My Grandpa had many passions in his life. The Texas Rangers were one passion he loved right up until his death. In fact, he was watching the Rangers games even while he was in the hospital and in hospice care the last two weeks of his life. I remember at one point while he was in the hospital the game was on and he said "something is wrong." My aunt and I both looked at each other with concern but quickly realized he was referring to the fact that the Rangers were playing a terrible game and were losing. He was a loyal fan and always enjoyed their games- winning or losing.
Back in the Spring, he decided he wanted to purchase a suite for the entire Eckel family to go enjoy a game together. After polling the family for a date that worked for everyone, July 28 is what we came up with. Little did we know that Grandpa wouldn't make it to the game that he had been so looking forward to. In his honor, we all decided to go enjoy the suite and the game...all 50 of us! My mom had the idea for us to get shirts made in his memory. His absence was definitely felt and there was a definite void without having his joyful self there.
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| The Eckel Family |
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In Loving Memory
Bill Eckel
Dad-Grandpa-GP |
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Eckel
Est. 1922 |
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| We had the "Catfish Hunter" suite. The unlimited food and drinks were excellent. |
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| What a smile! |
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| BCF! |
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| The suite had three rows of outdoor seating as well. |
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| My cousin Lisa. |
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| Silly girl! |
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| Jacob told me to title this one, "Best Buds". So "Best Buds" it is! These two definitely love their baseball. Jim has taken Jacob to several games this year and Jacob really gets into the games. One game they went to ended up in extra innings. They ended up leaving because it was getting so late but they ended up listening to the game on the radio in the car. They got home at 11:30 that night and I expected Jacob to walk in half asleep but instead he was wide awake and on fire because the Rangers had won.
I'm so happy they can share this together. |
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| During the third inning, this tribute appeared on the jumbotron.We felt so proud to be honoring Grandpa in this way. I know he was smiling down on us. He had the best seat in the house, if you ask me! |
I couldn't help but smile all the way through this post. This is one of the many things I love about your family. You guys are so good at family get-togethers and celebrating life. If you ask me, we could all stand to take a lesson or two from the Eckels. Your grandfather left such a strong legacy of family. Generations to come will be so blessed by this. And I think you're right, he had the best seat in the house. Love you, friend. (And happy birthday! xoxo)
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this post and seeing all the photos, etc. shared here and on FB. Like Amanda, the word that kept coming to my mind about your grandpa is legacy. He created an incredible legacy of family, loyalty, love, and honor. What a true hero for your family and our country! And I just love seeing the Rangers passion shared between Jim and Jacob. As you know, we can relate to that (Texans football being our passion, of course) and it creates such a fun experience to share during every game and all season long. Enjoy the rest of the season, and go Rangers!
ReplyDeleteWhat a special time for your family. I know your grandpa was so proud of his family and you guys honoring him this way was so neat. I know the kids and adults alike must have had so much fun. Thank you for sharing the pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhile visiting Alex I got the book, Unbroken, and couldn't put it down. It's the story of a WWII POW. I read it in 5 days. It was that good. I already had so much respect for WWII vets but after reading that book I am in awe of what so many of them lived through and the courage they had in serving their country. I'm so thankful for men like your grandpa! (You should read the book. SO GOOD!)