Rick Lopez (@electronicoffee)

He was the one who taught me to fish, but also taught me to respect all lives, big and small, and that animals feel like we do. He was the one who would drive me to football practice and wait for hours in the car or by the fountain if I went to the park or mall. He was the one who taught me the value of a dollar and how to hold onto what you have because there may be a day you don't. He was the one who was always there when I needed someone to talk to, even if he didn't always understand what I was feeling. He was always there when life was chaos and I needed someone to look up to who could be the blueprint for being a real man. He was the one who showed me that good men do exist and  that slow and steady always wins the race: substance over style. He was a father to many and a father figure to others who really needed that figure in their life, as their own was more like a brother. He never had anything bad to say about anyone good and  always spoke with kindness in his heart and love in his actions. He accomplished everything he wanted in his life except being a  baseball star; he sacrificed that dream and gained so much more. He will be forever missed because there's no easy way to say how irreplaceable he was; they rarely make men like him anymore. Four years ago he passed. RIP Grandpa <3 #masculinity #masculine #rolemodels #rolemodel #men