A Great Eulogy: Interview With A Great Grandfather

When initially asked to interview a person over the age of sixty-five whom I thought was aging successfully, I immediately thought of my maternal grandfather, Anthony George Turegano, or as I grew up knowing him, grandpa. Growing up I was, and still am, very close to my grandfather, as he is a mentor in my life and helped raise me whenever my parents needed help. Due to this, I have been fortunate enough to see him age with grace for the past twenty-one years of my life to the place where he is now, happily living with my grandmother at the age of seventy. When considering what aging successfully means, I thought of the qualities my grandfather possesses in regards to his physical, mental, and social well-being. In doing this interview, I

He was born inside of their two bedroom house where my great grandmother gave birth with only a midwife and my great grandpa there by her side. They already had one child, my grandfather’s 3 year old sister Linda, and would have one more son named James two years later. Growing up, my great grandmother was a stay at home mother, while my great grandfather worked as a San Antonio police officer. My papa grew up in a practicing Catholic home, and he and his siblings went to a small Catholic grammar school and church in their town. It was there that my grandfather became an altar boy, played on several sports teams, and met his childhood friends. He thoroughly enjoyed being an altar boy and singing in the church choir as a creative outlet, and loved sports for the active, physical aspects. My grandfather described his early childhood as happy, with his parents being strict enough to guide him in a positive direction, yet lenient enough to let him be his own person. He attributes his success and happiness in his childhood to the fact that, with his mother being a stay at home mom, she was able to dedicate her time and resources to my grandfather and his siblings, ensuring that they did well in school, ate healthy meals, went to church, and participated in other social