This Work is Founded on Building Bridges Between Family and Generations

Before starting Life Story Books, my most meaningful work was to capture the character and life of my grandfather Bob for my own young son. They never met. And I did not have a great chance to say goodbye to the grandfather who I grew up with.

So, I wanted to build a bridge between generations. And the lasting gift of a well-made book is still the best way to do it. So, I got to work. And now, I am so happy to be able to pull this book off the bookshelf at home and use it as a great way to show my son who my grandfather was in stories and photographs.

This is my book now, but it will be his on the day he goes off to college. Working on this book was a way to honor my grandfather Bob, while also giving a gift to my son. And, for me, there’s so much meaning, even in the small details:

“Bob drove a 1980, Mercedes, but used it like a pickup truck. There’d always be the tools for the properties he owned and maintained, like a lawnmower lashed down, hanging out the back of his small trunk.”

I feel a sense of comfort knowing that some of the unique parts of Bob’s character and personality and quirky habits are there for his great-grandchildren (and now his great-great-grandchildren) to enjoy before they are forgotten, or lost.

In addition to putting many of our best photographs of Bob’s childhood and early adulthood in one place, we worked to capture his character and key events in his life -from growing up on a farm during the Great Depression, to traveling out to Camp Haan in 1941 at the start of WWII, and so many things in between!

Here are a handful of pages. The design and formatting changes to emphasize the different timelines of Bob’s life.