George Harrison John

Grandpa John passed away at the ripe old age of 98 years old on October 1, 2024.  He was ten days shy of his 99th birthday and will be greatly missed.  Everyone said it was the best way to pass, surrounded by loved ones as he slowly fell asleep, but it doesn't make it any easier losing another grandparent.  It's also incredibly sad to see my Grandma so sad.  

I have so many memories of the two of them at home together in Niles.  I am so lucky to have had grandparents into my forties and I love that I was able to share them with my kids as well.  Nolan and Grandpa always had this funny little relationship from the time Nolan could walk around.  I don't think either one of them ever knew what the other one was saying, but they would follow each other around, and seemed to really enjoy each other's company.  Grandpa would take Nolan down to the "cellar" and they would be gone for a long time before they would both emerge with something made out of wood that they were equally proud of.

My Grandpa never said much but you could sit at the kitchen table and look out the window with him and he would randomly get your attention to point out a type of bird that happened to fly by.  Even though he wasn't much of a conversationalist, you could tell he loved spending time with everyone and was perfectly content to just sit and take in the chaos around him.  When I think of my Grandpa, I will remember him sitting in his favorite chair, reading the paper, watching old TV shows, identifying the birds and animals in the backyard, gobbling down all of my Grandma's cooking, and always holding my Grandma's hand on the front porch as we drove away to head home after a visit.