I want to tell you a little about a man some of you called Tuffy and some of you called Cal. To me, he was simply my Pap. A three letter word like Mom or Dad. And that's because he played as an important a role in my life as my Mom or my Dad. If I think back to the earliest memories of my childhood, I was always there with my Gram and Pap.When most of us were four years old, we were surrounded by a loving family. You know, when Pap was 4, his mother died. He was left to be raised by his father and his sister, Juanita. He didn't have that kind, loving, guiding person, we all know as mom to help him through life. But some how he grew into a man with the biggest heart and kindest soul. A lot of people would have used the fact that they had no mother as an excuse for failing in life, for never knowing right from wrong or never knowing how to love. He did not. He never let the fact that he had no mother deter him from being anything other than the best that he could be. It never stopped him from building his own wonderful family. A lot of people might not have taken that kind of start in life and turned it into something positive but he took that tough start and made it good. I guess that's why some of us called him Tuffy.You all know later in life, he lost part of that wonderful family when my Uncle Carl died. All of us who have children can not even imagine the thought of losing a child. He could have used that loss as an excuse for growing hard and cold. We all know that he did not. He could have used that loss as an excuse to stop loving others. He did not. Instead, he kept caring and loving the rest of us in the family like each one of us was the most important person in the world. He made each of us feel so special that everyone he loved, knew that he loved them best of all. He accepted that loss and stood as the rock in the center of our family. I used to think he was invinsible. I still do. He took that tough loss of his own son and made it easy for the rest of us. I guess that's why some of us call him Tuffy.Any one who ever met my Grandfather must surely know that he never met a stranger. There were only friends out there that he had yet to meet. He was always ready with his quick smile and twinkling eyes to greet everyone he met with a handshake and a pat on the back and a kiss for the ladies. He never forgot a name. I used to sit at the mall with him while Gram was shopping and I was amazed at all the people he knew and talked to. I remember one time asking Gram how come Pap knew everyone. I used to think he was famous. I still do. That's the man some of us call Cal.Now, let me tell you why I call him Pap. I went to college but I never learned as much in college as I learned from my Pap. He taught me about life. He taught me all the really important things about life.He taught me to never, ever get too close to the cistern. You might fall in the well. Do you know that to this day, I still cannot even walk on a manhole cover. He taught me well!!He taught me about robins and bluejays and cardinals. He taught me about pear trees and sour apple trees and maple trees and weeping willow trees. He taught me about gardening. I probably shouldn't tell you this but he taught me how to shoot groundhogs with a BB gun to keep them out of the garden. If you ask my husband today, he will tell you that I am still a crack shot with a BB gun. My Pap taught me well!!He taught me to ride my first bike and then a few years later he taught me to drive. He used to let me drive from his house to my Fischer grandparent's house on Flaugherty Run Road about four miles away. Sometimes it would take us over an hour to make that drive because he would always find a long way so that I could drive more. To this day, I have never had an accident while driving. He taught me well!!He also taught me about boats and boat whistles and trains and the river. He taught me about the importance of having a front porch because that's where all the really important things in life are discussed. I used to work all day while Pap was at work, getting some kind of show set up on that front porch for Pap to see when he came home. He was never too tired to see that show. He was my one person audience. He taught me to always have the time for others.He taught me how to read a racing form and pick the best horse at the races. He taught me the importance of reading a newspaper...some where in that darn thing there is a crossword puzzle.He taught me about his passion in life - baseball. He took me to Forbes Field and to Three Rivers Stadium when it opened. He used to let me hold his Willie Mays baseball and tell me how he caught it at Candlestick park. He used to tell me about when he played and how much he loved baseball. Anyone who knows me today, knows my passion for baseball. Pap taught me well!!He taught me about fishing and how it's not important how many fish you catch, because Gram would always catch the most, but what was important was that you had a fishing pole with a line in the water and that you had the time to enjoy life.He taught me about all of these really important things in life but the most important thing in life that he taught me was how to love. And that too he taught me well. Pap, I love you today as much as ever and I always will. That's why I call this man, Pap.
