Remembering Grandpa Todd

On Sunday my great grandpa Lloyd Todd passed away. Over the past few years his health had slowly declined. He wasn't able to do a lot of the things that he loved like: garden, farm, drive, fish, and travel. He's been in the nursing home now for about a year and it was somewhat difficult to watch his health decline. For that reason I had mixed emotions about his death. I was happy that he was no longer in pain, but sad that he was gone from this life. This February the Sioux City Journal wrote an article about my great-grandparents that was really good so click the link if you'd like to read it.

I thought I'd post some of my favorite memories of my grandpa Todd [some I remember and some I remember because they're stories that have been told for so long I feel like they are my own memories]:

• Every December making popcorn balls and other Christmas treats with Grandma and Grandpa Todd, Grandma Marcia, Grandpa Don, and my family. It was also fun to squeeze together the popcorn balls. When we were younger we made SOOOO many-grandma and grandpa todd would pop most of the popcorn and he would always help us squeeze them together. The last couple of years he really wasn't able to help us and I know that was hard for him.
• Whenever we would visit their house in the summer-we would have fresh veggies and they always made sure that we brought tons home. Also occassionly we would go out in the garden and help them out.
• Grandpa Todd always had candy to give us. I also remember going to their house and them having frozen ice cream snickers bars, which I loved to eat.
• I'll always remember camping with them. At South Sioux campground one weekend I remember getting to fish with grandpa. Everything we caught were tiny fish, but it was still fun.

Those are just a few of the many memories that I have of my great-grandpa that I will always remember. He was always a very happy guy who was full of tons of stories of growing up during the Great Depression with all his siblings. One of his favorites to tell was that when their mom called them to eat you had to run to the table or you wouldn't get food. I was never sure how much he embellished that story, but it was still a fun one. He always had a smile and loved to talk to everyone he met. I will miss seeing him and spending time with him, but am glad that he is no longer suffering.