T-TIME wrote:May 2000. My grandpa who raised me since I was four passed away. He was my best friend. Self educated, mill worker, boxer, union president. Very proud of his appearance when dressed up although growing up our family had no money. When he dressed up (weddings, meetings, etc...) his famous line was " your never dressed up unless your wearing a nice watch." He owned a nice $200 watch from a department store that he splurged on after retirement. He wore it on occasion. Very proud of it. I would go back to May 2000 and spend every dime I had to purchase for him the biggest, shiniest ROLEX watch that money could buy just to see him put that on and feel like he was the dressed up better than anyone in the world at that second. To this day when I dress up... I have his $200 watch on and makes me feel like I'm the dressed up better than anyone. I'll have it on March 8 for a very special occasion. He'll be there also.
Tone, that's possibly the greatest post I'd ever see anyone post, only because I know exactly what you mean. I was going to post something similar to his passing, but caught your post beforehand.
So for me, May of 2000. May 17th to be exact. That was the day before my grandfather passed. I got out of school that day with my brother and went to the zoo with brother TIME. HOT AS HELL I REMEMBER. When I got home from school I remember my mom gardening and I was hungry ( I was 11 at the time) she called up my Grandfather to run over to McDonald's to get me a meal. It had to be 100 degrees then some that day, and my grandpa had trouble breathing at the time, esp. with that weather. He would do anything for us or the family and low and behold went out of his way to grab me a bite to eat. Before we left for the zoo, I remember brother TIME telling him he never looked so good in his life and was in great shape. We all agreed. He died the next day. So I would go back and just give him a kiss goodbye like I do my mom and dad every time I leave the house because you don't know what could happen.
BTW, great story on the watch. I told my gf this story and she got me a watch for Christmas. It's a Steelers watch, but hey it's a watch and I'll always think of him every time I wear one.