Abner Kaplan

That is my grandfather's name. He didn't have a middle name. He passed away on April 2nd and I didn't really know what to make of it at the time.

I come from a pretty small family and have never really experienced loss of anyone close before. The only other funeral I have been to was my paternal grandmother's, but she lived in New York most of my life. Abner is my maternal grandfather. My paternal grandfather died before I was born and my maternal grandmother lives on. My mom's parents have always been in Los Angeles and we'd see them on most holidays. My grandfather was always quiet, as was I, so we never really talked much or at least as much as we probably should have. I still feel like I don't know what he was all about and I didn't think his passing would affect me that much because I am generally not that emotional of a person. It didn't really strike me until the funeral as his life was described through my uncles' words. The more I heard the more I realized how much we were alike. It made me wonder what it would have been like to know him at my age and I teared up.