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When some of us were very young he kept us on our toes
With tales of Bertha Badbreath or a clap that kept us froze
Or when a child passed his chair there often was this deal
He'd grab us and yell GOTCHA - then listen to us squeal
He always liked to take us camping and helped us catch our fish
And to hear You Are My Sunshine was a very favorite wish
When the youngest were still very young, in the backyard he did place
A playhouse where juice-both grape and cherry-often ran down their face
Some say there was another time when Grandpa was most handy
For no matter what kind you wanted...he always had hard candy
We saw it done a hundred times - or maybe even more
He'd fix that thing we thought was broke from his own hardware store.
Now in our eyes the finest treasure we ever did receive
Was the year we got our very own homemade pinecone wreath
No matter how old we were, one special thing he did
Was to look at us, smile, and say "How ya doin', kid?"
Now when he introduced us, he'd smile and oh how proud we'd be
To hear him say "this here's my grandkid spending time with Grandma and me"
He made us mind and toe the line - his words were quite direct
But in those P's & Q's we watched - we learned the word respect
His warmth and kindness - his strength and his love
We will carry with us in our hearts as he watches from above
You were our favorite angel and too soon you had to go
Our memories we'll hold dear to us and we know our tears will flow
For one last chance to touch your hand or feel your warm embrace
But we know that you're in heaven now with a smile upon your face
No more pain and no more tears - no more steps with care
For your eyes are clear and your steps are brisk as you watch us from up there
In your life you did your best to spread hapiness and joy
And one last time for all grandkids - be they girl or boy
We know that you will hear us as we give a wistful sigh
For we all know the time has come for us to say goodbye
But one last thing we must hear as it brought us so much joy
Was the way at night you made us smile with your "Goodnight Johnboy"
Goodnight, Grandpa

Bill Orr was such a special man and wonderful grandfather that his granddaughters wanted to say goodbye to him in their own special way. Before the project was very far underway, they knew they could not leave out the grandsons and what we have to present today is a poem full of a lifetime of memories of a man so special we called him "Grandpa". I wrote this the day Grandpa died at the request of my sister. He was a good and lovng man...and we miss him still.