On Friday, my family experienced something no person would ever want another to feel — heartache of the loss of a family member.

My grandfather, Wayne Duffie, or as his grandchildren called him “Papa Wayne,” passed away Friday evening at Lynchburg General Hospital after being in and out of the hospital for the last week and a half.

I think I speak for my entire family when I say this is the worst pain we have ever felt. My papa was a great man — sometimes a tough man to deal with — but a great man nonetheless.

He was a hard worker, which could be shown by his weathered face and tan skin. He loved working on his farm, and did so every day. Some of his favorite hobbies included fishing and going to my cousins’, A.J. and Derek, baseball games.

He loved talking about what aggravated him about the world and what he would do to change those things to me and my boyfriend every other weekend when he and my Granny Mary would stop by and when they were not visiting my sister, her husband and the apple of his eye, my niece Addison, who lovingly called him “Poppie.”

He couldn’t wait to call my brother, Tim, every week and hear about his new adventures in Pennsylvania after he moved.

He adored his two daughters, Penni (Horvath) and Jenny (Davis), and spoke highly of them to all of his friends. He worked hard to give them a good upbringing and teach them lessons about life — as he also passed on to his grandchildren.

He most of all loved teasing and joking around with my grandmother during their weekend rides — which we all knew went about 15 mph — down the road to get chicken.

This has no doubt been a hard time for my family, but the best part of this healing process is reflecting on the good times and everything Papa Wayne taught us.

He taught us to speak up and voice our opinions, to not let anyone step over top of us, while also showing us how to work as hard as an ox and how to love with all your heart.

We loved that man and he was loved by many, as we can tell by the amount of kindness shown by everyone after the news of his passing Friday spread around the county.

So, for those who knew him, try not to dwell in the sadness of his passing, but instead grab his favorite drink and cheers to him in heaven. He is watching over all of us now.

Hannah Davis is the editor of The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at hannah.davis@thecharlottegazette.com.