Yesterday my Grandpa turned 92 years old! I think that it is truly amazing how much he has experienced in his life. He was married for 55 years to my Grandma, Thelma, who passed away seven years ago. He is the proud father of four children; Ginny, John, Judy and Joyce. He is also the proud grandfather of eleven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He grew up on a farm in Campbellsburg Kentucky. His father died when he was 15, from a mining accident. His Mother raised him, and his sister and brother by herself. He had a horse named Blacky that he would ride to school. He would pack a carrot in his lunch to feed to his horse at lunchtime. He met my grandmother when he was in the Army and they communicated in letters while he was away. During World War II, he was stationed in Hawaii right after Pearl Harbor. My Grandma used to joke that he loved being stationed in Hawaii because the Hawaiian girls flirted with him. He drove a lumber truck for many years. I love to hear stories about his life. There is one particular story that cracks me up because I feel that it is a trait for many of our family members. Every few years he and my Grandma would go pick out a shade of green paint for their large home in Cincinnati. He would spend all afternoon on the ladder painting the side of the house. Then, my Grandma would come outside stand back and say "I don't like that shade of green." He would climb down, probably disagree with her a bit, and then run back to the paint store to get another shade of green and paint over it. Being indecisive runs in our family! Ha! Ha! I have so many wonderful memories of growing up with them. We would visit them often and my brother and I LOVED spending the night. I remember so many great things about visiting them. Some memories are going to the pool, taking a walk in the woods, Toys-R-Us, going to a movie, and playing with their cocker spaniel, Freckles. Even the simple things like pudding pops in the freezer reminds me of visiting with them. He has lived with my parents for five years. When I lived with my parents, I was able to see his smiling face every day!
To celebrate his birthday we had dinner at home, a very yummy cake, and then took him to Stubbs park to listen to some music from his generation. He LOVED it! He was smiling and tapping his foot. It was so cute! I asked them at intermission if they could announce that he was 92, and he was so surprised and tickled when they recognized him. He is such a sweet, loving man with such a big heart. We love him so much!
