An Eulogy by Mrs. Emily Truong
Hansel Hester 9-4-1930 ~ 3-16-2016
As a kid, he reminded me of a big Oak tree… sturdy, reliable, always there, strong, safe. His branches reached to the sky, nothing could knock him over. He would sit in his rocking chair reading his papers or his mystery novel, like the world was his kingdom and he was the king. He never seemed afraid, weak, or worried.
We will all miss this oak tree of a man, for many different reasons…I will miss the stash of gum he carried around everyday, I will miss seeing him in that rocking chair, I will miss seeing him at my kids games and school functions, I will miss him giving us a hug good bye and saying, "come see us again soon", I will miss his sweet smile, and the smell of his cologne, his button up shirts that he wore even to do yard work, his light blue, off-brand crocks that he wore, and all the other insignificant things, that most people wouldn’t think twice about. These memories I have will always be in my heart and mind because he’s My "Pawpaw".
He drove that lawnmower around the yard like it was his chariot, and that yard was his masterpiece. He took so much pride in that yard and the beauty it showed and I think he enjoyed being alone and pondering while working in it. He never said much about his thoughts and feelings but I wondered all the time what he was thinking. He was a man of few words. And every once in awhile he would let one of us youngsters, that were tearing up that beautiful yard, ride on his chariot. And for a moment he would let us be the king or queen.
He was my Pawpaw, and he could do anything. And then there was the funny side of him…always telling a little joke here and there and most of the time you were the butt of that joke. But if you turned it back around on him, he would laugh, he loved to laugh. And his smile would make you smile.
One thing you gotta have in this family is “thick skin”. He would say, “whaddaya say Em”?. He would roll his eyes up and give a crazy look at Me maw or one of us grand kids for something we did or didn’t do. He tried to be the grouchy old man, but we could all see through that. He would yell at us, “shut the refrigerator door, take your shoes off, clean up after yourself”. And we would just yell back at him, “OK, OK old man”! And Me maw was the only one that knew how to put him in his place. She controlled every move he made, even though he wouldn’t ever admit to that.
As I got older, I saw more of what Pawpaw loved…He was devoted to his wife, he loved Me maw. He would bend over backwards for her, maybe complaining, but he would do whatever she asked. He was committed to his family. He loved his family. He would drive hours to see family. He spent every Holiday with family. He has been to many baseball, football, basketball, and school functions, for his grand kids and great grand kids. He was a true patriot. He loved his country. He was honored to have had the opportunity to serve his country.
