Our Patriarch

My Grandad was one of THE BEST men to ever grace this earth and that is not an understatement.  For the past 28 years, I have been blessed with two amazing grandfathers.  This past Saturday, I unfortunately lost one of those extraordinary men.  There are some stories I've already shared when telling about his wife, my Granny, but now it's time to pay special tribute to just him, Grandad Jarrels (my Mom's Dad).

The Jarrels Family

In some ways, it's really hard to put into words how truly amazing he was.  There really aren't words that I feel are even deserving enough to describe him.  If you had the pleasure of meeting him yourself then I don't need to explain.  Just consider yourself one of the lucky ones.  One family friend put it so perfectly this weekend, "To know Grandad, is to love Grandad."  It didn't matter if you knew him 50 years or 5 minutes, he made everyone feel special and loved.  He made you feel important to him.  He made you feel as though you had been friends forever.  And if you were a friend of one of his grandkids, well then you were instantly loved just as much as his own grandchildren.  I have many friends to this day that still talk about what a great man my Grandad was and how special he made them feel.

G'dad w/ his 4 granddaughters - Betsy, Molly, Brooke & Katie

Growing up, I lived right across the street from my Grandad and Granny.  Talk about blessed!  There wasn't much wrong in the world when you lived across the street from those two.  I can remember countless trips of my little, toe-headed self running down our sidewalk, across the street, and straight into their front door.  If it was around lunchtime, G'dad was always sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper while Granny was making him some lunch.  He would always curl down one side of the newspaper to get a good look at me and then welcome me with a big smile and a "Heyyy BA-by!"  I can still hear it just as I did when I was five years old.  Then he'd put down his paper for a minute to give me a hug.  I'd join them for lunch (sometimes with my brothers or my parents, but my favorite times were when it was just the 3 of us).  That was probably the case because my older brothers were already in school so I felt really special when it was just us.  I'd usually have whatever G'dad was having, unless he was having pimento cheese, then Granny would know to make me something else. :) After lunch was always naptime and even though I didn't exactly care for naptime, I'd snuggle up next to one of them and join in.

G'dad & Granny

There were so many little things about him that I will never forget.  I will never forget his smell, his endearing smile or the way he would grab me by the shoulders and say, "Now just let me get a good look at you" before he would pull me close for a kiss!  (He did that with many of his favorite gals).  I will never forget the way he hung up the phone without a "Bye" but an, "Alright, fine" or how he told us countless times that "It is so important to have good friends."  He was a wonderful story-teller and there were so many times we'd find ourselves saying, "Grandad, tell that story about..."  Every single year for my birthday, my brother's birthdays and my parent's birthdays, G'dad would put a special birthday card in our mailbox.  Granny would always fill out the card with a special birthday message, but G'dad would always complete the card with his own personal, hand-drawn stamp on the outside where a regular stamp would usually go.  He could do that since they lived across the street and would just stick the card in the mailbox with the other mail after it came.  Even something as small as that, I still remember so vividly to this day.

Love this of G'dad peeking in!

I loved so many things about G'dad, but I think what I loved most was what he taught me, what he taught me without even knowing. He taught me to be kind.  I don't remember one time in my 28 years where G'dad was ever mean to a soul.  I never remember him being rude or inconsiderate and I especially don't remember hearing him raise his voice, ever.  And even more impressive, I have never come across one person that has had something bad to say about him.  Even since his death, hundreds of people have told us what a kind, gentle, sweet, dear, loving Christian, proud American, Southern Gentleman he was (I'm pretty sure that sentance was written incorrectly, but you get the idea!) .  And those were just a few of the words used to describe him.

He taught me loyalty and what it means to provide for a family.  He made me realize what I wanted in a husband and how I should settle for nothing less.  He worked hard for his family, sometimes meaning more than one job so he could provide for the family and Granny could stay home to raise their 4 kids.  He put Granny on a pedestal.  He adored her and everything about her.  He treated her like the lady she was and had the utmost respect for her.  You would never hear G'dad say a bad word about Granny.  She was the love of his life and they truly did live a fairy tale.  It was he who made me realize I wanted a man who would treat me exactly how he treated her.

