May 12, 2009

Robert Matlack Trimble
Oct. 5, 1919 - May 12, 2009

(Marshall here) My grandfather "Poppop" went to be with Jesus this morning. He went peacefully, holding my mother's hand as she hummed to him. He even smiled a bit.

Robert Trimble lived a good life and gave his family and his country ample reason to be proud. He piloted 30+ missions for the Army Air Force in WWII. Later in the war, as an OSS officer, he tracked the German retreat on the Eastern front and worked for the release of POW's, as many of the camps were being abandoned and even destroyed by our allies. In one instance, he won the release of several hundred French women who had been captured by the Germans and put to work for their war effort. For this particular endeavor, he received a medal from Charles de Gaulle. His wife Eleanor never liked him telling this story about all those French women, and he (usually) obeyed! After the war, my grandfather came home and raised his two sons and one daughter with wife Eleanor and worked quietly for the Pennsylvania Railroad till retirement.

But the one thing for which I am most grateful is that my grandfather came to recognize his need for a Savior and invited Jesus into his life. And this didn't even occur until later in his life. But since then, he and Eleanor grew in their new lives as believers and prayed faithfully for me and others. Eleanor went home to Jesus a couple years ago, and now with Poppop passing I am left to reflect on the earthly loss of such a strong link in my faith lineage. Whenever I witness, I am sure to share about them.

Join me today in praising God for the joy and the gift that was Robert Matlack Trimble's life.

-R. Marshall Minnich

P.S. You can view my grandfather's obituary here.

April 2009

What a month! Aimee left her job with the law firm; Marshall launched a side job doing landscape work; we all went to California for a 12 day vacation (Marshall stayed a few extra days for another Leadership Institute session); we came home on the 29th and Aimee started her new job on the 1st.

I (Aimee) am working for Servant Christian Community Foundation, whose mission is to inspire, teach, and facilitate biblical generosity. I will be providing legal work and working with donors to help them design their charitable giving plans. Trust me, it's way more fun than it sounds.

Marshall's new job has him outdoors quite a bit, as evidenced by his red face. I think he enjoys the manual labor and finds it a nice contrast to his duties with Rhythm of Grace.

Now the topic everyone really cares about--Andy. He's saying some new words, but you really have to pay attention to understand what he means. He says "ou" as in "outside", as he leans on the back door. "Uh, uh," means "pick me up". "Da" could refer to Dad, dog, or door. He also points just in case you can't tell what he's saying. His new tricks include blowing kisses and climbing up the slide both ways.

Finally, our vacation to California was fabulous. The pictures pretty much tell the story. We enjoyed the hikes, visiting with Nana and Pops, visiting with Scott and Susy and Blaine (just two weeks older than Andy), picking fresh oranges, and playing with Melissa and the Andres. Andy especially loved everything related to golf. Nana had a special set of clubs for him, but he was pretty content to play with Pop's clubs. It was also great fun to go down to the course and watch the adults play; he needs to learn how to cheer quietly, though.

Starting this month, our monthly photos and videos will be in the same album. You can access April 2009 here and the previous videos from 2009 can be found in their respective month's albums.

Lastly, we want to invite you to pray for Marshall's grandfather, Robert Trimble. Poppop is 89 years old and not doing well at the moment. But we rejoice in the knowledge that when he departs this life he is heading home to be with Jesus. Poppop, we love you and miss you.