The more thought I give what to say about my grandpa, the harder it is to pick and choose my words. When I think about people throughout my life that I have tried to model myself after, Papa might have been #1. It was how he carried himself, how he cared for his family, how he always knew how to find the humour in any situation - its all something that I truly aspire to do. Papa was a humble person and didnt make any situation about himself, but he knew how much he meant to his family. He didnt hear that enough, but no amount of times would have been. In the 23 years I had the pleasure of knowing Papa, Ive been granted countless memories. Some that come to mind are the time we caught a baby snapping turtle together, when Papa dressed up as a wrestler at our family Oscar party (shirtless and blasting the Hulk Hogan theme and all), the countless times he would take me on a coffee break to Tim Hortons, the fishing trips around the area, catching snakes and frogs together, going to air shows...just so many memories and all of them have helped shaped me in some way or another. Among so many others, one of the things Ill always be thankful for was when Papa and my grandma made the incredible decision to take in my girlfriends 2 cats after she was told she couldnt keep them. At this time, me and her had only been dating for about 3 months and even still with the uncertainty of our future together, Papa and my grandma choose to look after them until we got a place of our own. It was no easy feat either, as 1 was still a kitten and had energy to burn day in, day out. In total, Papa and my grandma looked after them for over 4 years until we were able to take them ourselves. In that time, Papa got to have some fun with them as he would play with them every day and get to know their personalities. Even until his final days, the cats were something we bonded over and talked about often - sharing pictures or telling funny stories of them. Even to this day, the cats still have pieces of Papa engrained in their personalities. For example, Papa used to make tinfoil balls to throw and be retrieved and they are still the toy of preference at our household today. I suppose what Im trying to say from all of that is how amazing it is to me that Papa and my grandma were able to take on such a challenge at such a short notice and with no timeframe of how long they would have to take it on. Another example that comes to mind when I think about how outgoing Papa was was when he would drive me literally anywhere I had to be - to work, to school, to home, to the movies, to a friends house, to concerts, anywhere. It was only fitting he gave me my first car which he made sure was always in running order. He knew that I could never repay him for all of those times, but he did it anyways because he truly loved his family. When Im ever in a rut, I ask myself What would Papa do?. I hope that makes you proud, Papa. When the day comes that we meet again, I cant wait to tell you myself just how much of an impact youve had on my life. Hopefully by then, Ill have lots of new stories to tell. Until then, love you. Jake