for 3 years, for planting the flowers that our daughter loves to smell after school, and on and on.
We adored PawPaw and will miss him terribly. He had a very profound and almost daily presence in our lives. We feel so blessed to have known him and truly believe we are better people for it. While we are grieving for Kathy, the family, and our loss – we are so very thankful that he is no longer in pain and is in the loving and merciful arms of our Savior. PawPaw, we love you and miss you. Please watch over us all.