Grandpa’s are special. They hold a place in our lives. A place that gives us wisdom. A place that makes us feel safe. And makes us, as grandchildren, feel like we are special.

This is what my Papa, Glenn Henry Carminati, was to me, and so much more.

My grandpa was born in TX, July, 10 1932. When he was 7, his family moved to California. The stories that have been passed on of his childhood are fun adventures with his group of pals that include an awesome clubhouse.

After graduating high school, he was drafted into the Army, where he served stateside for 2yrs as a cook. He became a master at peeling a potato.

After the Army, that is when he met my Nani, Rosemarie. They got hitched on September 3rd, 1955 and were committed to each other for 57yrs. A true testament to love and faithfulness.

My Papa was a man that worked with his hands. Something I always remember. I feel like every member of our family has had at least one piece of furniture that my grandpa made from scratch. He worked at a cabinet company, a chemical coating company, and then a paint company.

During this time he had his children (Victoria, Maryann, Glenda, and John). I always loved hearing the stories about my grandpa when they were growing up. A few that stick out are:

1. My mom wanted to paint her room. My grandpa let her choose whatever color she wanted and she chose this neon green. He said he had to wear his sunglasses when he went in that room.

2. The kids had the responsibility of doing the dishes and even if there was one spot on a spoon, he would take out the whole drawer and make them wash them all again. I’m thinking this is from his Army mentality 🙂

3. My uncle Johnny got caught smoking a cigarette. So, my grandpa sat him down and told him, if he wanted to smoke that was fine, but he had to smoke a whole pack in front of him.

Papa soon found his passion when he began working at the paint company. In 1984 (the year of my birth) my papa opened his own paint company, All Season Paint.

I have so many memories at the paint store. Running around, looking through all of the wallpaper books. Picking which ones I would use in my dream room. Dusting off the paint cans. Playing with the calculator on grandma’s desk. And learning. There are so many instances where I was with my grandfather that he not only did things for me, but taught me how to do it.

My family is extremely close. We not only see each other for the big holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. But for all the little one’s i.e. mother’s day, father’s day, and every single person’s birthday. So, we all spent a lot of time with each other. At most of these celebrations there is usually a cake involved. And my grandpa was the biggest jokester around…and he loved the cake. So, he would try and convince us grandkids to swipe the frosting, so he could do it too and not get in so much trouble for it.

I remember my grandparents coming to my baton competitions, my school events, reading all of my horribly written articles and saying they were the best thing they had ever read.

I remember trips to San Francisco, musicals, and many dinners of pasta w/ great conversation. And you know you could always count on pops to give the waiter/waitress a bad time, but all in good fun. Always the kidder.

Papa has always been part of the Lions club. Active in his community. I can remember going to the Yolo County Fair every year and papa working at the food booth. And every year he helped sell Sees candy, which was awesome for us because that meant we had plenty of chocolate to snack on.

My first year at college in LA my grandparents came down and took me to a Dodger game (my fav team). It was a special moment to go to a game with my grandpa. He loved sports. He has, since my father passed away, been the one I call up and talk to about the game of all my favorite teams. If my teams were doing well, he would always sound surprised and tell me not to expect them to stay like that for long. And when they were doing horrible, he’d still tease me. But I loved it. It was a special bond we had.

I could always count that when I came over for a visit, we could do a little chatting, and then just sit there together and watch the game. Didn’t matter if it was football, basketball, or baseball and just be.

I love how that made me feel. It made me feel comfortable, relaxed…like home. That’s what my Papa was to me, Home.

And that’s why I feel, even with all my moving around and dreams I’m still chasing; that God, as cheesy as it may sound, brought me back to NorCal to be close to my Home, my papa.

I spent a lot of time visiting my grandfather the last couple weeks of his life. And those moments I will cherish forever. My final time I saw him, he still had not been able to eat any outside food and was not eating much of the food they were giving him. For over a week he had been asking for a hamburger and a strawberry shake from In&Out. The doctors finally said it was OK for him to have it, so my mom and I went on our mission. We brought back his meal and he ate the whole burger and half of his shake! That day I say goodbye to him with a kiss on the cheek. I LOVE that this is my last moment with my Papa. Eating In&Out will never be the same.

I feel so privileged I got to enjoy the company of a great man, for 28 years of my life. And even though he is gone physically, I know his spirit is near.

Until we meet again.