On July 18th my Grandpa Wahlen passed away. We were lucky to be able to spend time with him the day before he died. I was lucky to be able to grow up near my grandma and grandpa Wahlen, and then live close to him again these last two years. Grandpa lived an amazing life, he lost his dad when he was in the 7th grade, and had to stay home from school for a year to run the family farm. Then he lost his mom while serving as an airplane mechanic for the Army Air Corps. He was an extremely hard worker and loved to farm. He also took care of my grandma for many years before she passed away in 1996. He was always so positive though and never complained. I loved my Grandma and Grandpa so much, and am so glad they can be together!
Grandpa had 31 grandkids and always remembered what we had going on in our life. He loved all of his grandkids and was a huge supporter to us all. About a month before grandpa passed away, I was visiting him in the hospital and one of his friends came to visit. Grandpa had gone down hill quite a bit and I was afraid he wouldn't even recognize me, instead he introduced me to his friend and practically told the guy my life history. He was amazing...he always knew if I was going through something hard, often reminded that he was praying for me. We didn't ever leave his house without him telling us he loved us.
All 7 Wahlen children...Jan, Val, David, Eric, Wendy, Sue, and Dad
We love you Grandpa!
