Robert Benton Vogt

My grandpa Vogt passed away over a week ago and I haven't had a chance to post. We had his viewing on Sunday and his funeral on Monday and lots of tears have been shed. My grandpa Vogt was a great man and he will certainly be missed. My grandpa was a wonderful example to me in so many ways and this past week I have been doing a lot of thinking about him and the life that he lead... My grandpa was humble- he was very content with what he had and he didn't have any need to try and look better in the site of other people- he didn't need to impress anybody because he didn't care what people thought of him. My grandpa was hardworking- he worked two jobs most of his life so that his family could live comfortably with my grandma at home to be in charge. After work he spent his free time helping other people. My grandpa is one of the best examples of charity that I know. If there was something that he could help with he was there to help... Mo and I can think of so many things my grandpa helped us with even just within the first 4 years that we were married. My grandpa was there to help us paint our first house (he would have been in his late seventies), he came out to help us till up the garden area of our first house and he didn't want Mo to have to till so there he was 77- tilling our garden and only when it had finally taken a toll on him did he let Mo have a turn. He helped us move from Clinton to Mountain Green and then back to Clinton. He helped my grandma take care of Jackson twice a week so that Mo could finish school while I worked. And even before I was married to Mo, my grandpa was always there to help me change the oil in my car, to replace a clutch, to give me rides to soccer, to help my mom with things around the house when my dad was gone, and to do whatever needed to be done. I even remember him making friends with some homeless people when we were on vacation and taking them our extra food, and I also watched him take plates of food every holiday to the lonely man who lived across the street. He always did it with a smile on his face. My grandpa took an active interest in my life growing up... he always knew what was going on with me, and he always took the time to ask how I was doing, and to listen to my response. I can't remember any major event in my life that my grandpa wasn't there for. My grandpa had a great sense of humor- even the last day I saw him alive when he probably didn't have a lot to smile about... he was still smiling and making jokes- he was very witty. Benton always poops when we go to visit my grandparents and so of course on the last Saturday that we went to see my grandp Benton pooped and I said," I can't believe Benton always poops when we are here" and my grandpa said, " must be a shitty place." :) He was there to cheer me on in sports, or to yell at the referee or umpire as he felt was needed. My grandpa was a great example of loving devotion to his spouse... there was never any doubt that he loved my grandma and he would do anything to make her happy. My grandpa had a lot of courage- he was in the airforce and was a belly gunner in a B17 and flew and survived over 32 missions... at the grave there were members of the military there to pay him the proper respect for what he had accomplished in the military. It made me realize that what he did in the military really did make a difference in helping us to live in the America that we live in today. He was grateful- he was a man of simplicity and he was grateful for what he had... everytime we visited he would walk us out and stand on the lawn waving to us goodbye with a smile so thankful that we had come. When I think of my grandpa leaving this earth this is how I think he would have wanted us to remember him saying goodbye- waving with a smile on his face and a coke in his hand. I hope my grandpa knows how much we all love him and appreciate the good influence that he has had in our lives. I hope that I can live my life in a way that honors his memory and makes him proud.