Happy Birthday, Pat...where ever you might be

[jennickels]

Today would have been my father-in-law's 70th birthday. He was a great man--so full of love and eternally devoted to his family and just LOVED his grandkids. He never got to know 6 of them. He died a month after he turned 62 in April 2003. I can't believe it's been 8 years without him. My kids were 2 1/2, 18 months and 5 months when he died. They don't remember him which is sad. The older two were lucky enough to spend the last 3 weeks of his life with him. I had a nervous breakdown and they stayed with my in-laws for those three weeks while I recovered (kept the baby with me). They still don't remember him, though. Brenna was only a baby when he died. His first great-granddaughter, Heaven, was 2 months old (born on Valentine's Day). He never got to meet Nora, Jack or his other two great-granddaughters, Hailey and Hope.

This was taken in 2000, just after my oldest daughter, Meagan, was born. The little boy is my husband's nephew, Cody. He was 18 months (he's now 12! and my daughter will be 11 this summer).