Remembering Grandpa

Early this morning, my Grandpa, Al Deneve, went home to be with Jesus and be reunited with my grandma - his wife of more than 65 years! He was 95 years old.

I have so many great memories of the time I got to spend with my Grandpa and the stories I heard about him.

Grandpa was born in 1913 near Hicksville, OH. He was one of 4 children. His mother died when he was young. His father wasn't able to care for the children at the time, so the youngest boy was put up for adoption. The other children were sent to an orphanage here in Fort Wayne. Grandpa would tell stories about having to go out to the barn and catch flies around the cows when they got in trouble. I don't think Grandpa was at the orphanage too long as it's my understanding he went to live with relatives for a while.

Grandpa only attended school through part of his sophomore year - but you wouldn't know it. He was a wise man. He married my grandma in 1936. They were farmers and raised their daughters on the farm. He even let my mom keep a lamb in the basement for a while! Grandpa loved his family and was a godly role model. He and Grandma were charter members of North Manchester Missionary Church.

Grandpa helped build both North Manchester Missionary Church and Goodman Gymnasium at Bethel College.

Every summer when I was little, I would spend a week at my grandparents' house. We had so much fun during those visits. We'd always take a trip out to Warsaw and visit the TSC and Penguin Point. One summer I helped them work the Farm Bureau booth at the Kosciusko County Fair. I would help pick strawberries, potatoes, raspberries, and more from their garden. Grandma and Grandpa had an amazing abundance of produce from their garden.

I remember playing ping-pong in the basement, riding the big blue bike, and burning the trash in the backyard. I remember playing marbles with Grandpa with the rug blocking them from rolling under the stereo (which now sits in our living room). I remember watching The Sound of Music over and over and recording interviews with Grandpa on the tape recorder. These tapes are precious reminders of the times when we were young!

As I wrote earlier, Grandpa was a godly example to all who knew him. He served in the church and was the kind of leader for his family that God requires. He study God's Word and lived what it says.

There is so much more I could say about Grandpa. I could go on forever!

The last few months Grandpa was not well. After several strokes, his speech was often very difficult to understand. I was with him last night until 9:30. We knew he was ready to go home. We are rejoicing in the fact that he will spend eternity with our Savior!

Funeral arrangements have been made. Calling will be Sunday from 2-5 at Delaughter/McKee Funeral Home in North Manchester, IN. The funeral will be at 2:00 Monday with calling one hour prior at North Manchester Missionary Church.

This is a link to the obituary: http://delaughtermckee.com/obituary.php

We appreciate your prayers during this time of loss; however, we know this is only a temporary separation and rejoice that he is in Heaven with our Lord.