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Bill, a former Navy lieutenant, died on Sunday and will be honored in a celebration of life in the coming weeks.
“My grandfather was my whole world,” she wrote. “He was a Navy Lieutenant who spoke four languages. He adored and believed in education. He was never underdressed. If we weren’t together on my birthday, he’d put on a button down shirt and blazer just for FaceTime.”
She called him “the biggest joker” and listed a few of the veteran’s loves, including profiteroles (a French cream puff dessert), opera, ballet, and history, adding, “A big fan of Andrea Bocelli, Christina [Aguilera] and Nicki Minaj. He loved the Premiere League and the New York Mets.”
He also shared a screenshot of an obituary he wrote for Bill.
“In a now infamous family moment, he asked his then-sixteen-year-old granddaughter to grant him one wish; ‘the only thing I want from you,” he said, “is for you to be an interesting person.’ Two years later, she wrote her entry essay to the University of Southern California about that moment, and she lives with that exchange in mind every day,” he wrote.
“William Francis Flay died knowing he got his wish,” he added. “With all his influence and accomplishments, that moment was the most important to him because he was around to watch it happen before his eyes.”
The obvious resemblance of the father and son duo did not go unnoticed. Guarnaschelli commented, “Wow,” before adding, “Spitting image.” Fellow chef Laura Vitale called them “twins” adding, “I thought that was you.”
source: people.com
