Grandpa

My Grandpa passed away last night, he was 99 and 4 months old! He knew times in his life that we cannot imagine. He lived through the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl and lots of wars. He was a cowboy and worked on a cattle ranch that spanned between Amarillo and New Mexico. It was the largest working ranch within one fence at the time. He also worked at the stockyards here in Amarillo. He married my Grandma, Bernice when he was 19 years old, she was 15 and they had only known each other 2 weeks. They had 9 children and my mom is the baby!

Okay I'm going to list a few things I think of when I picture my Grandpa. Keep in mind I didn't know him until he was a Senior (he was 45 when my mom was born)

~The sound of a cow bell ringing when you open his front door

~Cigars

~Cowboy hats, boots, wranglers

~My Grandma (click to read about her)

~Bacon, crisp fried eggs, milk

for every meal for the last several years of his life/also the smell of it cooking when I'd wake up at his house in the morning

~ Pipes

~Chewing tobacco

~the Flea market

my grandparents had a booth there forever and I loved going to see them after church on Sundays! When Grandma couldn't go anymore we would go relieve him for lunch.

~Garage sales

~A purple van and driving in his 90's...that always made me nervous

~He loved my kids

I'm so thankful that my Grandpa got to meet my children because Grandma didn't. He would always talk to them and coo at them and even play with them.

I was so blessed to have him in my life for such a long time (the odds were against that)

He is the only Grandpa I ever knew, I will truly miss him.

His last words to me were "I love you too, darlin' "