A beloved grandpa welled up with happiness when laying eyes on his great granddaughter for the first time and noticing she was surrounded by photos of his late mother she’d been named after her.
Vanessa Weaver, from Berlin, New Jersey, has always been close with her grandpa, or “Pop,” Charles Clark Jr., having grown up just two doors away from him.
Charles, 80, is giving, loving and caring, Vanessa said, and he also has a funny side that will get people belly laughing.
The latter trait comes from his mom, Elsie, Vanessa added, and when Charles is having a wild moment, family members often joke and call him Elsie.
So, when Vanessa found out that she was pregnant and expecting a girl, she knew exactly what she was going to call her, as both a way of honoring her grandpa and his mom.
On April 9, at Virtua Voorhees Hospital in Voorhees, New Jersey, Charles was called into the room where his granddaughter was resting with her newborn daughter.
As Charles looked at his great granddaughter for the first time, he noticed a series of photos of his own mother surrounding the baby.
Realizing these were revealing her name, Elsie Drew Weaver, Charles immediately welled up, with tears filling his eyes as he fought back full-on water works at the loving gesture.
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Vanessa said: “I grew up with my Grandpop living two houses down from me – we’ve been close, not only in distance, but also in our relationship.
“When I found out I was having a girl, I knew I wanted to honor him by naming her after his mom.
“It is one of the greatest joys of my life to have done so.
“I had him come see me in the hospital so I could tell him in person.
“I set up photos of his mom in the bassinet, the name written down on paper.
“I felt so happy – happy to honor him, happy to bring back the name he thought he would never use in daily life again.
“I hope people who watch the video see it and realize just how incredibly powerful the love of a mother is.
“In this video, you can see a boy who simply misses his mom.
“All those years later and it still brings him to tears when he speaks of her.
“Family is a gift.”
