Grandpa Clawson

Last week my Grandpa Clawson passed away. I want to share a few things about my Grandpa to make sure that Savannah and Judah know just what their Great Grandpa Clawson was like.

First of all, my grandpa was the most considerate, kind and charitable person! He would help anyone with anything!!! While I was on my mission my Dad and Mom got called to be the Mission President and Wife (I don't know how else to title that) and my grandpa offered to let me live with him when I got back! He was really excited and I really loved having the opportunity to live with him!

Secondly, he wasn't an overly talkative person, he was pretty mellow but every once in a while he would say something that would definitely take you by surprise. My family would have "Friday Night Dinners" with him where we would eat dinner and play games each week, it would get a little awkward sometimes when he would tell us dirty jokes. Or when I was getting married he had a "sex" talk with me with extremely unwanted advice : ) I think he thought because my parents were gone, he needed to step in there.....oh boy. Also after I had Judah and Savannah I lost an extensive amount of weight (thank goodness) and my Grandpa told me he could tell that I was losing weight because my "behind looked smaller". He was really funny.

My Grandpa is a convert to the church...he was baptized when I was 12. Despite that, he was able to serve a mission at the prison for a few years. He LOVED I mean REALLY LOVED telling people he was going to prison on Wednesday...or whatever day he had his assignment. He thought it was such a great joke, and it was.

My favorite moment with my Grandpa Clawson was when I was being set apart as a missionary, my stake president asked for the people in my family who have served missions to raise their hands. I know I have never seen my Grandpa look so proud and happy than when I saw him raise his hand. I know that he loved serving and knowing that he fulfilled his responsibilities to the Lord.

I want to share one of my mom's favorite memories of her parents. When she was a teenager they were all at Disneyland(they lived in California) and there was an area for dancing. My grandma and grandpa were great dancers but my mom was still a little in awe when everyone cleared the floor to watch her parents dance together! What a great moment!

My whole family will really miss my Grandpa but mostly the feeling of missing him is overwhelmed by our happiness that he is with my Grandma. Anyone who knew my Grandpa knew that 10 years of waiting to be with my Grandma was too long for him. My Grandpa is the best example of seeing someone truly CHERISH their spouse. Hearing the way my Grandpa would call her "Sweetheart" and tell her he loved her was so touching.

We are blessed to have his example to influence our lives and blessed with the knowledge that John and Gwen are together forever. I know we will all think of them dancing...

(and I know I look really young in that picture, it was a while ago...)