Kirin Fitzpatrick's Album: Wall Photos

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The thing I remember most about Papa is how hard he tried every year to make sure he could see us, even though we live so far away. The last Christmas we spent with Papa, before Covid hit and we couldn’t visit again, he and Grammy drove from Orinda to Lake Tahoe to stay with us. We had so much fun, making Christmas tacos, roasting marshmallows, and of course opening presents. We even got to celebrate Papa’s birthday with him, which is a tradition we would do every year. I didn’t know it then, but later my parents told me that Papa was really sick that year, and even though he knew it would be hard on him to visit us in Tahoe because of the altitude, he asked his doctor to help him so that he could see us. He didn’t feel well the whole time, but I didn’t really know it because he was the same happy Papa I always knew. I’m glad I got the chance to spend that last Christmas and birthday with him. I’m going to remember that tradition forever.