Orrin “Denny” Joiner, my Grandpa Joiner

September 8, 1926 -Dec. 15, 2009

It is fascinating how many different lenses one person can be viewed through, one lens often isolated from the others. A Commander. A pilot.  A husband. A friend. A father. A church member. A veteran. A volunteer. A neighbor. A grandfather.

There are two things that I will always remember about my Grandpa Joiner. First, he was courageous and strong. He served our country in three wars, WWII, Vietnam & Korea, the majority of that time as a pilot. I am not sure if his career in the military is to blame (that is what I always thought) but he was extremely hard of hearing and around the age of 70 he became legally blind. My grandpa took these setbacks and ran with them. He learned tricks and bought gadgets to make up for his lack of sight to a point where he could fool many a stranger into thinking he could see just fine. He never slowed his enthusiasm for computers, even volunteering at the San Diego Center for the Blind teaching computer classes to others. He re-learned how to do everyday tasks, chores, social and volunteer activities so as not to miss out on his obligations. I always admired him for that. So many people would have quit, used their handicap as an excuse but I do not think he ever considered that option.

The second is that he loved my grandma. Married for almost 58 years I am sure they had many ups and downs. I don’t know what really went on between just the two of them. I don’t know what they were like as a young married couple or how they handled every situation with their 4 kids. But I DO know that after my grandpa went blind he continued to care for my grandma and their house to the best of his ability; that when my grandma was sick, my grandpa was right next to her instructing her in her rehabilitation exercises and encouraging her to get better for my wedding; and that after my grandma passed away and he was suffering from hallucinations far away from the present time, questions about my grandma brought him back to us. On a whim I asked him if he could describe grandma in one word, what would it be? Honestly, I was really not expecting an answer. I think he was seeing men he fought in the war with, not his granddaughter in front of him. But he answered quickly, “devotion.”