William E. Heath June 3, 1921 - January 11, 2010

When my Mom went back to Virginia, she thought she was going to help my grandma. A week or so after she arrived she went to a doctor's appointment with my Granddad. They found out the he had tumors in his lungs and on his spine. The doctor said that he probably had a year or so left to live. At my Granddad's age there really wasn't any treatment that he'd be able to handle, it might even cause him to die earlier. The best thing to do was to make him comfortable. He decided that he wanted to move to Utah to be closer to his kids and grandkids. They started making the preparations.

A few weeks later things seemed to be progressing a little faster than the doctor thought they would. It no longer looked like my Granddad would be moving to Utah. There was no way that he'd be able to handle the trip. This was really hard on us, because for a few weeks we knew that our grandparents would be coming soon and we'd get to be with them for the time they had left on this earth. The reality now was that we'd never get to see my Granddad alive again.

Christmas came and went and then Chase was born. My mom told my Granddad that he had a new great grandson (another little missionary is what he said when he found out I was having another boy) and he said, "Chase" and smiled. At this point my Granddad wasn't too coherent. He was able to listen to anyone who spoke to him, but he wasn't really able to respond. A week and a half later he passed.

This was a devastating loss to my family. He was the only Granddad I ever knew. He was the best Granddad I could have ever hoped for, I loved him so much. He gave everything to his family and he loved us all so much.

The worst part was that I was not able to go to his funeral. Chase was only two weeks old and he was still having problems with jaundice and I still wasn't feeling so great myself. The trip to Virginia was just not possible for me. It was very hard for me to know that my whole family was in Virginia and I couldn't be there to say good-bye. My only comfort was knowing that I will see my Granddad again and I know he is in a better place and with his loved ones that passed before him, especially my Aunt Polly.

One of my favorite memories was playing Uno with him. When I was little, I always had to sit next to my Granddad. And whenever I got a Draw Four or Draw two, I would get this silly little grin and I would tell him that I had a lovey. I don't know why I started calling them lovies but I couldn't wait to give them to him. He would just smile and laugh in his cute little way. I loved his smile, he would just light up the room. You could always see how happy he was to be with his family.

Me at the zoo with my grandparents

Riley hanging out with Great Grandpa

I will miss him so much but I am so grateful for all the time I was able to spend with him in this life and I look forward to seeing him again in the next.