Thursday started out as a normal day. I had preschool at my house. But then, I got a text message from my dad saying that my Grandpa Roy, my dad's dad, had been on a road trip with my Uncle Rolf, Aunt Dawn and cousin Andrew and had a heart attack and stroke and was in the nearest hospital in Rawlins, Wyoming. Throughout the day, we were all on edge as we got more updates, that he had coded (heart stopped working) but that they had kept trying to resuscitate. They finally got him stable enough to be lifeflighted to Casper, Wyoming where they had a critical cardiac unit waiting for him. We all thought that now that he had made it there, he was safe and in good hands and going to make it. Well, my dad came over after work to help us with our dishwasher. In the middle of doing so, he got a call from Uncle Rolf and went in the other room. I went in after him and saw my dad in tears and immediately knew what the news was. I curled up in a ball on my dad's lap and just cried. Uncle Rolf had told him that Grandpa had gotten to Casper and had coded again many times, and they talked to Uncle Rolf and my Grandma about how he had been without oxygen for a while and not sure if they should keep doing CPR. So the next time he had a heart attack, they didn't do CPR and he passed away.
I was grateful that I was with my dad that night. My mom and JoJo came over and we all mourned. And tried to finish the dishwasher job ;). We called everyone, we wrote our tributes to him on facebook and we just cried.
I am so grateful we got these pictures in July. I am grateful Josh and I stayed an extra day at his house. I am grateful I got to call him before our trip and talk to him about Josh's school, our house, the boys. He loved talking to us. We loved talking to him. We will miss him more than words can say.
This is his obituary: Roy Samuelsen's Obituary
"Opera singer and college professor Roy Samuelsen died on September 7, while on a family trip in Wyoming. He was born on June 12, 1933 in Moss, Norway, to Ragnar Andreas Samuelsen and Margareth Olivia (Evensen) Samuelsen. He grew up under the Nazi occupation of his country, and began his career as a singer entertaining neighbors and countrymen in air raid shelters, especially singing American cowboy songs, which he loved from an early age. In 1950, his family emigrated to the United States, settling in Provo, Utah. After graduating from Provo High School, he was drafted into the United States Army, and served in Germany. While there, he began to study with a German music professor, Herr Josef Heuler, who encouraged him to sing opera. He married Mary Lou Thorne in the Salt Lake Temple on May 25, 1955. After finishing his military obligation, Roy became a journeyman sheet metal worker, in the shop of Joe Creer, and also studied music at Brigham Young University.
In 1961, he was accepted into a graduate program in music at Indiana University, in Bloomington Indiana. In 1962, having finished his degree, he was hired as a member of the Indiana Music School faculty. He taught voice at Indiana until his retirement in 1999. He subsequently taught part-time at the University of Indianapolis. He also sang for some of the leading opera companies in the US, including New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera Company, Boston Lyric Opera Company, Houston Opera, and San Francisco Opera. He was well-known in Utah for his many performances with the Utah Symphony. Altogether, he learned and sang professionally over a hundred leading operatic roles. He was frequently featured at the Kentucky Opera, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was also featured in the world premieres and recordings of such seminal LDS musical works as Leroy Robertson’s Book of Mormon Oratorio, and Robert Cundick’s The Redeemer. As a scholar, he was expert in the art songs of Scandinavia, which he also performed and recorded, and especially the songs of Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Icelandic composers. But he was probably most famous as a singer of the US National Anthem, which he sang at Indiana University basketball games for over 20 years.
He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served in many leadership callings, including as a bishop, and for many years, on the High Council. In retirement he returned to Norway with his wife to serve as a missionary.
