My Grandpa

July 22, 2011 in Other Stuff with 3 Comments

John ConnavinoMy grandpa, mom’s dad, passed away earlier this week. I’m heading to Ohio for his funeral. He was a great man. Among other things, he served in the Army in World War II and received a Purple Heart after being wounded in action. He was also a very accomplished musician. He played french horn in Ray Anthony’s orchestra back in the big band days.

A lot of who I am comes from both my mom’s and dad’s upbringing, but there’s no question that my demeanor and the way I’m wired are very similar to my grandpa. I’m going to miss him, but he certainly lived a life worth celebrating.

I don’t know what he was writing on this day, but it’s a good reminder to me that I have to be very intentional about how I live my life. Whether we recognize it or not, we are writing our legacy every moment of every day.

3 Responses to “My Grandpa”

  1. Phil Wood July 22, 2011 at 9:57 am #

    Tony, I’m very sorry to hear about your grandpa. I have been thinking about my nan this week, who first encouraged my birdwatching, amongst other things and looked after me when my mum was seriously ill (http://bit.ly/pAlQtt). The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is very much overlooked. I appreciated what you said about legacy. It often happens in the everyday things we don’t think about at the time.

  2. Brian Dodd July 22, 2011 at 11:00 am #

    Tony,

    My deepest sympathies on the loss of your Grandpa. I will be praying for your family this week. We are benefactors of the life he led and legacy he left through you.

    Sincerely,
    Brian

  3. Daane July 27, 2011 at 7:51 pm #

    Tony, I stumbled upon your website today because I was looking into the hometown of my ancestors and your “My Italian Connections” post showed up on google. Like yours, my great grandparents immigrated from Matrice, Italy with two young sons, and had my grandfather after they settled in Cleveland, OH. He is now 79, and my parents are finally making their long awaited trip to Italy this fall. I wasn’t able to leave comments on that post, and found this one. So sorry to hear about your loss, but I am sure that it brings your grandfather great joy knowing how much he means to you, and that his legend lives on and will endure through you forever.