Grandpa Lamoreaux

 Sorry these pictures are out of order.  This is a pic of my dad (far right, back row), my mom (in front of him), and my dad's siblings and spouses (Uncle Jeff passed away about 20 years ago).  They are gathered for the funeral of my sweet grandpa and haven't been together in over a decade.

 The night of the funeral, the parents (my siblings) were emotional and exhausted, so I grabbed all the kids who could walk on their own and we went exploring Sam's Town.  We got to see the laser light show, have dinner together, and relax after a difficult day.

 This is the pall bearers coming to the grave site dedication.

 My Grandpa was proud of his faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.  We were able to visit with him less than 2 weeks before he died, and that is what he wanted us to know.  He told us of his service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He served a mission in the southern states when he was young--and told us he received the best gift of his life from serving there.  He met my grandma.  They have always been darling in taking care of one another and enjoying one another.  Recently, Grandpa had to spend some time at a hospital and then at a rehabilitation center.  When he was cleared to come home, a hospital bed was set up in their room for him.  My parents noticed after a few minutes that Grandma, too, was gone.  They went to check on her and found her curled up next to Grandpa in that tiny hospital bed.  He died just days before their 70th anniversary, and they treasured each other every day of that journey.

He also served helping those with little or no employment skills to develop ways of being self-reliant through DI for several years, as a bishop of his ward (In the church, you are asked to serve in many different ways, but we have a lay ministry, meaning no one gets paid for their service.  In this role of leading a congregation, it wouldn't be uncommon to spend 20+ hours a week on service to the congregation!), and in the temple for many years.

He wanted us to know that he loved us and thought we were doing wonderfully and had his support.  He knew his passing was coming.  He told us he wouldn't make it to his anniversary, but we were sure that he would.  His last messages to us were faith, love, and support.

 This is my Grandpa, Orien Huntsman Lamoreaux.

This is my Grandma, Hazel Stembridge Lamoreaux.  She is lonely without her sweetheart.  They were married when she was 18, so 70 of her 88 years were with him!

I sure love them both and am grateful for their legacy of love and faith.