The Grandpa Channel: Grandparent Stories, Family Legacy & Life Lessons

024 Poison Pillow, Duddo & Snow Removal: How Grandpas Create Joy in the Small Things with Mollie Diamond

What if the moments your kids or grandkids remember most aren’t the big vacations, the perfect holidays, or the expensive gifts… but the goofy games you made up in the living room?
In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris talks with Mollie Diamond about her dad, Wid — a grandpa who turned ordinary evenings into magic. From “Poison Pillow” battles to the game of “Duddo” to a pretend snow-removal business, Wid showed his family that presence over perfection creates the kind of joy that lasts for generations.
Through his playful grandpa stories, his unconditional love, and his Christ-like qualities, Wid left a family legacy of laughter, resilience, and faith that continues to shape his children and grandchildren.
This episode is a tender reminder that you don’t need to be perfect to leave a mark — you just need to show up, listen, laugh, and create joy out of the small things.
In this heartwarming conversation with Mollie Diamond, you’ll discover:
🎭 The power of small traditions — how games like Poison Pillow, Duddo, and a pretend snow-removal business became the most cherished grandpa stories.
❤️ How unconditional love explained through simple rituals can be a child’s greatest security.
👂 Why listening and understanding are the foundation for joy-filled relationships.
🌱 How spiritual resilience made Wid’s humor, faith, and laughter shine even in hospital rooms.
✝️ What living like Jesus looks like in practice: not grand sermons, but small, everyday acts of kindness and presence.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 How these playful, made-up games turned into a family legacy his grandchildren will never forget.
✨ The takeaway: You don’t need big plans or perfect execution to leave a lasting legacy. Every parent and grandparent can create joy by leaning into the silly, the small, and the spontaneous.

023 How to Be a Good Grandpa | Quiet Dignity, Road Trips & Legacy with Kyle Winther

What does being a good grandparent really look like? In this heartfelt episode of The Grandpa Channel, host Steve “Rivers” Harris sits down with his longtime friend Kyle Winther to explore what it means to show up for your family.
Kyle shares lessons from his 93-year-old father, the importance of being grandparents who create road trip memories, and the quiet legacy of his Norwegian grandfather. You’ll hear why being a good grandpa isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence, patience, and stories that last.
Tune in for:
How to be a good grandparent without overthinking it
The “quiet dignity” every family notices
Making family road trip memories your grandkids will treasure
Passing on values and humor through everyday moments
Why imperfect storytelling is still legacy-building
🎧 Listen now to discover practical wisdom and encouragement for your own grandparenting journey.
✍️ Show Notes Highlights
Growing up in Murray, Utah & raising a family nearby
Kyle’s father: a model of “quiet dignity”
Grandparenting across generations (from sleigh rides to road trips)
The mechanic grandpa who taught by doing
Norwegian ancestry, handwritten journals & family photos
How to be a good grandparent by simply being there
The superpower every grandpa already has
Advice for grandpas who want to improve
 

022 One-on-One Time, Funny Nicknames, and Finding the Hand of God with Lee Ann Meads

Grandparenting isn’t just about being there — it’s about how you show up.
In this inspiring conversation with Lee Ann Meads, our first grandma guest on The Grandpa Channel, we dive into the big and small ways grandparents leave lasting impressions. From funny names for grandparents (yes, she explains how “Bampa” stuck) to meaningful one-on-one time, Lee Ann shows us how family traditions turn into legacy.
🌟 Highlights include:
Grandpa and Grandma Camp ideas you’ll want to steal for your own family traditions.
How Lee Ann and her husband use creative teaching (like “HOGs: Hand of God”) to help grandkids recognize God’s hand in their lives.
Why unique nicknames for grandparents — from “Bampa” to “Queenie” — stick with kids forever.
How to create one-on-one time that makes every grandchild feel seen and loved.
A fresh perspective on faith, humor, and joy as the glue that strengthens family connection.
Whether you’ve wondered “where is the hand of God in my life?” or simply want practical, heart-centered ideas for deepening bonds with your grandkids, this episode will lift your spirit, spark new traditions, and leave you smiling.
👉 Listen now, and don’t forget to share this episode with a grandparent (or future grandparent) who needs fresh inspiration.

