LIVONIA, Mich. – A Livonia grandfather who passed away before he could see the Detroit Lions magical run has left a message on his gravestone for his boys in Honolulu Blue.
Local 4 has been covering stories about many long-time Lions fans, but this one is different.
Elliot T. Kaplan isn’t here for this incredible season, but his family says he’s watching.
“He was a diehard fan, maybe a bad a choice but he loved the Lions and all Detroit sports teams,” said Kaplan’s son David Kaplan.
Elliott loved the Lions so much that he left this earth with a message for the team.
“Sorry, Lions - I just couldn’t wait,” David said.
The family is about as Pure Michigan as it gets, as they used snow brushes to clear the gravesite of pooling water.
Unlike the Lions, though, they were unsuccessful.
“Mother Nature decided to cover up my dad’s beautiful tribute to the Lions with water,” David said. “Please send a subpump quick.”
Elliott was 87 when he died in 2013. He was a huge Detroit sports fan and a father of three.
“It’s been so many years of disappointment, and finally, teams are afraid of them,” said son Rob Kaplan. “You feel like you’ve reached the pinnacle as you’ve gotten to the top of the mountain and we will see what happens in these next two games and hopefully we will be Super Bowl champs.”
“My dad would be watching with us,” said daughter Janet Kaplan.
For the last 13 years of his life, Elliott had significant mobility issues and spent a lot of time in front of the television.
“You just picture him watching from up above, watching from his recliner on the edge of his seat the entire game,” David said.
They say your life is all about what happens in the dash. For Elliott, he stayed true to his Honolulu Blue till the very end.
“I know my brother and sister said the same thing, but it’s hard to describe what this would mean to him to see them one playoff game and then two playoff games, he’d be off his rocker,” David said.