It has taken me several years to get to the point where I felt like I could share photos from the passing of my grandfather. I primarily shot this period of time in black and white film as we have black and white photographs of his young brother’s burial in Arlington Cemetery. His brother was a marine in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. As my grandfather was the last sibling to die, I felt it necessary to document the end of his generation.

My grandfather lived to 102 and was married to his wife for 62 years prior to her passing. They were married in Paris, France in 1945 as they were both enlisted in the American military during WWII. He and his wife had five children who grew up in the foothills of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. My grandfather was a hardworking shift worker at a local factory for several decades, and in his retirement, bought mountain land for his dream escape. Together with his son, he built a very sturdy cabin that has been enjoyed by all generations for more than forty years.

Join me while I remember and honor him.

The historic family church founded in 1768

Burial and display of his American flag and flowers

Family

Family

His bedroom as it was stripped of its belongings

His fossils

His tool shelf in the garage as it was cleared off

His old chair at his mountain property

The old footbridge

His walking sticks

His old gloves and wood stove at the mountain property

Trailing arbutus – a type of plant that he held dear and reminded him of his wife

Thank you.