I learn more and more with each passing day of my life. One thing I have become particularly thankful for as I get a little older is my family's heritage. I have much to be proud of when it comes to the fabric I was cut out of. I am especially thankful too that my wife has an amazing heritage. I have written previously about my wife's father who is one of my heroes and I could easily write a journal of my admiration for my mother-in-law and I am sure I someday will. Today though I want to honor Ruth's grandpa, John David Hilty.
There are many admirable things that stand out to me about Grandpa Hilty. A couple of years ago, some family members met one evening for dinner. I have long known that Grandpa Hilty was a wonderful farmer, but that night I learned something that taught me just how great of a farmer Grandpa Hilty was. Grandpa Hilty was honored in a farmers gazette many years ago because he was the first farmer in all of Ohio to yield 100 bushels of corn per acre. This is amazing in and of itself, but it was increasingly impressive when I learned that Grandpa Hilty accomplished this on virgin soil (soil that had never been commercially farmed before.) I will always remember Grandpa Hilty as a very wise man and a man with an amazing work ethic. When I think through the children, grandchildren and great grand children of Grandpa Hilty, I see a group of people, who like Grandpa are very smart and are very hard workers.
Another thing that stands out about Grandpa Hilty was how much he loved Grandma. I have fantastic memories of Grandma helping Grandpa and Grandpa helping Grandma, and it was great seeing how they preserved through life together because of their great love for one another for 62 years of marriage before Grandma Hilty passed away just a few years ago. This love that Grandpa exhibited did not just end with Grandma, but it over flowed to all of his family. I will always remember Grandpa Hilty being a man who has encouraged his family to make restitution one with another and a man who loved every person in his family.
Grandpa Hilty is a man of valor. Grandpa Hilty was a soldier who fought to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today. I never one time heard Grandpa "toot his own horn" about his accomplishments while serving in a war time, but I am positive there were many. I would have never known that Grandpa Hilty was the recipient of a Purple Heart except for the fact that my wife told me. I also never heard Grandpa complain about his time in the service even though I am sure that his time was far less than enjoyable. Additionally, I have never heard Grandpa talk negatively about the politics of our day. I always had the feeling that Grandpa was so proud of the greatest country on earth that he didn't feel it necessary to bash modern policy or any politician from either side of the aisle. Grandpa Hilty is a great Patriot.
There are so many other great things that I could tell you about Grandpa Hilty and anyone who ever knew him will miss him so very deeply.
John David Hilty April 5, 1918 - July 23, 2011
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