Saturday, July 28, 2012

Max Kendall King

 I was able to fly out to SLC and then drive up the small farming town of Aberdeen, ID for my grandpa's funeral.  It was wonderful!

Here is the handsome Max Kendall King when he was in the Navy...
I was felt honored to share memories I had of Grandpa at the funeral:
  • We all know Grandpa had a sense of humor.  It was portrayed vibrantly by the rock he kept in his kitchen, it said- "In case of fire, turn me over" and the other side said "Not now, stupid. I said in case of fire." He also put diluted orange juice in urine same cup when he was at the hospital.  When he was about to give it to her he said "now that doesn't look right"  he took a drink and handed the rest to her.  She about fainted.

  • ·      We all loved when Grandpa put all the grandkids in the bucket of the tractor, lift it up, and driving around the farm

  • ·      Grandpa would treat us grandkids to pennies to buy penny candy in town

  • ·      Going fishing with grandpa was always a highlight. 

  • ·      We all remember him taking us to the Aberdeen parades, even letting us ride his ponies in the parade

  • ·      Digging up sugar beets with him, riding his horses

  • ·      We all remember treasure hunting through his old house and his garage while he worked on something.

  • ·      He was also as stubborn as they come- we all knew he was supposed to use his crutches, but the kids used them more than he did.

  • ·      Bailing hay with him and often driving the truck and tractors before we had a license.  We might have all learned to drive with Grandpa.

  • ·      Grandpa always seemed to be carefree, when grandma said no, we knew grandpa would say yes.  He would let us do all the fun stuff grandma thought was dangerous- like swimming in the canal behind the house or driving fast over on the road that goes over the canal (grandma would plead with him every time to slow down)

  • ·      I remember grandpa quietly slipping me a $100 dollar bill, I wanted to assume it was because I was his favorite grandchild, but I am sure I was not the only one.  

  • ·      When Jamie would visit grandpa he would always ask Jamie’s wife kamrah how her parents were.  Often he would ask a second time, not remembering he had already asked.  But it was a testament to how much he cared.

  •           His favorite place to eat was Chuck-o-ramma, I never complained.

  •            Grandpa was also a missionary to the core.   He had such a passion and love for sharing the gospel no matter where he went and who he spoke with. He knew how to share it in a way that showed his genuine love for each person so they could open their heart to it. You could tell it was such an important part of his life and that's why it was always a topic of discussion with whomever he came in contact with, whether it was nurses, doctors, caregivers, fellow patients, Royal Gorge storekeepers, neighbors, and especially his family. We always knew that when we couldn’t find him we would find him talking to someone about the gospel.  We all know that Grandpa has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. We are so excited that he is still sharing and teaching that gospel even now with his lovely companion.


I got so spend a long car ride with my favorite big brother and little sister (and without kids competing for my attention!)
 My dad and all his siblings next to my grandpa...
The farm house that I have countless fond memories in.  We went to the farm with my cousins almost every summer and we never got bored!
 All of my girl cousins that were able to attend decided it would be fun to have a photo shoot.  We dressed in grandpas work shirts and hats and posed on the old trucks.  This was one of just many amazing shots...
 We ate ate at a small grill in town before we left, I loved this sign and was tempted to take it home with me...
Grandpa, We love you and I'm sure you are running around for the first time in a long time!

2 comments:

mks said...

michal, i am so glad you were able to come out for grandpa's funeral. it was so fun to see you and catch up--not to mention the fun we had reminiscing about the farm. you did such a wonderful job speaking. love you lots!

Rachel said...

That photo shoot is adorable!! Glad you got to celebrate your Grandpa's life. Sorry for your loss, though.