Jack Flaherty, 17, looked out the window toward the school parking lot, his thoughts on another place as he recounted how he found out that his Grandpa Rollie Flaherty, his friend and mentor had passed away.

“I’m so sorry buddy. Look, I’ve got to go now; Jim’s here to take him away. Stay strong bud; I love you,” Jack’s dad hang up the phone.

Jack took the phone off his ear. Before he could even say bye the line had gone dead, his father’s cries of pain still ringing in his ears and he was alone with just his dog and his thoughts. His little black lab Smalls looked up at the piece of cheese he still held in his hand. The call had come right as they were about to practice “sit” and “shake”. Now, much heavier thoughts were on Jack’s mind. His Grandpa had been struggling recently, after having a fall in the shower and not being able to get up, it was becoming clear to the family that his days were numbered. Now he was going back to the hospital, possibly for the final time.

He heard the sound of the alarm that he had set for Aunt Beth’s ringtone on his phone and debated whether or not to pick it up. Given the circumstances of the old man’s failing health, he caved and picked it up.

“Hello, Aunt Beth.” he tried to sound pleasant. “Why don’t you people ever call me when these things happen?” Her screechy voice sounded over the phone. “I didn’t even know! You guys didn’t give me a chance to say goodbye,” her voice quivered.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Beth, but I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, my God. They haven’t told you yet have they?”

“Told me what?”

“He’s dead sweetheart. Rollie…uh…Grandpa’s dead.”

Jack couldn’t help it. He hung up the phone and threw it at the couch across the room.

A strong relationship

“He meant the world to me. He was my mentor from a young age. I presented him my Eagle Scout mentor pin when he was on his deathbed. Something I worked to get for 5 years and he was always there to help me. I have countless childhood memories with him, he taught me so many outdoor skills, how to hunt, trap, ride snowmobiles, ATVs, he was always there when I wanted to try something new,” Jack said. 

Not only did Rollie teach Jack many outdoor skills, but also life skills.

“He was the strongest man I ever knew. He taught me how to deal with life, loss, everything. I try to live by the example he set me every day,” Jack said.

A particular time when Jack really witnessed Rollie’s strength on display was when his wife passed away. Jack remembers that when his Grandmother was laying on her deathbed, her life slipping away and everyone crying, Rollie was there in the middle, with his wife, but also there for everyone else. Doing his best to comfort his family, even when he himself was suffering the most.

Being an anchor

Jack recalled how Rollie’s death took a large toll on him mentally.

“I wasn’t sure what to do. I hadn’t lost someone so close to me before. It was a little surreal, almost like a dream,” Jack said. “I got through it by using what he taught me.”

Being inspired by the way Rollie was always there for others, Jack decided to try to do the same thing.

“When everything goes to s—, people need some sort of anchor that can support them. Something that holds up through the worst and never fails to show its best,” Jack repeated this quote, something Rollie told him after his wife’s funeral.

Jack thinks that being an anchor to others is a way to also anchor yourself, to stay afloat in the stormy sea of life. Ever since Rollie passed, Jack has been trying to carry on his spirit, trying to be an anchor for his family, friends and anyone who needs it.

“Losing Grandpa felt like the end of the world, but really it only opened my world,” Jack said.