One year ago yesterday, Grandpa Lauro died. He was 71 years old. The photo to the left is of Grandpa Lauro and his youngest grandson, Matias. I was trying to think of a way to describe him and it is hard. Of course he was a genuinely Christian man, but that word has been diluted greatly in our day and age so it just does not say enough. After considering it for awhile, about the best I can do is describe some of his accomplishments. There is not time nor room to describe all his accomplishments, but I will try to describe what appealed to me.
He was extremely erudite. His erudition probably was a result of voracious interest in, among other things, music, art, history and theology. He did not have a high level of education, but three of his sons graduated from world class engineering Universities. His fourth son is an entrepreneur and on the verge of earning a law degree. He participated in his community and was politically active, mostly at a local level. He earned a diploma in Music with a focus on Violin from the local University.
His greatest accomplishment, though, was the impact he had on those around him, particularly his family, but also the people with whom he worked, his neighbors and many life long friends. He gravitated to “the least of these.” He loved them and they loved him. His funeral was the most amazing funeral I have ever attended with hundreds and hundreds of people who came to show their respects. A special letter arrived from a man who had not seen him since he was a little boy but on whom he had a profound positive influence. He had this same impact on others when he was young as he had on me as a middle age and older man. The attendence and reverence of the people at his funeral were a manifestation of that influence.
I respected him very, very much. The thing I respected most about him was his fierce love for his God and a fierce dedication to the greatest commandment of them all, to love others as Jesus loved them. We miss him and look forward to the day when we can be together again.
Betty Blonde #343 – 11/09/2009
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Lorena and Ken,
Thanks for sharing your blog. Wonderful to learn more about your Dad Lorena. Someone to aspire for similar qualities and priorities. Loved glancing thru the pages to get a little glimpse of your growing family. Much to be proud of….not surprising for two talented parents. Can’t believe we’ve been so close in geography but lost track over the years. Yet days seem to be busier than ever. Yet microwaves, the internet, smart devices were supposed to make us more efficient!
Keep writing…I’ll read! Cheers, Karen
Karen! Thanks for the great note and thanks for checking in on the blog. We need to get together! If you are game, we would love to take you to dinner when we are up there to see Kelly next time.
Thank you Ken for your kind words about my father, definetly you described it very well. We are all missing him. There is no day that we do not remember his lifestyle and his good practices, advices and other great things that he transferred to us along the years. Best Regards