My Grandfather

In my eyes, my grandfather is a hero. He was born the 24th of March 1938 at Bessenay. Bessenay is a village next to Lyon where he lived when he was young. During his childhood, he saw the Second World War and he didn't know his father who was being held captive in Germany. So, he lived alone with his mother who owned a hairdresser's because he was an only child. Moreover, I have an anecdote: during the war, he ate a dry sausage under the table, although it was for his father in prison, because he loves already cooked pig meats. Consequently, he was punished by his mother, but this little story shows my grandfather's taste for the good French food.

In 1956, he finished his study of carpentry and he went to the military service. He participated in the Algerian War where he was cooker in an oil site. After this war, he came back to France and found a job in a car factory whose name is " Renault industrial vehicule " which is installed at L'Arbresle, the town where I live.

Everyday a bus came to take the workers to go to work. During this same time, he met my grandmother, who had already a son, and my uncle and a few months later, they settled in L'Arbresle. So they had got two children, my mother in 1962 and my other uncle in 1963.

In the eighties, he became a trainer of football at L'Arbresle and he was the trainer of Remy Garde, a footballer who played at Arsenal and at Lyon. He developed a football passion which he gave to me.

Later, I was born in 1988 and while my grandfather approached retirement, he loved to garden and watch sports on TV.

During my childhood, my grandparents took care of me, so I had a close relation with my grandfather, because furthermore there are fifty years between us. So, we shared a lot of things because we have many common points. We liked the same food, the football and different activities. Between us, there was a complicity and I learnt much with my grandfather. I often played with him. For example, I remember an anecdote: during a winter, we did sledge in the snow and we didn't control the sledge, so we finished in the fir trees. So, my grandfather was funny and he is always an example for me. He died in February 2000 because of prostate cancer.

I remember the morning when I learnt of his death, and that I cried the whole day. After his death, a lot of people told me that my grandfather was a 'bon viveur' and very liked by his friends.

Since my birth, he changed my life and gave me a way to follow because he is for me a model.