This brings back great memories of times spent with our family and the Grundys on past Fourth of Julys!  Awesome days!

During one of our many 4th celebrations, Uncle Bill showed his pyrotech skills by ligting off the fire works and bottle rockets.  The landed into Al's NEW garage.  O2 tanks were stored in the garage!   Everyone took cover, while Uncle Bill laughed his butt off!


Thank you Uncle Bill for making the 4th of July my favorite holiday!  The Grundy Family missed you dearly!  xoxo 

In this picture you see two longtime best friends/brothers.  They shared many memories and pulling pranks on one another for their own amuzement.  One of Uncle Bill's favorite stories is when he "got one over on Grundy!"  That was his story of when they both were babysitting sick kids.  They ran out of beer, Uncle Bill insisted he be the one to go more.  When he showed HOURS later he "got one over on Grundy"  lol 

This is where Bill gave me his Lincoln Park High School ring.  It was in 1961 the night before he left for Fort Knox Kentucky for his Army boot camp.  I still have that ring 53 years later and so many sweet memories of his love. 

You often hear people say anyone can be a Father but it takes a great man to be a Dad!  That is so true! My Father was a great Dad!  We have lost the head of our family, but we know that he is looking down on us and watching over us.   He no longer suffers and for that we are very grateful. 

Anyone who knew my Dad… knows that he always did things “his way”!    I remember when I was about 15 he and Al had taken all of us kids bowling at the Flat Rock Bowling alley.  When we got ready to leave he decided it was time to teach me how to drive, a stick shift no less!  I was nervous, but he explained how it all worked and how to use the clutch.   I managed to drive about 10 miles from Flat Rock to Carleton without any trouble!   He, however, was in a little “trouble” with my Mom when we arrived.  Ha-ha.  But that was my Dad and I always attribute my good driving skills to his teaching me!    Before he let me drive alone he taught me how to change a tire, check the air pressure, change the oil and how to check all of the fluids in the car.    This is just one of many examples of how he taught me to be self-sufficient and independent in life. 

I will miss our trips to the Hard Rock and out on the boat!   Our weekend bbq’s and our talks in the corner while Mom was off doing her things!   I will miss that crooked little smile and chuckle that you gave when you were up to something!! 

I love you Dad, you are greatly missed and always will be!

I wanted to share a story about my father in law that always will have a place in my heart.  Along with my family we visited he and my mother in law in Florida after a long winter.  We were excited since we did not get to see them too often due to the distance from our home town in Michigan.  As we were excited to see them,  I wanted to treat both of them to a nice lunch at a modest sit down place.  We selected TGI Fridays Restaurant. I wanted to surprise them, have a good meal (of course as an italian we always think of the next meal!), have great conversation, laugh, and have my wife Nancy spend quality time with both of them.  I did not really take any input and just drove them to the restaurant.  It was pretty busy at the restaurant, but I noticed that he was somewhat quiet.  Afterward, after having conversation in the car on the way back, I heard from my mother in law, that he would have rather gone to McDonalds where he was content with his daily trip to get his diet coke.  Although appreciative, he never really complained about it, so I breathed a sigh of relief that he did not really make a big deal of it and get upset at me.  The moral of this story though, was that he was just a very simple man who minded his own business and just wanted to be at the place where he was most at home at, and was content on doing so. It was the simple things in life that he appreciated.  I also learned after that to never get him a diet pepsi, and wouldn't you know it,  my wife continues the tradition with getting either a diet coke or iced tea daily.  I am now outnumbered!  After that day though, I wisened up and through learning from this experience, as I saw him in time, I would always ask him when and where the nearest McDonalds was, to join him at the table enjoying his favorite drink.  I know he is smiling down on all of us, having that diet coke!