Grandpa Bob

Grandpa Bob

By Simon Van Dyken

My grandpa has been a great influence on me and taught me how to work hard and that there is a reward after working hard.  I was really close to my grandpa. Even though he lived about 1,600 miles away from me, I still became close to him.  My grandpa was a kind, loving guy who was a great parent, brother, and grandpa.

I know my grandpa very well because of all the times that he would come up here and all the time that I would go down there.  I have known my grandpa my whole life, but I actually started to remember the things that I did with him around 2007.  My grandpa grew up Dutch and learned the Dutch language very well, He would always try to test that on me.  Whenever I would do something strange he would say something in Dutch that would either mean that I was a goof or that I was very strange.  My grandpa taught me tons of Dutch words and what they mean.  

When ever my family would go to Arizona and stay there for 1½-2

weeks, we stay in the basement of their house.  Every morning I would get up at 7:00 and eat some breakfast, and then we would get in his truck or escalade and head over to the nearest Starbuck’s.  My Grandpa and I were usually the first ones there and then all my other uncles and cousins would come before they headed off to the dairy.  My grandpa and I would always get the same thing, blended Java Chip for me and black coffee for my grandpa.  When my grandpa did this, it really showed how much he liked being around his grandchildren and other kids.

One time when he was up here visiting with us, he decided to go and buy me a snack and when he said that I thought we were just going to go to Warren’s.  We hopped in the our truck, drove all the way to Willmar, got an ice cream cone and then drove back home.  I loved how he would always want to go and spend more time with us and do more stuff with us. That is something that I will never forget about my Grandpa, the willingness to make others happy and do good for others.    

My Grandpa taught me so many things throughout his life.  He was a wealthy dairymen and because of that, he earned money and he would use that money to help others, the church, schools, and tons of other places.  He taught me that you need to put others first and use your money to the best of your abilities.  He showed me how to love God and how to serve him on a daily basis.  

My Grandpa passed away a little over 2 years ago and it was both a time of celebration and a time of loss.  We celebrated his many years on earth helping others and living his life, while we still mourned the loss of him.  I am thankful for the wonderful Grandpa that I had and the time I got to spend with him.