Day 6

After speaking with my aunt who currently lives in Maine, I was able to get a picture of my Grandfather's grave. I'm very happy to know it is being kept very clean & visited often.

Day 5

Today, while doing more research, I still have not found a picture of my Grandfather's grave stone or obituary. After asking my mother, I found out that the man in charge at the time had done away with paper documentation of the people that died. There was no obituary in the paper of my Grandfather, nor anyone else that died. I went online & found two websites that showed a version of his obituary. The first screenshot is the real documentation of his death from military records. The other is a documentation done by a friend or relative on a common website.

Day 4

This is the third photo my mother gave to me. It shows him when he came home for his 3 day pass from the Navy, at the age of 18 years old, to see his mother, Gold Schneider, in Marysville Kansas on May 7, 1957; 2 years after he joined. The picture was taken by Edington Studio.

May 7, 1957. 3 day pass back home.

Day 3

This is the second photo my mother gave to me. This is of Grandfather Valentine when he was 16 years old, joining the Navy. The reason he joined the Navy was because he did not want to be a farmer. In Beattie Kansas, the only options at the time were to become a farmer, or join a branch of the military. He chose the Navy specifically because he loved to be around the water. This element was the one that he was most drawn to. 

Richard Valentine Schneider the day he joined the Navy at 16 years old. 

Day 2

Tonight my mother gave me 3 photos of Grandpa Valentine. The first one is of Grandpa when he was 16 years old. This is his graduation picture. He ended his schooling at the 8th grade. He never had a high school education until after he was in the Navy. 

Richard Valentine Schneider, 16 years old graduation photo.

Day 1

• Beginning my Research

Richard Valentine Schneider is very difficult to search up, even though he is my grandfather. I could not find a picture of the grave stone, nor the obituary in the local Maine newspaper. The basic information I can find out from online sources is mainly his obituary. He was born February 14, 1939 in & died June 8, 2001. He died at the early age of 62 in a Bangor hospital in Maine. He was a U.S Navy & Merchant Marine Veteran & a professional meat cutter for more than 20 years with Four Corners in Harrington Maine. 
One Condolence found for his family on Legacy.com, really touches the heart: Patricia Schmidt of Lawrence Kansas writes,
"God saw he was getting tired & a cure was not to be So he put his arms around him & whispered come with Me. With tearful eyes we watched him suffer & saw him fade away. Although we couldn't bear to lose him, we could not bid him stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands laid to rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us he only takes the best."

Patricia makes me feel the need to find out more about this, "golden heart[ed]" man. From what I've heard, he died in the hospital after smoking took over & placed him in there. I don't remember being held by him as a baby, but according to my mother, he was one of the first few people to love me at first sight. I end today by saying, I wish to know more, & I will find out more. I was born February 18, four days after the day he was born & I feel that as a connection that will guide me through life. Grandpa Valentine I love you.