death of a soldier

Colonel W. Kenneth Bach passed away this morning at 2:10am. He was 97 years old and a beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He will be sorely missed.

Grandpa Ken was fiercely independant. He lived on his own, drove his own car - even the long drive between St George and Logan (an eight+ hour drive) by himself, and remained active to the end. He was, however, banned from backing the boat into the lake on fishing trips after he backed the car in so far that water covered the back seat.

Grandpa was a man of many hobbies. He was an avid fisherman. Be it summer or winter, he was out there fishing. He and Dwane spent a lot of time fishing together. One memorable winter, a few years ago, they went ice fishing together. Grandpa slipped and fell on the ice and hit his head. He ended up with a subdural hemetoma (sp?) and although it was a blow that would kill most people Grandpa recovered completely and in record time. He was a tough old guy!

Grandpa Ken was also an incredible wood-worker. He made toy trucks for his grandkids and a Noah's ark with the animals too. He also created stained-glass windows and butterflies and did some metal smithing as well.

When Grammy passed away in 2003, Grandpa Ken seemed lost and incomplete, much like how we all felt. However, he recovered himself and after mourning for a few years he even began dating again. Can you imagine, dating at 97?! I think he was even doing some online dating. Yes, he was computer savvy as well.

Grandpa Ken loved life and took interest in a great many things. He was kind and gentle and loved his family very much. He is a World War II veteran and spent many years after the war traveling the world with Grammy. Their home is full of the most incredible treasures from Communist Russia, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Africa and many other places. Grandpa Ken didn't talk about his past much, I wish I knew him better. My biggest regret is that after Grammy died I had a hard time being around Grandpa. I missed her so much that spending time with him and being in his house just made me hurt more. I was selfish and stupid and should have spent more time with him because chances are, he was hurting worse than I was. That is something I will have to take care of when I see him again. Right now, I bet he and Grammy are having a wonderful reunion and he is rejoicing that he is no longer held back by his aging body. He never said anything but I bet he was frustrated by his decreasing eyesight and hearing and the body that moved increasingly more slow as the years passed.

Today we are all mourning his passing, but we are also very peaceful knowing that he did not suffer long and that he did not have to live through a prolonged illness as his wife did. He was active and happy to the end.