The Pastor’s Piece – Pastor Kevin Cernek, FCFI Chaplain

October 11, 2026

Today’s column is about grandparents. Recently a couple from our church, at the request of their own children, moved five hours away so they could be near their grandchildren. They sold their house, bought another house, and packed up and moved. Kudos to them. We will miss them for sure, but what could be better than being close to your grandchildren?

When I was born, I had three living grandparents. My mom’s mom passed away the year before I was born so I never knew her. I was four years old when my mom’s dad passed away. I remember a few things about him and recently was able to compare those memories with my cousin, (who is exactly one week my senior), to confirm their accuracy. What I remember is that Grandpa was tall and slender. I found out later that he was a whole 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed a whopping 150 pounds. He also drove a white Ford Falcon from the early 1960’s. I remember eating breakfast one morning in our brick farmhouse outside of Boone Grove, Indiana when Grandpa came over with a full crate of concord grapes from his garden. He was so happy to share those with his family. I also remember feeling honored that he would bring them to our house, since my mom had about a dozen siblings and grandpa had a ton more grandchildren besides us. Sadly, it was just a few days later that grandpa died. He was driving somewhere when he must have begun having chest pains or something because he pulled off to the side of the road, got out of the car and had walked around to the passenger side when he collapsed and died on the grass of an apparent heart attack.

My dad’s mom and dad lived much longer. My grandpa worked the swing shift (as they called it) at the mill. He would help us on the farm every day from early in the morning until he had to leave for work at about 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. He drove a 1964 green Chevy Impala. He must have been tired a lot because he basically was working two full time jobs all the time. But it never showed. He loved farming so much and helping my dad and being with us kids that I’m sure it never even seemed like work to him. He worked at the steel mill for 31 years – a lifetime. I remember standing in his kitchen with my dad and grandma while they discussed his retirement and hearing Grandpa say that they offered to pay him double if he would stay one more year at the mill before he retired. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. He was an electrician and plumber. Grandpa had bad knees and ever since I knew him, he hobbled around from place to place. But he never complained. He used to jokingly (but half serious) say he wished he could drill a hole in his knee and install a grease zerk to keep it lubricated.

From as far back as I can remember, my memories of Grandma are of her sitting in a wheelchair. From what I understand, she had broken a hip and they were not able to repair it or replace it at that time. Grandma was born in 1895, something that always fascinated me. She was from the 1800s. That seems hard to imagine. I don’t know how she did it, but grandma was always able to cook and bake. She would make huge meals for us and we would come over on Sunday after church and feast on her goodies. There was everything imaginable from the main course to side dishes and casseroles and baked beans and homemade bread and jam and desert. When we arrived at her house the whole table would be set and the food would either be on the table or ready to come out of her olive green oven. That must have taken a colossal effort on her part to make all that happen. There weren’t just a few of us.

As I look back on all these memories, I realize that what my grandparents left behind was much more than just memories and stories that have survived the years. (Even though it would be nice to still have that Ford Falcon and ‘64 Chevy Impala). What my grandparents left was a legacy.

None of them probably imagined that a little boy would still be talking about them decades later. They weren’t trying to make history. They were simply living their lives, loving their families, doing their work, and making memories along the way.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Someday, our grandchildren may not remember exactly what we taught them, but I hope they will remember that Grandma and Grandpa loved Jesus. I hope they remember that our home was a place of love, laughter, prayer, generosity, and hospitality because the greatest legacy we can leave our children is faith that points to Jesus Christ and a life that gives them something worth following.

(Kevin Cernek is Pastor of Martintown Community Church, Martintown, Wisconsin)