Grandpa Cheney

This weekend, Matt’s Grandpa Cheney passed away. He was a lovely man who was dedicated to and loved his family. He had an almost child-like appreciation for the world around him, and he took nothing for granted. Grandpa Cheney was a man who brought joy to the lives of those around him.


And all of that seems so cliché, and doesn’t convey at all how wonderful, or sweet, or charming this man was.

So I’ll tell you one story about him. Grandpa Cheney was also dedicated to the lottery. He played the same numbers every day for years and years. And Grandma Cheney would scoff, believing his lottery play to be a waste. And then, one day, Grandpa Cheney won. He won a handsome prize, and split it with his wife, children, and grandchildren. For the years after his win, Grandpa Cheney continued to play, loving that his wife could no longer lecture him about how nobody ever wins the lottery. The next time he won, he’d tell us, he was keeping it all for himself.

It’s sad to imagine a world without Grandpa Cheney in it. But since we don't really have a choice about that, I suppose the best way to remember him is to adopt his attitude toward life: to appreciate everything we have, to take nothing for granted, and to live our lives to bring joy to others.  Oh, and we should probably start playing the lottery. . .