021 Keep Smiling: Life Stories, Family Jokes & 94 Years of Wisdom with Stanley Lear

What do you learn after nearly a century of living, loving, and laughing? Stanley Lear, our oldest guest yet on The Grandpa Channel, has the answer: keep smiling.
Born in 1930, Stanley grew up during the Great Depression as the eldest of 10 children in a 20x12 tar-paper home. From delivering newspapers at age seven to serving in France during the Korean War, his stories trace a life built on resilience, family, and love.
But Stanley’s legacy isn’t just about hard work. It’s about love — 73 years of marriage to his sweetheart, raising a family rooted in gratitude, and sharing joy through handmade gifts, gardens, and jokes that span generations.
In this heartfelt (and often hilarious) episode, Stanley reflects on:
Growing up poor — but never feeling it.
Meeting his wife and the secret to 73 years of marriage.
Building a life through farming, welding, and hard work.
Why he makes jewelry and shovel-bird sculptures… and gives them away.
How his garden and humor keep him young.
His best family jokes (yes, the Dolly Parton one makes an appearance).
The simple life lesson he hopes the Lear Family, 100+ grandkids and great-grandkids remember: always be honest, and never stop smiling.
This is an episode about humility, humor, and the kind of wisdom that can only be earned through nearly a century of living.
💡 Whether you’re here for the life stories, the family connection, or just a good laugh, Stanley’s message is one we all need right now: gratitude makes life rich, and a smile makes it better.

020 What We Carry Forward - Grief, Faith, And Family Bond with Dave Goates

Grief does not end love. It reorganizes it. In this Grandpa Channel episode, Dave Goates and Steve Harris talk about the grief process, the tender ways family connection endures, and the small guardian angel moments that make you pay attention. You will hear how one daughter’s 49 days reshaped a family, how a long marriage still mentors from the other side, and why recording family history in a simple life story book can steady grandkids in hard seasons.
You’ll hear
Grief observed - what helped and what still hurts
Guardian angel experiences the kids shared
Faith and family practices that make connection tangible
Why storytelling beats lecturing for grandpa wisdom
A simple way to start a life story book your grandkids will actually read
Content note: hospital scenes, bereavement.
YouTube Description (long, keyword rich)
In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Dave Goates joins Steve Harris to explore grief observed, family connection, guardian angel moments, and the quiet strength of faith and family. From a daughter’s 49 sacred days to a lifetime of marriage, this conversation shows how the grief process becomes a bridge, not a wall. We talk about family history in practice and how a short life story book can help kids feel anchored and brave.
Chapters00:00 Welcome to The Grandpa Channel01:05 Family roll call and posterity06:40 Grandpa mentoring through sports, music, and small rituals12:30 Two very different grandfathers - what stuck and why20:10 Grief process - a daughter’s 49 days and meaning made28:45 Who’s my guardian angel - experiences the kids still talk about34:20 Faith and family after loss - how connection keeps teaching41:30 Life story book basics - simple pages, real memories49:10 Practical grandpa wisdom for a steady home51:51 Closing
Keywords: grief process, grief observed, family connection, who’s my guardian angel, family history, life story book, faith and family, legacy storytelling, grandparent stories
Subscribe, leave a 2 sentence review, and share this with someone who is building a family history worth remembering.

019 Crazy World War 2 Stories: Art Brothers on Survival, Faith & Family Legacy

What happens when a story isn’t told? It risks disappearing — along with the wisdom, resilience, and warning it carries.
In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Art Brothers joins Steve Harris (aka “Rivers”) to share grandpa stories that bridge generations. From fearless dogs and childhood memories to his mother’s harrowing survival during World War 2 and the Dutch Hunger Winter, Art paints an unforgettable picture of family resilience in the face of trauma.
You’ll hear:
Crazy World War 2 stories of Jewish families being taken to trains, the underground black market, and children hidden in garbage trucks for survival.
How the Hunger Winter in the Netherlands shaped his mother’s faith, her courage, and ultimately their family’s journey to America.
Why telling these stories matters — and how grandparents can pass resilience, love, and wisdom to their grandchildren.
Reflections on intergenerational trauma and the hope that comes when one generation chooses to break cycles and start new traditions.
Art’s own message to his grandchildren: you are loved for who you are right now — and you can do hard things.
This episode is a reminder of the importance of storytelling in family life. Stories don’t just preserve history — they help grandchildren believe they can face their own hard things with courage.
🎧 Tune in and pass it forward — because every story worth telling is a story worth remembering.

