My Grandfather: A Humble Hero

My grandfather told me that he often reflects upon his 88 years as he sits in his backyard “Shangri-La'' (a harmonious and heavenly place) watching the birds flutter from branch to branch in the old “measuring tree,” the place where my height can be traced back to childhood. Each mark meticulously cut out with the aid of his trusty pocketknife is symbolic of the years he had spent taking care of me as I grew up.

Last week, I begged him over the phone to tell me stories of his life. After initially being reluctant to divulge, he cheerfully answered, “Well, if it’s stories you want, kid, I can talk for days!”

I must surpass my grandpa’s thick layer of humility to unlock his stories, because he is the kind of man who does not want accolades or recognition for his deeds.

I listened intently over the phone as he recollected one time when he saved a woman from drowning in the Hudson River. From the shoreline, my grandfather had noticed a woman struggling against the water. He told my aunt--who was a young girl at the time--to stay put. He charged down the dock toward the woman. By the time he got to her, her entire body was under water. My grandfather reached into the water and grabbed her by the hair. Her small children jumped around his feet on the dock as he recused their mother. He will never forget the look in her eyes when she realized she was safe.

Time after time, I leaned in for one story after another. Believe it or not, my grandpa’s Hudson River story was only one story out of a novel's worth of adventures that my grandfather has experienced. Some didn't end so happily, but although some outcomes were grim, the fact that my grandfather tried to save these people shows his true character. Whenever I expressed how heroic he was to leap into action to help save these people, he replied, “I was just at the right place at the right time.”

My grandpa has always surpassed the traditional role of grandparent. He is more like a father to me. He taught me how to ride a bike, attended my school functions (even when I only had one line in the school play), taught me how to drive a car, sent me off to prom and was the first person I spotted in the audience when I stepped forward to receive my high school diploma. I will always be eternally grateful for the times he made me feel special, like when he would tell me to “get in the nest,” the space behind his curled legs while he lied on the couch, or when he would ask me to go on rides around town and point out all the places that meant something to him.

Grandpa grew up during the Great Depression, a time in which his family endured much hardship and financial problems. On top of that, he also persevered through the premature loss of several family members. After experiencing such loss, many people would shut down internally, but he never did.

As he raised his four children, he expected them to be good people with integrity. Grandpa taught them through his actions as he worked at a pharmaceutical plant for over 40 years, providing his kids with what he never had. His kids never had to worry about going hungry and always knew they were loved and safe. When he retired, he helped raise me and my brother while my mother, a single parent, worked. He allowed us to live in his home rent-free so that my mother could save enough money to buy us our first home. He has always been the pillar of strength in our family and the focal point of honesty and humbleness. As a family, we are strong, smart, and kind people because of him.

“He has always been the pillar of strength in our family and the focal point of honesty and humbleness. As a family, we are strong, smart and kind people because of him. ”

A few years back, when he fell off a ladder and sustained serious injuries, he was placed in a nursing home while recovering from surgery. My grandfather had a revolving door of family members visiting daily. I quickly noticed that not every patient was as lucky.

As I walked through the corridor to get to my grandfather’s room, my heart broke as I witnessed elderly people strung along the hallways in their wheelchairs. So many of them looked despondent and aloof. I want to help bring a smile and human connection to the elderly in similar situations because of this experience but did not know how to harness my efforts until finding Love for the Elderly.

My grandfather saved a drowning woman, a man on fire and me. I have such kindness and compassion in my heart because I grew up seeing grandpa exhibit these traits. I may not have literally saved people the way that my grandpa has, but because of Love for the Elderly, I can use my talents, skills and heart to give back. These are the people who raised us, and they deserve our love and support! I am eternally grateful to my grandfather for helping raise me and teach me what it is to be a good person, and I hope that through my work as a Kindness Ambassador I can make him proud.

Thank you, Daniela, for sharing your story. If you wish to share your own story, please email emma@loveforourelders.org.

Daniela Rich

is a 32-year-old mother from NY. She works in Special Education while pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education.