Alex Rodrigue Jr. folded his hands calmly as he sat in the shade and watched his countless grandchildren and great-grandchildren swimming in his eldest daughter's pool.

This would be one of the last times I saw my grandfather alive.

When he was 9 his dad died and began working to give money to his mom for his younger siblings. He would go on to raise 8 kids of his own. He was a musician, maker, fixer, gardener, chef, fighter, storyteller, and everything in between.