018 Pedals & Presence: How Brian Golding Mentors Grandkids Through Mountain Biking & Listening

What if the best mentorship doesn’t happen in classrooms or at podiums — but on bike trails, over milkshakes, and in car rides home?
In this heartfelt episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris welcomes his cousin Brian Golding for a conversation that brings mentorship and coaching to life through family connection.
Brian shares how mountain biking with his granddaughter turned into an unexpected classroom — where lessons about effort, attitude, and presence carried far beyond the trail. Along the way, he reflects on raising his own kids, the gift of unconditional love from grandparents, and why listening and understanding matter more than getting it perfect.
From laughter-filled stories to hard-won wisdom, this conversation is a reminder that presence over perfection is the greatest gift we can pass on to the next generation.

017 The Grandma Stand: How Grandma Eileen Listened & Lifted Strangers in NYC with Mike Matthews

The power of family connection isn’t always found in big gestures — sometimes it lives in a single question, a laugh, or the steady presence of someone who truly listens.
In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Rivers is joined by Mike Matthews, who shares the unforgettable story of his grandmother, Eileen. What began as seasonal holiday visits blossomed into a friendship when she moved in with family — and eventually inspired the “Grandma Stand” in New York City, where strangers lined up for the chance to sit and talk with her.
Eileen’s gift wasn’t giving advice. It was listening and understanding, creating a safe space where people could be honest, vulnerable, and fully themselves. From heartbroken friends to curious strangers, she lifted thousands of lives with her quiet empathy.
Through her example, Mike discovered that grandparents don’t have to be perfect. In fact, it’s presence over perfection that creates the deepest connections. Vulnerability and intimacy — the willingness to admit mistakes, to laugh, to cry, to simply sit together — are the real legacy grandparents leave behind.
You’ll hear about:
How Eileen’s listening superpower inspired strangers to feel “lifted”
The six-year journey of the NYC Grandma Stand project
Why vulnerability builds intimacy across generations
How grandparents can be a source of peace and connection beyond their own family
This conversation is a gentle reminder: you don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to show up, listen, and love.
👉 Pull up a chair, take a breath, and be inspired to bring more connection into your own family.
Follow the adventures of the Grandma Stand & the Grandmothers on rotation on Instagram @grandmastand

016 Faith, Family & the Power of Consistency: A Grandpa’s Legacy with Doug Matsumori

In this inspiring episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris sits down with longtime friend and lawyer Doug Matsumori to explore the power of consistency in building strong family bonds. Doug shares stories of his Japanese-American heritage, his career, and raising seven children—while reflecting on the role of faith and family in creating a lasting legacy.
From learning how to listen and understand each child’s unique path, to discovering what it means to be a patriarch, Doug opens up about the joys and challenges of grandparenting. Together, he and his wife Michi have become pillars of family connection, showing that consistency, presence, and love matter more than perfection.
🔑 In this episode you’ll hear:
Why the power of consistency creates trust across generations
How faith and family traditions shaped Doug’s approach to parenting and grandparenting
What it means to be a patriarch in a modern family setting
The difference between discipline and listening with understanding
Why family connection grows stronger through shared faith, humility, and love
This conversation is a reminder that legacy isn’t built in a single moment—it’s written in the daily consistency of showing up, listening, and loving well.

015 Why Honesty Is Important: Grandpa Wisdom on Integrity & Being Grateful & Thankful with Jack Peck

Why honesty is important is a question that echoes through families, schools, and communities — and in this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Jack Peck offers heartfelt answers drawn from decades as a coach, father, and grandfather of 20.
For Jack, honesty was more than a nice idea — it was the foundation of trust. He learned from his own father that integrity and morals were not negotiable, and he carried that lesson onto the football field and into his home. Whether coaching young men to believe in themselves or teaching grandkids to say “thank you,” Jack showed what integrity means in everyday life.
This conversation is warm, funny, and deeply practical. Jack recalls the teasing and humor that bonded his family, the importance of being present at games and graduations, and the discipline that helped shape his children and players alike. Through it all, he returns to two timeless lessons: always tell the truth, and always be grateful and thankful.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
🏈 Why honesty is important in raising confident, trustworthy kids.
🙏 How gratitude and integrity work hand in hand to shape family legacy.
❤️ Real stories about being grateful and thankful for small moments that matter.
✨ What integrity means when lived out daily — not preached, but modeled.
This is grandparent wisdom at its finest — simple truths, wrapped in love, humor, and lived experience.
Pull up a chair and listen in. You may just be inspired to laugh a little more, thank a little louder, and live with honesty at the center of it all.
🎧 Tune in today, and don’t forget to share this episode with someone you’re grateful and thankful for.