Family History Photo Monday: Lloyd Smith Furniss 1918 - 2011

My sweet little Grandpa Lloyd passed away last Saturday morning.  I happened to be feeding a baby at about 3:45 that morning and as I was finishing up I had the thought that Grandpa would get to do all the traveling he wants now.  I was so hoping I would be able to visit him one more time and show him my new babies.  He loves "little tads" - he was always so tender and gentle with babies and children.  Grandpa had a stroke in 1995 while I was serving my mission and he really hasn't been the same man since.  He was still funny, though, and never complained about having to stick around for such a long time after Grandma died. 

I have many images of my Grandpa to call upon when I miss him - sitting at the kitchen table at his house with a newspaper or a magazine, combing his amazing hair with one of those small black combs, behind the camera, walking with his orange backpack that always had a book or magazine in it, sitting at his card table labeling photos.  My favorite memory of Grandpa includes my Grandma, too.  I took a cross country road trip with them in 1992.  Just the three of us.  We stopped often and Grandpa always took his camera out to capture something.  When I was at Ricks, he would sometimes send me a $20 - it was always very timely since I never had any money.  And he did it anonymously.  I didn't find out he was the one sending me money until after his stroke when all of his filters were gone.  I was sitting with him one day when he started to cry a little and said, "I remember when you were at Ricks and I was so worried about you that I would put $20 in an envelope and send it your way."  He always took great care of the people he loved.  I treasure my memories of him.