“This is livin’!” and “Is everybody haaapy?!”

These were Papa’s two favorite sayings. He was always so full of life and couldn’t wait for the next adventure or someone to come on a walk with him. And boy, did he like to talk! Especially to strangers.

In May of 2013, while my grandparents were visiting my home in Hawaii, (while we were visiting too), my grandpa suffered a stroke. The stoke affected the part of his brain which handles all communication and language. Unfortunately after his stroke he was not able to talk. He could make out a little phrase here or there but he wasn’t able to answer simple questions. You could tell he could understand mostly what you were saying, but the stroke took his voice away.

But his spirit was still very much alive and we were so glad that even though he couldn’t talk like he used to, he was with us for eight more years until he passed away in his home on Feb. 9, 2021. My mom was one of his primary caregivers after the stoke and she says that he never complained.

Some of my favorite memories I had with my grandpa was all of us going skiing together. Every spring break we would go to Mammoth Lakes, CA. We stayed in my grandparent’s condo. We would go “spring skiing” for a few days out of every year. Papa was a really good skier. Papa would just shoot down the hill, so we always knew we would meet him down at the bottom. And if we crashed, well, we might be all on our own. Ha! I remember having some good talks with him on the chair lift.

In June 2009, my husband Cameron and I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel with my grandparents on a two-week tour to Argentina and Chile. My husband had served a two year church mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina so he was able to be our translator as we toured the different sites. Papa loved to talk to the locals, so it was nice to have Cameron there to translate his questions (even though sometimes Papa pretended he knew how to speak Spanish by putting an “O” on the last sound of every word). He always wanted to talk to strangers! I always thought this was a bit bazaar and somewhat annoying since I am more shy and reserved. But this taught me to not be so afraid of reaching out to people and be a little more friendly.

One of my favorite memories was going on a hike with Papa K in Chile to see a water pump (totally not my idea, but glad I came along!). I was so impressed by how easily he cruised up that trail like he was a teenager again. I was in my early twenties at the time and I could barely keep up with him! He had a heart attack 5 years prior so I began to get a little concerned about him. I asked “Aren’t you worried about if you had another heart attack in a remote place like this?” He said “Well, if I do, just roll me down the hill!” Lol. He wasn’t going to let anything slow him down in life. He was always so active. I hope to be like him in my golden years.

We knew Papa had been slowly declining for a while. He started to need help around the clock. So when I heard the news of his passing, I felt a total mix of emotions. I was so sad to have lost my dear Papa, but so relieved that he was no longer in any pain or discomfort. We decided to fly (rather than drive) the whole family for the funeral since we could only go for a short visit and didn’t want to spend 14 hours in a car. The kids were so excited to fly for the first time (they could remember).

Papa’s funeral services were held on Feb. 21, 2021. The viewing took place outside the funeral home (due to COVID restrictions). It was a very windy, blustery day.

My children and their cousins were very curious about seeing Papa in the casket. It was a really good teaching opportunity as this was their first experience at a funeral. We explained that this was just his body. His spirit had already gone to the spirit world were we will get to see him again someday. You can read more about what I believe here.

Papa was always a huge fan of UCLA basketball. Gold and blue colors were chosen for his floral arrangement.

Papa was buried in Chatsworth at Oakwood Memorial Park, CA. During his funeral services each of the siblings took turns talking about Papa’s life and shared some memories of him. What an amazing legacy he left behind for all of his posterity.

After the funeral services we all gathered at my grandmother’s home for a luncheon. Papa always loved being with family and having parties. One of the best parts of the day was each of us shared stories or experiences we had with Papa. He always loved telling stories, so we wanted to honor him in sharing our stories we had with him.

At the end of the luncheon we all gathered around to watch a beautiful video my sister Melissa had made of video clips and photos she had gathered of Papa’s life. Still today I can’t watch it without tearing up. The opening scene is of my grandparents and me around 5 years old. We were all enjoying the hot tub in Mammoth. I am so grateful that I had many years with Papa K and was able to make so many memories with him.

If you would like to watch the whole video, you can click this link. Papa’s Video Grab your tissues.

“Because of you, there’s a song in my heart.” I will never forget my dear grandpa, Papa K. I miss him very much and look forward to the day when we are reunited again.