I remember one evening in late summer I was working on mumz and papz back porch. It had been renovated ten or so years before then and Sam and I’s previous paint job had begun to chip and flake off, so I was out there touching it up.

 The sun was going down and I was getting ready to call it quits when I heard the screen door to the porch open. It was grandpapz and he was wanting to know if I wanted to stick around for dinner, even better he was getting ready to make a trip to Taco Bell and wanted to know my order. I was so excited. I am so glad mumz and papz like Taco Bell because it is truly one of my favorite places to this day. 

I told him my order and by the time I had cleaned my brushes and myself he was back with the food. We sat down at the familiar table and enjoyed a great meal of tacos and burritos as we sat and chatted about cool projects that were being built in Columbia. 

After eating grandpapz asked me if I would like an O’Doules. This was deeply meaningful to me. A father or grandfather asking their son/ grandson  to share a drink is classic right of passage. But the Papz I had grown up with did not speak or relate kindly to drinking and it’s potentially harmful effects. Now O’Doules is of course an alcohol-free beer which removes all of the potentially negative effects but keeps the less tangible and deeply meaningful effects of sharing a beer with your grandson. I was truly so happy that papz wanted to share a drink with me. Papz had watched my grow up as a child and this felt like an acknowledgement of the years. 

I don’t know why this moment sticks with me so much. I think so much of this memories potency was just how true to character all of this was. Truly one of the best memories I have lived. 

I remember my grandpa (“Grandpapz” as we called him) as a hard-working man, with a giant smile, a love of pie and Cheetos. And as a man who moved through life with a sense of steadiness, duty, and dedication to his family. 

One memory in particular that stands out to me is Memorial Day 2000 who-knows-what where I got to participate in the Memorial Day parade with him and ride in back of his old-school convertible.  The day was warm and sunny and the car overheated at one point but eventually we (he) fixed the issue and we sailed down Broadway together, me sitting on the backseat with a big sparkly red white and blue hat on. I didn’t quite grasp the more somber reality of what the holiday was all about, I just loved being part of the excitement (not to mention the free candy).

 Growing up, my grandfather was one of, if not the only, Veterans I knew in real life and at that age, I didn’t quite understand what it meant to be in the service or why he loved our country so much.  It would be a while before I could appreciate more fully what his service meant, and what his country meant to him. I know that I’ll always think of him on holidays like Memorial Day and Veterans Day for the rest of my life. 

 I love you, Grandpapz. I hope to carry out your legacy of hard-work in my life, and I hope to pass it on to my children as well. Thanks for everything you did. 

Memorial Funeral Home, Crematory & Memorial Park Cemetery/Columbia

Kenneth Phillippe

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Kenneth Lee Phillippe

March 27, 1937 – March 22, 2023

Memorial Funeral Home, Crematory & Memorial Park Cemetery/Columbia

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