Granddad Leroy Judd

James’ grandfather peacefully slipped into eternity yesterday. Our hearts are conflicted with the deep grief we feel for no longer having the company of such a great man and the joy we feel knowing Granddad is seeing Jesus as none of us ever have.

Although I have only had the privilege of knowing Granddad Leroy for about 6 years, I think men like him need to be celebrated. And, we won’t get to be home to grieve and celebrate with our extended family, so I offer this blog post as a compilation of what I want to say, as well as what other family members have already said.

Here is a picture of the first time I met James’ Grandfather. James and I weren't engaged yet but I remember his grandfather's advice to James was, "If you pet her, she'll be nice to you." He had a reputation (rightly so) for being a tough cowboy who worked cattle and rode horseback into his 80's , but I met him shortly before his 90th birthday and he had already softened quite a bit from his earlier days of being tough and rugged. He was kind and gentle toward me, my children, and everyone I saw him come in contact with. Delton, James' father, told us that in his last days in the hospital that the nurses said it was a pleasure to take care of Leroy and that he wasn't a hardened, grumpy old man like they often see.

In the picture above and below he's next to his second wife, Barbara. They have been married for 21 years, both marrying after their spouses passed away.

He was married to his first wife, Oleen for more than 50 years. I never got to meet her, but I love their story. She had TB and her father thought she was too unhealthy to get married. Leroy asked her father for permission to marry her, but he said no because he thought she was too unhealthy. Leroy and Oleen heard the announcement on the radio about Pearl Harbor and knew war was on the horizon. So they did what any two young kids in love would have done....they eloped. The first town they stopped in refused to grant the marriage license because he knew Oleen's father and didn't want him to be angry. So, in the second town they were granted the license and began their 50 years together. I heard that she had second thoughts about the marriage and thought she had married a lazy man because he didn't leave the house for several days after they were married. Then one day he announced, "Well, I don't think your dad is coming back to take you away, so I guess I'll get to work." They spent only 11 months together when he was called to duty. They didn't see each other again for 31 months. However, while he was away serving in WWII, God was healing her of TB. A woman who was told she'd never have children had 4. And those four had 10, and those 10 had 32!

 I'm thankful he was able to make the trip to participate in our wedding!

The section of the Judd Family who carry his name. I am SOOOO blessed to be one of them!

Here is Grandad with Catherine.

Four generations :)

And here he is with Ann. Elizabeth Ann, named Elizabeth after his wife's mother.

I love this one where he's smiling at her. But he wasn't just kind and gentle to our children, he was also welcoming and kind to the homestay students who lived with us. I remember once we took some students with us to visit him about the same time James and I were reading the book The Worst Hard Time. He shared with us and our students a few stories about leaving through the Dust Bowl. He said he and his brother would tie a rope around each of them so that when the dust got too bad to see they could still find each other. I've also heard stories about him hunting game and selling pelts to make ends meet during the Great Depression.

Here's a picture of James' last conversation with Granddad. It was so thoughtful of his family to include him. Here is what James wrote shortly after that conversation.

I don’t know if one ever gets familiar enough with death to know what to say to a man who will shortly leave this life. I told him I loved him, I respected him. I mostly didn’t know what to say.
What I wished I would have told him was this. “I’m going to miss you, Granddad, but I’m excited for you. When you see Jesus face to face it is going to be so wonderful. You are going to get to see Him as none of us ever has. You’ll get to know Him as He really is. You’ll get to truly enter into His rest. Your body will be made new. Your faith will continue to live through your family. We are so thankful for everything you did for us. For the example you set. For the way you loved Grandma O, loved us. For the way you loved my father and mother. For the way you loved us grandkids. For the way you loved my brother, sister, and I. For the way you loved my wife. For all the time we spent together on the ranch. For the honest way you lived your life. Other than my father, I don’t know if there is any other man I respect as much as you.
Thank you for letting to see your life of faithfulness. Thank you for all your prayers and your influence over me.
There are still so many things I wish I could learn from you. Lessons about loving, and being a father, and a grandfather. Lessons about walking with God. Lessons about growing old. I'll miss your wisdom and your counsel.
May Jesus hold you in His embrace and welcome you into His eternal kingdom. I’m going to miss you, and I love you.”

From Mettie:


I'm pretty sure somewhere in heaven today, Granddad is back on a horse, using indecipherable hand signals, and telling the angels to "Get Tough!" as they gather the cattle on a thousand hills. I am heartbroken to never see his crooked smile again, to never sing "Hey, Good Looking" to him when I walk in the room, to never have him reach for my hand one more time, but I'm thankful he's with his Lord and Savior and I'm grateful that God loaned him to us for almost a century.
May my life be a remembrance of the way he lived his and may I have even half of his faith. Goodbye for now, good lookin' . . .
Mettie

from Stephanie:

Grieving today, but not without hope. Early this morning, my granddad, Leroy Judd, slipped quietly into God's presence after nearly a century on earth. A quiet but influential leader in his community, a man of faith and integrity, faithful love for his family, and a legacy of four children, 10 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren who all love Jesus. Granddad was a rugged Texas rancher and cowboy whose "Get tough!" and "Hold steady" admonitions have served us all well and infused resilience into our character. I honor my granddad today, and say "thank you" for living your life in such a way that many could follow...and would want to. Thankful, too, that the line between time and eternity is paper thin. You are now in God's presence among a cloud of witnesses, and I will see you again soon.
With all my love and inexpressible gratitude...

from Leslie:

"I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died." ~ I Thess. 4:13-14
Today, my Granddad slipped quietly into eternity. I'm so very thankful to have had this man as a grandfather. He was a tough,Texas cowboy with a heart that longed to serve God. He was an inspiration to every one of his children and grandchildren. So, today, we do not sorrow as those without a hope! He will be greatly missed on this earth, but we know we will see him again soon!

from Ashlea:

It is interesting to me how many times within our families (Mark and mine combined and individually), we celebrate a birthday (life) and a loss (death) on the same day. Today, I celebrate my little nephew Nicola's 1st birthday! What a precious baby boy he is!!! Early this morning, we also received news of Mark's dear Granddad (nearly 96 years old) passing away peacefully in his sleep. He left a sweet legacy with his family.
This always makes me think of "A time for everything" in Ecclesiastes... "A time to live and a time to die." Our lives are in God's hands, and they are loving Hands. For Mark's Granddad we mourn our loss by his death on earth, but we know he is alive in Christ... more alive than he has ever been before. So, perhaps today we are celebrating life two times. Nicola celebrating his 1st year of life on earth, and Granddad Leroy celebrating his 1st day of eternity in heaven.

from Sherri:

Early this morning my Granddad Judd peacefully went to be with his Savior, Jesus Christ. We already miss him, but we also know nothing could be better than heaven for him. I'm so grateful for the Godly life he lived. A strong, hard-working cowboy who did what it took to provide for his family even in lean times. He weathered the seasons of Texas panhandle and of life with dignity and firm trust in God. A quiet-spoken but influential leader in both his family and community. Faithful husband of 50 years to my Grandma Oleen and another 21+ years to Grandma Barbara. Godly Daddy to his 4 kids. Loving (and a bit ornery) Granddad to his 10 grandkids and 32 great grandkids. I'm so blessed to have had him in my life for so many years. So many great memories shared and lessons caught by watching him simply live everyday life with God. I am grateful for his legacy and love..and now for the hope of being with him for eternity. See you in heaven soon, Granddad.