Bapa's Birthday Memorial | Whitney Beth Photography | UT Family Photographer
 

On November 30th, 2019, my grandpa, Glen Larsen, slipped quietly away in his sleep. It was sudden, yet had been expected for quite some time. (In December I blogged a tribute to him.) With the timing, it logistically was impossible to get all the family back to Oregon for a funeral. (All but one of my grandparents children live out of state.) So it was decided that we would hold a "birthday party memorial" for my grandpa on his birthday, February 7th. My grandpa loved a good party, and we intended to give him one. My mom, aunts, cousins and I got to work planning the event. We had balloons and peanuts for every table. (One of Bapa's favorite things to snack on were shelled peanuts.) I printed up a big 18"x24" picture of him and placed a party hat on his head to welcome all his guests into the room. As people entered, they were able to see the family tree that grew because of him. - It also proved to be extremely helpful in aiding friends when they tried to figure out which of his grandchildren belonged to whom. Placed on tables around the boarder were mementos and reminders of Bapa's life. Wedding pictures I blew up, hiking shoes, Dr. Pepper, all things that remind us of him. My sister Makayla (the one on the mission) painted a series of 10 portraits of my grandpa for her senior project in high school. We proudly displayed those to have a piece of Makayla there with us. For refreshments ice cream, cake and cookies were served with a nice cold Dr Pepper to wash it down. In a labor of love I compiled everyone's pictures of grandpa from childhood to just a few months ago and created a slideshow that played on a loop. We also mapped out my grandpa's timeline across the stage. My favorite part was the photobooth I set up. I had all my props out and my instant camera on my tripod. We got nearly everyone in attendance to take a picture and then glue it into the book along with their favorite memory of my grandpa. 

Memories were shared, photos taken, and the kids all danced. Bapa loved to dance, so we set up the disco ball and tore up the dance floor from him. It was such a wonderful night. So much happiness and love surrounding the sweetest man you will ever know. I'm so grateful to have been his granddaughter and that this was how we were able to remember him by. Thanks for the party, Bapa, love you!

*Here's most of the family in attendance - we are missing a few grandkids that snuck out early