Jim Kist: Husband, father, grandfather, and hero

My grandfather's spirit and legacy will be with me for the rest of my life.

One of the biggest lessons that I have been taught by him is the meaning of the word "strength".

My grandfather was a WWII veteran and has always carried the memories of the war with him until the day he passed away. While they are painful and plentiful, they also seemed to be a lesson for him.

He was somebody who held his head up high his whole life even when he was in unbearable pain. Whether it was pain from his past memories or pain from his health problems, he never really spoke of them in a negative way and somehow always had the strength to follow through with life. Not only that, but he was always there for anybody if they needed it.

Anybody knows that when you're dealing with emotional or physical pain it's hard to focus on anybody but yourself. Somehow my grandfather was able to still focus on his family through any distress he was going through. Even in the final weeks of his death he still never mentioned the pain, even though we could hear him struggling.

He has truly taught me how to push through with any pain or suffering I am dealing with and keep my focus on other people. That's what matters in life and my grandfather is one of the people who have taught me such a powerful lesson. I miss him everyday, and I hope he knows how much he has taught me by simply being such a courageous man.