Remembering my Granddaddy

It was on my heart last night to share a few of my favorite memories of my Granddaddy, who died this past Monday. Then this morning, we received more news. Kenny's Grandpa Bobby died this morning after fighting cancer for several months. 

 

Every time I spent the night, he’d bring me a Goo Goo Cluster in a brown paper sack from “the store.” I remember being surprised the first time I saw them on display at the regular grocery store. I’d been so sure that this was a special treat just between us!

He loved eating watermelons, but he loved growing them even more. Every year, he’d make his new plan to grow them bigger and sweeter than ever. We almost always left summertime visits to Grandmama & Granddaddy’s with a watermelon rolling around in the back of the car. In spring- a bucket filled with strawberries.

Granddaddy LOVED to fish. I went fishing with he and Grandmama on his boat once. I couldn’t tell you how many we caught, but I remember getting sunburnt, eating peanut butter crackers, and feeling so proud to be his granddaughter every time we came upon any of the many people he knew.

He also loved music, especially bluegrass. He played the banjo and guitar by ear and loved getting together with his buddies to do a little pickin'. 

As J and I grew up, Granddaddy saw us as his window into the world of technology. Whether it was researching a wagon part, asking J to get a new VCR up and going or adding contacts to his cell phone, he almost had some kind of request ready for us when we came to visit. Most recently, he had me deleting pictures from his digital camera that he didn’t think were quite good enough to stay on there. “Naw, just take that one off,” he’d tell me.

Granddaddy didn’t mind having his picture taken, but he usually couldn’t be bothered to smile - unless I either tickled his back or gave him a hard time about it. Now I smile looking back at our pictures, because I remember what all went on behind the scenes.

And then there was his little dog Buddy. He got him when he was still a puppy and thought the world of that dog. He trained him to do a whole series of tricks that Buddy still won’t do for anybody but him... “Sit! Now Buddy, I mean it. OK - go get it! Now leave it! Turn around! Turn around, I said!”

But my very sweetest memories of my Granddaddy came after he became a GREAT-granddaddy to our M. He adored our little guy! It was so fun to watch him rock him when he was tiny and be silly with him when he got a little older. Even in his last days and weeks on earth, he ALWAYS recognized little M and was happy to see him.

I’ll miss his laugh and his stories. I’ll miss seeing his red cap just barely propped on his head & his navy blue Dickie “uniform” that he wore pretty much every day but Sunday. I’ll miss him in all his usual places - his chair at the head of the kitchen table & his recliner in the corner where he often napped (unless M noticed and ran to him calling “Dah-ee, night night!”). And I'm especially sad for my Mom and for my sweet Grandmama, who was married to him for sixty years this March.

But above allllllll that, I will forever be thankful for the hope he had in J.C.

I put together a little video celebrating his life. The end is my favorite part. I like to think it would have been his too.

Pardon the poor quality. Our connection isn't strong enough for me to upload the full HD version.