He loved the outdoors, loved camping and hiking and fishing, and, most particularly, boating, as befit his Viking ancestry. He was a world traveler, and with his beloved Mary, visited all seven continents, and over eighty countries. He was an enthusiastic and talented photographer, and later in life, loved writing his memoirs.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Thorne Samuelsen, and three sons, Eric, Robert and Rolf, his sister, Trudy Mulcock, by 13 grandchildren, and by 7 great-grandchildren. Funeral Services will he held on Friday, Sept. 15, at 1:00, at the LDS chapel at 2411 E. 2nd Street, Bloomington, Indiana. Visitation will be on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7:00 p.m., at the LDS chapel, 2411 E. 2nd Street, Bloomington, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Perpetual Education fund of www.ldsphilanthropies.org which provides education funding for underprivileged, mostly third-world students."
In 1961, he was accepted into a graduate program in music at Indiana University, in Bloomington Indiana. In 1962, having finished his degree, he was hired as a member of the Indiana Music School faculty. He taught voice at Indiana until his retirement in 1999. He subsequently taught part-time at the University of Indianapolis. He also sang for some of the leading opera companies in the US, including New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera Company, Boston Lyric Opera Company, Houston Opera, and San Francisco Opera. He was well-known in Utah for his many performances with the Utah Symphony. Altogether, he learned and sang professionally over a hundred leading operatic roles. He was frequently featured at the Kentucky Opera, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was also featured in the world premieres and recordings of such seminal LDS musical works as Leroy Robertson’s Book of Mormon Oratorio, and Robert Cundick’s The Redeemer. As a scholar, he was expert in the art songs of Scandinavia, which he also performed and recorded, and especially the songs of Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Icelandic composers. But he was probably most famous as a singer of the US National Anthem, which he sang at Indiana University basketball games for over 20 years.
He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served in many leadership callings, including as a bishop, and for many years, on the High Council. In retirement he returned to Norway with his wife to serve as a missionary.
He loved the outdoors, loved camping and hiking and fishing, and, most particularly, boating, as befit his Viking ancestry. He was a world traveler, and with his beloved Mary, visited all seven continents, and over eighty countries. He was an enthusiastic and talented photographer, and later in life, loved writing his memoirs.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Thorne Samuelsen, and three sons, Eric, Robert and Rolf, his sister, Trudy Mulcock, by 13 grandchildren, and by 7 great-grandchildren. Funeral Services will he held on Friday, Sept. 15, at 1:00, at the LDS chapel at 2411 E. 2nd Street, Bloomington, Indiana. Visitation will be on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7:00 p.m., at the LDS chapel, 2411 E. 2nd Street, Bloomington, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Perpetual Education fund of www.ldsphilanthropies.org which provides education funding for underprivileged, mostly third-world students."
So, the next day we made arrangements to fly to the funeral in Indiana. I flew with my mom and Josh came for one day and my dad stayed for longer. It was really fun to see my cousins, and my siblings and of course Nolan loved playing with his cousins. But it was so hard to be at their house and not have my Grandpa there. My grandma was showing me her wedding pictures and she said, "We have been married 62+ years. What am I supposed to do without him?" And we both cried. I am going to pray everyday for her. She has Alzheimers and other health issues and we are all worried about her being alone.
The funeral was beautiful. We cousins sang the song Grandpa sang to my Grandma on their wedding day and we blew her kisses. It was hard not to cry during it. They played a video of him singing, "I love life" and that was heartbreaking. We will all miss his opera singing voice. My dad and his brothers all spoke. His former student sang too and it reminded me a lot of Grandpa.
Nolan had a tantrum during the funeral because his fingers were blue because of the marker he used. Josh had to take him out and it was pretty awful. He threw another tantrum later because fruit salad touched his roll....Note to self: do not bring children to funerals...
My kids did not sleep a lot there. Bennett cried for 3 hours one night in the hotel and I had to take him on a drive to put him to sleep. Man.
My and my Grandma
The worst thing ever.
I am reading the books Grandpa wrote. It is amazing to be able to sort of hear his voice again. I will share some more memories of him another time. My children are melting down because of the lack of sleep they endured on this trip :).
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