After we told G'dad about our engagement

At our wedding

He taught me the true importance of family.  Family meant absolutely everything to him.  We would get together as a family (all 20+ of us) every.single.Sunday night until the week before he passed.  He went to hundreds of basketball games, football games, baseball games, softball games, tennis matches, track meets, cheerleading competitions, band concerts, ballets performances, plays, PTA programs and the list goes on.  Why?  Because if his grandchild was involved, then he was there.  He never wanted his kids or his grandkids to move away.  He never even wanted us to leave the state even if just for a short trip.  I can remember several trips and him saying "Well what do ya need to go all the way there for?"  Family was his life.  Nothing made him more proud than his 4 children, 4 children's spouses, 9 grandchildren, 6 grandchildren's spouses, and 4 (+ 3 on the way) great grandchildren.

Showing off a Christmas gift :)

This past couple of days I have been completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that has come my way since his passing.  But when I really think about it, I am not surprised either.  So many people knew G'dad and so many people thought so highly of him.  That's evident in the phone calls, messages, emails and texts I have gotten.  He deserves every good word spoken about him because he is truly worthy.  It was not just a loss for us, but a loss for an entire community.

G'dad w/ his 4 kids - Lou, Beck, Bill & Sally

As our family picks up the pieces and carries on without him, there is still a peace within us all.  There is a peace knowing he is in a happy place and back with his best friend in the entire world, our Granny.  There is a peace knowing he is up there (most likely arm and arm with Granny) looking down on us with the biggest grin on his face.  There is a peace knowing he and Granny will now be constantly watching over us all.  We love you, Grandad.  Thank you for being the foundation of our family and for leading the way.  You have taught us exactly how we should live our lives and not a day will go by where you won't be remembered.  Give Granny a BIG hug for us!

"Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river..."

William Benjamin "Bennie" Jarrels Sr., 84, died Saturday evening, March 17, 2012, at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

A son of the late Kemper and Ruby Jarrels, he was born on July 24, 1927, in Rockingham County.

Bennie was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Betty Long Jarrels; brothers Leo, Warren, Dickie and sisters, Mabel Gordon, Mary Frances Flook and Hetty Lou Wagner.
 
He is survived by a brother, John, and his wife, Helen and one sister, Norma Heath, and her husband, Bob.

He is also survived by his three daughters: Becky Ruckman and her husband, Mike; Sally Halterman and her husband, Dick; Mary Lou Dellinger and her husband, Dennis; and one son, William B. "Bill" Jarrels Jr. and his wife, Shirley.

He was lovingly adored by grandchildren, Michael Ruckman Jr., Andy Ruckman and wife, Holly, Ben Halterman and wife, Priscilla, Abe Halterman, Molly Halterman Harper and husband, Ryan, Brooke Dellinger Goodwin and husband, Will, Betsy Jarrels, Katie Jarrels Engel and husband, Jamin and William B. "Trey" Jarrels III; and four great-grandchildren, Mandy Ruckman and her mother, Sandra, Jackson and Avery Ruckman and Annalee Halterman.

Bennie graduated from Port Republic High School and served in the U.S. Navy. He worked for Merck & Co. for 35 years and was a Realtor with Hess and Miller Inc., for over 20 years.

Bennie was a lifelong member of the Mill Creek Church of the Brethren, a faithful member of the Calvary Sunday Class and the Mill Creek Quartet.

His passion was his family and his greatest joy was spending time at his River Cabin with family and friends.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 23, at the Jarrels home in Mt. Meridian.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be conducted at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at Mill Creek Church of the Brethren in Port Republic with Pastor Lee Kinsey officiating.

The burial will be private.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Mill Creek Church of the Brethren Building Fund, 7600 Port Republic Road, Port Republic, VA 24471.