My Grandfather by Jason

When I think of Bob Elliston, my grandfather, I see him as an example for us all, regardless of our age. He was a man with heartfelt love, not only for the town in which he lived, but also for his family and friends. Both were evident through his weekly writings. These epistles will be treasured for years to come and I am glad that he took so much time each week to chronicle his life and thoughts. They describe not only the minute details of his daily life, but also contain treasures concerning his town and our family. For this, they are priceless.
Some of my most vivid and fondest earliest memories are of family gatherings at his and my grandmother’s home, the place completely filled with the warmest food, laughs, music, and atmosphere. My family and I would travel from Delaware and stay with Bob and Queen in Palmerton nearly every month. Even when I was not able to visit as often as I’d like, the memories of their home always maintained their significance as a place of the utmost comfort and love. There was always classical music being broadcast throughout the house at all hours of the day. Bobby was always in the living room, in earlier years just sitting, reading, and relaxing, and in more recent years on his computer.
I am proud to have helped spark additional interest in his computer hobby by helping to create his first web site years ago. It was a simple testament to “Paradise” with pictures of Bobby, his Queen, and his home. My brother, father, and I also helped him by turning his weekly epistle into a web page by showing him how to use Microsoft Word to save a document as in HTML format, which allowed him to introduce a new graphical element to his weekly letter. With this new tool added to his arsenal, he resurrected the old Elliston Palmerton Press. Even more recently, the scope of Bobby’s project was expanded even further by the Nvu program and the assistance of PenTelData. Of course, this made more work for my father, brother, and I, his so-called “Wilmington experts.” There were times that we didn’t know how he could have gotten into so much trouble. But still, it was difficult not to admire how resolute he was in publishing his epistle each week. I can only hope that when I am 78 years old, I will be as enthusiastic and in good humor as my grandfather!
I will always remember Bob as being a person of emotion and wisdom. I will treasure the memories I have of spending a week in summer with his Queen and him. We enjoyed the pool in the afternoon and my grandmother’s great cooking in the evening. I will always smile at the memories when we all vacationed at Squam Lake, New Hampshire. I admire how much love he had for my grandmother and how happy they made each other. Bob was a man filled with enthusiasm for many things: family, swimming, music, HAM radio, walking through his town with his Queen, or his computer endeavors. He took the time to appreciate what he had and to wonder on the vastness of life and the changes each day bring. He has provided for us an example of living life to the fullest with a love for what one has and what the future offers us. He will truly be missed.

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