The Greatest Man I Ever Knew

I was asked to write the Eulogy for my grandfather after my family read my blogs and emails. Here is what I came up with, if you are interested.

The Greatest Man I Ever Knew
By Elizabeth Blessitt Cates (Granddaughter)

How do you sum up 85 years into a sound bite? The answer ~ You don’t.

Pawpaw Sam was a loving, caring man. He was larger than life, as anyone who ever met him can confirm. As a child, I remember him as HUGE! I am sure by the time my children and grandchildren hear the stories he will have reached a “Paul Bunyan” like legendary status. Pawpaw was built like a tank and worked hard every day of his life, until the stroke robbed him of the use of his legs.

It is strange the things you remember most when someone you love passes. I remember him always telling me his nickname was “Sambo Sneezer Ice Cream Freezer.” Even his nickname was amazing. I remember countless hours of hearing the same stories of monkeys on ships, family vacations that went awry, and countless other tales that I will always treasure. Pawpaw could lift a telephone pole and still have the gentleness to soothe a baby with ease and great love. He had an amazing strength that I have rarely seen in another person. One of my greatest memories is getting Pawpaw to do “The Bear,” which consisted of him slipping his glasses down to the end of his nose, popping out his false teeth so you could really see them and growling. We all thought this was hysterical, but it must have been too much for my cousin Doug, probably age 3 at the time, who took off screaming. Poor kid.

Pawpaw also had a real talent for making Grandma mad. I asked him one time why he did it, and he told me that he thought she was cute when she was mad. He had such a twinkle in his eye when he said it that I knew it was true.

In nearly 31 years, I never heard him utter a harsh word, curse, or do anything but be a good person. I don’t know another person in my life like that.

Pawpaw had a love for technology beyond his generation. There was never a shortage of computer parts, pieces, or manuals when he was trying to learn the new fangled machine. I think he even emailed me once. He would call me often with computer-related questions. I remember clearly trying to explain what a “blog” is after he read about it in the paper.

Pawpaw had a great affinity for animals and they LOVED him. When I was young, they had two large German Sheppards, Lady and Storm and I remember him laughing as I would ride on their back (I was probably 2 or 3 at the time) or stick things up their noses. Most recently, Pawpaw had a little Shitzu he named Little Pal who turned out to be his greatest furry companion. It was a truly sad day for him when he lost his little friend.

Pawpaw and Grandma were married for nearly 62 years. They had six children, countless grandchildren, and the newest generation of great-grandchildren. I think that relationship sets the “gold standard” which we should all try to achieve. There was always a lot of love in my grandparent’s home, and I spent countless hours there taking it all in.

I will miss my Pawpaw in a way that no one will ever know. He was a wonderful, amazing man and will always be my hero. I feel like the luckiest little girl in the world to have him as my grandfather for nearly 31 years. I know that I am a better person because of him and the example he set.