The Lovin' Up of Life: The Ultimate Love Story

As many of you may know, my Grandpa Olpin had been sick for YEARS. Literally, my entire life. When all was said and done, he endured thirty+ years of Parkinson's Disease (generally has a life expectancy of 15 years), ten years of leukemia (when diagnosed with that on top of his Parkinson's Disease was given one year to live, there was no proven treatment for the two conditions when mixed), and a couple of years ago was diagnosed with type II diabetes. Grandma Olpin on the other, was healthy for the most part. She had her occasional asthma or vertigo flare up, with your standard decrease in hearing and memory as you would expect with aging.

These two however, beat the odds. As a family, we thought Grandpa would pass with the diagnosis of the cancer. However, he endured and persevered. They always told the family that when they died, they wanted to die together. We did not think this would be the case until a few years ago when Grandpa kept fighting his disease ridden body to stay by the side of his sweetheart. Grandma spend all of her time day-in and day-out taking care of Grandpa. Grandpa in his younger years was a successful business man, religious man, active in the Heber Valley community and loved his family with all of his heart. Grandma did not just stand faithfully by his side throughout their life, but worked faithfully by his side through all their years. Even then, we still expected Grandpa to go first and have maybe a year or so with Grandma.

On January 26, 2014 at about 8 pm, my sweet Grandpa Olpin was finally able to be free of the body that was holding him captive in this life. It was a process that took several weeks of slipping in and out of the veil. All the while, family stood by his side, those here on this earth and those who had passed on before him. I was blessed with the opportunity to say goodbye to him via skype just hours before he passed. At that time he was in a coma, but could still hear. I am grateful for technology and the blessing it was to thank him one last time before he passed for all he has taught me in life, and to tell him that I love him.

The process of passing was not easy for Grandpa. He was a mortician by profession, so the process of dying was a business to him, not a process that he goes through (not in a greedy way, just a different side of the coin). Finally, in the early morning hours of the day he passed, Grandma mustered up the strength to tell Grandpa that it was time for him to leave this life and that she was ok with it, but that he needed to come back and get her soon.

Carrying the casket with the flag

Service man taking Grandpa's folded flag to Grandma in the car

Flowers on Grandpa's Casket

Headstone in place for Grandpa

Grandpa, as the sweetheart that he was to her, stayed true to that. He passed that night, and then on February 27, 2014 at about 2 am, my dear Grandma Olpin passed through the veil. She had been in and out of the hospital during Grandpa's last few weeks of life (torture for the two of them). She had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation so her heart was not beating properly thus, oxygen was not being delivered to her body. They put her on oxygen and she was able to be in their home with Grandpa when he passed. Her oxygen levels were low but she insisted on being a part of his viewing and funeral. She did not come out to the graveside ceremony, but sat in the car where she could be warm and not slip on the snow covered ground. She did not attend the luncheon. She was taken home and over the course of the next couple hours her oxygen levels dropped to 50%-60%. She could hardly stay awake and sat in Grandpa's chair. Her children offered to take her to the hospital and she said "No. I don't want anything heroic." They told her what could very possibly happen if she didn't go to the hospital, but she stuck to her guns. Those of us still in Heber sat on the floor of their living room, hoping and praying that Grandpa would not come for her just hours after we laid his body to rest in the cemetery.

Gratefully, she pulled through. That night, Me, Brock and Mom stayed in Heber to be with her and so that I could spend time with her before going back to Rexburg, knowing that it would probably be my last time. The following morning, the three of us and Uncle Brian helped moved Grandma down to my parent's house. She was still groggy and tired, but tolerated it well. We set up pictures of her and Grandpa in the guest room, brought her recliner, and lots of flowers for her to enjoy. We even brought her handiwork and books. She resided there for the following month. On Saturday February 22, she went in to the hospital, her body was finally thought to be stable enough for the procedure to set her heart back to normal. However, shortly into the procedure, she stopped breathing. They forced oxygen into her and pulled her out of the surgery. The doctors wanted to try again the following day, but Grandma said she was done, that she did not want another attempt. She was released from the hospital to go home to my parent's house with the care of hospice.

On Wednesday afternoon, my mom called me on my lunch break for some random information but I was able to take advantage of the opportunity to talk to Grandma Olpin for a couple minutes and tell her that I loved her. As we were ending the conversation, she said "We're proud of you honey" like she would always say when I left her and Grandpa. Then she told me to drive safe. I wasn't driving anywhere but it was just funny because it was so Grandma. I am grateful for that brief phone call and final memory with Grandma. She woke up at about 1:30 that morning and got out of bed for a couple minutes and then fell back asleep. She passed shortly after and returned the loving arms of her sweetheart.

Grandma's casket

Aunt Karen, Uncle Mark, Aunt Kathy, Mom, Uncle Brian, Aunt Jeannie

Headstone with Grandma's flowers

(Fast fact: Being the mortician that he was, Grandpa

had their headstone placed years ago. The stone company

didn't even get there in time to etch Grandpa's death date

in stone before Grandma's funeral came)

I was very much at peace with Grandpa's passing. Every time I had seen him in the last ten years I said goodbye thinking it would be my last chance. I had already mourned him through the process of his illnesses and rejoiced for him as his body laid peacefully at rest and his Spirit was free to thrive. It was harder with Grandma though. We had spent the last ten years saying goodbye to Grandpa with the mentality that Grandma would stick around and we would have some time with her. However, 31 days was long enough for the sweethearts to be apart. A couple weeks after Grandpa's funeral, Grandma told my mom "I don't plan on being here much longer, Grandpa is going to get tired of pouring his own corn flakes." A sweet but yet humorous example of her selfless service to him.

It was hard to lose them so close together, I won't lie about that. It was unreal to be walking behind the casket, singing at the same pulpit, watching the casket loaded into the same hearse, and laying a flower on another casket exactly five weeks apart. My cousin blessed her baby after Grandma's funeral and when the Bishop asked if everyone was present, my first thought was "Grandma and Grandpa aren't here" and then I realized, this was the new normal, and that in reality, they were there in spirit.

All that being said, it has been a beautiful process. It was a privilege to hear the stories of when they were young and spry and to hear and see so many people honor them. They served their family, each other, and mostly, our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ faithfully in their life on this earth. As a family, we stand united in our faith and knowledge that they are together again and will be together forever. Their worldly concerns are behind them and they are anxiously working on the other side of the veil to bring souls unto Christ. They both taught me so much while they were on this earth, but I think I am learning, and will continue to learn more from them now and from their histories than I have yet learned. My testimony of the plan of salvation (find more at www.lds.org) has only been made stronger through this process. They were sealed in the temple and have been blessed accordingly I am sure, and their love will live through the eternities. For any drop of sadness that finds it's way to my heart, it is almost instantly replaced by the sweet peace that comes from knowing they did not suffer apart from each other, just as they had wished for for so many years.

If you look closely, you can see Grandpa's vault lying next to Grandma's. This was my first time staying for an actual burial. Hopefully it's not too morbid, but I thought it was neat to see them side by side again.