Thought of my grandpa on the maternal side for the first time in months when I read your post. Thank you for that.
He was an energetic and very intelligent man, filled with a strong natural curiosity and driven by this special kind of ambition that is devoid of eagerness and greed. He was born poor and never received higher education, but managed to build a successful business, aquire wealth and travel the world. He had his faults and a dark side, most notably bouts of anger, but every human has those I guess.
He died miserably from stomach cancer a few years ago. It was sad to see this formidable individual to be eaten and killed within a few months by this terrible desease.