Sweet Papa

God’s perfect timing but a little to early for me……

On October 5, 2010, we said goodbye to a wonderful man. To some, he was Benny. To me, he was Mr. Brown. To Jake, Judd and Anna Kate, he was “Sweet Papa.” His granddaughter Alex gave him that name and it stuck with all the rest of the grandkids. He was “Sweet Papa.” And he was! The kids absolutely loved him and he was so sweet and kind to them.


Sweet Papa was funny. I am not quite sure who will teach my kids how to play music with an empty water bottle. He had a quick wit. Always told us that he wouldn’t buy a Mac until the Apple didn’t have a bite taken out of it. He was a hard worker. He taught the boys how to work in the garden and in the yard. He loved my kiddos and they loved him. Now all of the light switches will constantly be switched on and off as the kids run through the house. Who will I call when life questions are beyond my experiences? I guess I will have to rely on my mom to say, “I can’t even tell you are pregnant.”

Mr. Brown certainly wasn’t perfect, he made mistakes and he had regrets. I have always been proud to be his step-daughter and I will always be grateful for the lessons that he taught me, the sacrifices he made, and the memories I will treasure.

When I was in Elko in September, if you had told me then that I would have just 4 more weeks to talk to him, I wouldn’t have believed it. I wish I had asked more questions. I wish I had enjoyed our moments more, instead of taking them for granted, assuming there would be years to make more memories.

Who will wave us goodbye as we leave? Benny had a habit of waving when we would drive away and leave for Tennessee. I know what you’re thinking, “what’s so special about that?” Well, it wasn’t just any wave; it was a long, continual wave until we couldn’t see him anymore. He would stand outside the garage and wave and wave and wave and wave. Our family loved it. The last time he did that was less than a month ago. But this time, it was a bit different. This time we rolled down our windows and let the kids scream “bye” just as loud, as long and as often as they could. I’m glad that’s the last thing we got to say to him. “Bye.” I know, there’s so much more to say, and there’s so much more to be said. Goodbye Sweet Papa.

If Benny were here today there’s one thing he would want you to know. One day, death will be our end, and the most important thing in life is what you do with Jesus Christ.
You need to know a few things:
1. You’re a sinner
2. Your sin will lead to death (both physical and spiritual)
3. Death is inevitable for us all
4. Only Jesus has conquered death through the cross and resurrection
5. Jesus offers victory over death to you
6. In order to receive that victory, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior
7. You can do that today!

4 thoughts on “Sweet Papa

  1. What a beautiful post about a “Wonderful,sweet,loving Father, Sweet Papa and most of all HUSBAND! He loved me with all my flaws no matter if I was right or wrong. I am so sad that all of us will not get to experience all the things Stephanie described about Benny. I just read this for the first time tonight and I can truthfully say “He loved Leslie, Tripp, Stephanie and Colt” and they should always treasure that love. I miss him so much!

  2. What a blessing God gave with the life of Benny. His love will always be remembered through the lives of the ones he loved! To have such a tribute to him from a “step” daughter only proves what a special man he was. I know he is missed by all of you, always remember the love, kindness and happiness that he gave you and speak of it often so others can feel and enjoy it too!

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