Four years ago, on October 14, my Grandpa Mike died from cancer. I took his death really hard. When my grandpa was on his deathbed, he wasn’t able to talk or see. All I could do was hold his hand tight. Within his last minutes, he opened his eyes and waved goodbye to the 20 family members in that small living room. Seeing my grandpa’s pale blue eyes one more time told me that everything was going to be okay. Before he died, he gave me little hints on how to be a good person. He showed me how to start a conversation and how to take down trees. My grandpa taught me that I will mess up and that it is okay. But the three main things I learned from him are to always give 100%, to never give up, and to take the time to say hi.

My Grandpa Mike always gave 100%. He used to race stock cars on a dirt track. His number was 37. The funny thing is that he was going to quit racing at the age of thirty-seven but kept going until the age of 45. When my grandpa was diagnosed with cancer, he got another race car. On that car, he had over 2,000 LED lights and three American flags on the back. My grandpa would take it to the Deer Creek Speedway and always do a couple of things. He brought Sharpies so that people could autograph the car. He would say his goal was 5,000 autographs. He probably got around 10,000. Then, my grandpa would sing the national anthem. It was his way of telling people that if something doesn’t feel right, you should go to the doctor. Because he grew up as a farm boy and worked hard until he couldn’t work anymore, my grandpa didn’t take the time to go to the doctor. So when he got sick, he thought it was just a bug he would get over. By the time he went to the doctor, he had stage four cancer. After that, Grandpa would do the halftime show; he did the same thing every time. He drove a lap for each letter of his six-letter swear word, ”cancer.” Watching him do that and fight for everything that he thought was important showed me to always give 100%.

The second reason why I look up to my grandpa is that he showed me how to never give up. A couple of months later, after he was diagnosed, his pain got so bad that he was driving the car with the buckle not clipped together. Instead of a five-point harness, he was using a three-point harness, which is very dangerous when driving 150 miles an hour. After his daily nap, I would go over to his house, and we would build or work on something. I remember building a squirrel feeder with him. Of course, if we were going to build something, it had to look nice. So … we took apart an old farm windmill and shoved the feeder up the center of it. Then, we put some corn on the top that he picked from a random field. The next day, he told me that the squirrels were deeply afraid of the feeder and we NEEDED a new one. He took me to Interstate Lumber and let me decide how tall the new squirrel feeder would be. I was young, so I chose 18 inches. My Grandpa told me that it was strictly for squirrels and that other animals would be able to get the corn. So he chose seven feet. The end result was a seven-foot-tall post in the ground with a “T” on top. He let me cut the “T” until I got it right. He never gave up on me. Having him do that showed me to always do the same. 

My grandpa also taught me the importance of taking the time to say hi or help someone out. As a kid, I had little patience and said what came to mind. I didn’t care what other people thought. When I moved into a new house, we had 15 spruce trees in our little front yard. My Grandpa, who was in love with big rigs, brought in an excavator and took out all 15 trees in a day. He started at first light and did not stop till it was dark, just to help us out. Another time,  my grandpa took the time to talk to the new pastor at our church. The first thing my grandpa bought was skydiving! He asked my pastor if he would do it with him. My pastor was astonished and, not knowing what to say, said sure. They planned it out, and my grandpa was so happy. Unfortunately, the cancer got worse, and he was put in hospice. A couple of days later, he passed away. And that is why I think it is a good idea to always take the time to say hi.

My grandpa was my role model and still is today. He taught me to always give 100%, to never give up, and to take the time to say hi or help someone. I would like to carry on his legacy and live life to the fullest just like he did. And I want to accomplish the dreams that he never had the chance to. But the most important thing I learned through him is that everything will be okay. He would make me feel that way every time I saw him. I will never forget it