John Arruda

Dear, dear, Grampy:
I miss you so much. My heart aches. My soul aches. I'll never be the same without you. You've been both my mom and my dad for my whole life. You've raised, shaped and molded me into the strong woman that I am today. You taught me how to ride a bike (with and without training wheels), you taught me how to drive a car, you taught me how to make strong and solid friendships that lasted from elementary school through high school. You taught me how to stand up for myself, to be outspoken, to be opinionated, to speak up and speak out for others, to advocate and care for others, you taught me so much Grampy. Each and everyday.
You and Grammy rescued Jainae and I from a broken home, got guardianship of us both and raised us both to be the strong women that we are today. We can't thank you enough Grampy. You two were both retired, didn't have much money, but had all the love in the world. You knew it would be a struggle taking care of two young girls, one being just three years old, one being a newborn and you both being in your fifties. But it never stopped either of you from taking on the challenge and raising us. We honest to God can't thank you for making that decision all those years ago. We would have never had the lives we had or have today if it weren't for you and Grammy taking that risk, saving us, and loving us each and every single day.
We never had a lot, but you never let us know it. You surrounded us with love and care, safety and stability, laughs, growth, endless memories, and family. I can't thank you enough for being all parts of a family we ever needed.
I will forever be grateful for every breakfast I shared with you at Shawmut Diner, Dillon's, West End Grill, etc. I will cherish all the memories made at all your favorite diners and restaurants for lunch and dinner too. I will forever remember all the memories of our dinner dates out and all your favorite spots like Boston Market. I will continue to cherish all those nights I cooked for you and experimented with new, healthy dishes, catered to your diet and food restrictions. I appreciate you not judging the dishes and pretending they tasted good even when they probably didn't lol you were always so appreciative of anything I made or did for you. I know that I'll miss all of our grocery trips, our runs to Walmart, Lowe's and Home Depot, and our Saturdays and Sundays packed with running errands and checking off your to do lists.
Even just our car rides and chit chats we'd have while traveling to the VA in providence. We'd talk about SO much! Things you saw on the news or on TV, all the amazing things I was learning at college. You share stories about your past jobs, past marriages, your life before Grammy, I learned so much about you during our hangouts and our time together. You were a world full of knowledge, that's for sure! There wasn't a question I could ask that you didn't have the answer to. You are honestly like an encyclopedia, an almanac, a dictionary, and all of the Internet in one, without you ever going online yourself. I don't know where you learned everything you did, but you were truly the smartest and strongest person I've ever known. I wish I could continue getting words of wisdom from you each and every day. Because I know that there was so much more you had to share.
I am so very honored that you chose me to be your caregiver (HCP and POA) when you couldn't take care of yourself anymore. It was the greatest role I ever had. Thank you for trusting me to care for you. I am really going to miss taking care of you Grampy. Helping you with all your tasks and errands. Going to all your appointments with you and being your voice when you couldn't speak up. I loved keeping you company and helping you get things done. As you got older you really became such a large purpose in my life. I even chose to stay local for college and go to UMD vs ASU or U of A, just to stay close to you after Grammy passed away in 2009. I have such great memories of us shopping for my dorm rooms and my first apartment. You seemed to have so much fun moving me in and out each semester at UMass. I am so grateful that you were able to attend my graduation both at NBHS and at UMD. You being there for those moments was SO important to me. You were the face I was looking for in the crowd. (I hope to see you again in moments like that - please, please, please come visit me Grampy.)
It kills me that you won't be there for even more important moments in my life. It hurts that you won't be there on my wedding day to walk me down the aisle or to be there on the day that I have my first child. But... I try not to think of those moments lost and instead try to only remember all the beautiful memories that we were so blessed to have.
As you know, I never can keep things short and sweet - you didn't call me chatty Cathy for no reason lol. But the rest of the things I need to say to you I will continue to say to you each and every day through prayer and through God.
I can't thank God enough for allowing us all this time together even just these last few weeks. God is good and you are in his hands now. May you rest peacefully with Grammy in heaven.
I love and miss you so very much, Grampy. Until we meet again. ??
You will forever be missed by Jainae, Ari, Valerie, Sam, Will, Tejesh and I. Thank you for all the wonderful, beautiful and magical memories you made with us all and for the memories we will never forget and will cherish forever. We love you Grampy."