Sad Day

At one point, not so long ago I could say that I was almost 29 and had all my grandparents living.  Yes, my mom's mom (mema) and step-dad (although he was never a step), my dad's mom and dad and my mom's dad and step-mom.  I was the first grandchild on all 3 sides and had spent a great deal of time as a kid with my grandparents.  I was very lucky to have spent so much time with them and Ben was even luckier to meet all of them (his great grandparents).  Not long after that realization, my grandmother (MEME) died.  She had suffered a major stroke 2 years earlier and never fully recovered.  She died in September 2006.  3 months later her husband (Papa Bill) died.  He had congestive heart failure, but I am sure it was loneliness.  

In May, 2008 my step grandmother died.  She lived in Charleston and we never saw them much, but...

Well,I just returned from the funeral of my Papa Eddie.  He blessed everyone he met for almost 99 years.  Even though he technically was no blood relation, he treated us better than most.  I remember years ago before he had cataracts, he had this little red truck.  He would take me wherever I wanted to go and do whatever I wanted to do, and never complained.  I can remember my brother "fixing" the coffee table with his tools one day.  A few days later, Papa went to move the table and the whole thing fell to the ground because Scott had taken the legs off.  Papa just laughed.  He was never able to have kids of his own but you would never know we were not really his grandkids.  I remember all the times we would go out to dinner and Papa would remind the waitresses (many times) not to fry his chicken fingers too dark and how he always wanted water, straight from the spigot and with no ice, to drink. He was the only person I knew who ate his hamburgers pink (very pink) and only my mom could grill them.  He said that all the fish he ate earlier in life led to his memory and knowledge.    Benji and I would always his laugh because he loved his Members Only jacket and had several colors.  Nobody else we knew still wore them, but Papa always had his on.  He always let the kids ride the lawn mower and whatever he had was yours.  He made my Mema happy and made all of us smile.  He had some great stories and lived through so many changes in this world in his lifetime.  

Papa, we love and miss you!!!

Early 2007

Last Christmas

Papa was still being Ben's horse up until a few months ago!