For Grandpa Hansen

For those who have not already heard, my father Chris Hansen passed away on Tuesday. There is a tradition in our family where the second son carries the name of my great-grandfather, Chris M Hansen, with each generation having a different middle name beginning with the letter "M." McKay is the fifth generation, and was very close to my dad. As you can see, he looks like his Grandpa.

We called the MTC to ask them to notify McKay, and the District President met with him to deliver the news. He invited McKay to send a separate email to share his thoughts on his Grandpa:

Just some thoughts I had about Grandpa.

Things I will never forget:

• How Grandpa always answered the phone: always kind, always happy, always told me how much he loved me and how proud he was of me, and always handed the phone back to Grandma.
• The time we were playing charades and Brett acted as Grandpa by holding a droopy eye open while pretending to drive.
• How Grandpa tried to tackle him for doing that.
• The time Grandpa made sugar cookies with me. I cannot remember the day, the month, or the year, but I will always remember that simple time we spent together doing something that made him happy.
• The time he came to visit for my Eagle Scout Court of Honor, and how he fell and tore his meniscus that first night. We were so worried that I agreed to sleep downstairs on the couch with him in the recliner, just so I could be there in the middle of the night if he needed anything. Even with me there, he still tried to get up and go to the bathroom on his own rather than trouble me. I will never forget the half hour struggle that ensued to get him back in the recliner. It was almost comical.
• How good it felt to try to help Grandpa.

Last of all, I will never forget his great name. I cannot forget his name, for to forget his name would be to forget myself. My actions do not only affect my name, but his. That name that has been carried by fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons, by second son after second son through five generations down to me. When I honor that name, I honor him. And I will honor my name.

I am, and remain, and always will be,

Christen M. Hansen