Approximately thirteen years ago, Phil’s 8-year-old granddaughter captured the very essence of the man. She wrote an essay for school about her grandfather nicknamed Bumpa. I think everyone who knows Phil will recognize him through her eyes.
MY BUMPA
I love my Bumpa no matter where we are together.
I love my Bumpa because he rescues dogs. My Bumpa rescues dogs from far and near and no matter how big or small or sick of well, he will rescue them. A few months ago he rescued a little chiwwawa that had lost his two front legs and now hops like a kangaroo. He also keeps some of the dogs and cares for them. I am very glad and very proud that my very own Bumpa chose this job just for these dogs. I love my Bumpa because he loves the dogs and he loves me!
I also love my Bumpa because he has a great personality. Even though my Bumpa might be old and grey, on the inside he is bright and cheerful. If our family takes a trip to Florida or camping and maybe to a water park, since he is such a great guy he would go. As long as he’s not busy rescuing dogs. If I asked him to go on a ride with me he would say, “I would love to” in his bright and cheery voice. My Bumpa also never screams or scolds or yells at us. If we break something or do anything wrong he will just say , “Oh that’s ok” then he will laugh. I am glad my Bumpa is not too old because we have some great adventures coming our way!
Another reason I love my Bumpa is because of his cheerful laugh. When we have lots of fun together, my Bumpa’s laughs just keep getting greater and greater. When my Bumpa is with me and my sisters, we have a great time doing just about anything. My Bumpa will laugh and smile, and whenever he laughs it brings me a warm feeling in my body. I also can’t help letting out a little smile too. When my Bumpa smiles his bright eyes twinkle in the light as he looks at me.
I also love my Bumpa because he was in the army. My Bumpa was in the army and I’ve always wondered what it was like, but my mom says he doesn’t like to talk about when he was in the war. I’m not going to ask any questions and make him uncomfortable. Something I think that was cool about him being a chaplain in the army is that he learned to jump out of airplanes. The bad thing is he hurt his ankle and now he wears a brace if we walk a long time or if we are up and about for a long time. I am very glad that he was in the army, and I am very interested too. I love my Bumpa because he protected our country.
One last reason I love my Bumpa is because he has scuba dived in the deep and never ending ocean. One day when he was wandering about with some other people, a pack of sharks came upon them, and one came face to face with my very own Bumpa! I am guessing he was pretty surprised to see a shark right in front of his face but at least he did not try to swat at it or swim away fast and got eaten. I love my Bumpa not only because he does cool things but because he loves me and that’s all that matters.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on May 24, 2024 at 11:30 AM at the St. Joseph Roman Catholic Chapel, 7815 Orland Park San Antonio, Texas 78213. Interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with U.S. Army military honors.
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