The Passing of Our Grandson

On November 11, 2008, our oldest grandson, Zach, passed away at just 16 years old. He had Cerebral Palsy. Of all the things we could say about him—and about the courage and faith of our son and daughter-in-law—her own words from her blog say it best:

“The wheelchair races have ceased at our home. Our oldest son has gone home to be with His Maker. Although we are sad and left to grieve, we recognize the blessing that he is no doubt happier to be released from a life of special needs, tubes, braces, his wheelchair, and the like. He has finished his race and gone on before us. He was one of those 'special' spirits who didn’t come to this Earth to learn, but to teach. Even though he never said a word, he taught by his example—his endurance, stamina, and the way he faced adversity. Many lessons were learned along the way because we were blessed to care for him: lessons of acceptance, gratitude, love, patience, strength, family, faith, and hope. We found that even though life can be hard at times, there is still plenty of Joy in the Journey, and nothing matters more than Faith, Family, and Love. He was truly loved by those who were blessed to know him, and he could laugh with the best of them. His laughter and smiles will be dearly missed. We are better people because he shared our lives. Thank you for the lessons learned—farewell for now. God be with you till we meet again, little buddy.”

Goodbye for now, Zach. We miss you every day and look forward to the time when we’ll be together again.

With all our love,
Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Jim