Recently one of my Facebook friends mentioned a new Country song by Riley Green called I Wish Grandpas Never Died. I downloaded it right away on Spotify and fell in love with it. It instantly reminded me of my dear Grandpa Gould, who I lost in 1988 when I was in college. He had been sick for many years with a blood disease but it progressively got worse.
My early memories of Grandpa were of westerns and cowboys…it’s as if he was one himself and it ran through his veins. An old cow yoke hung in his living room and he was always watching the infamous Gunsmoke on television. When I stayed overnight that’s what we would watch with a candy bar or a bowl of Jiffy Pop popcorn. One of his favorite actors was John Wayne. I remember my mom rented him a vcr and videos of his best movies when he was sick. I think he truly enjoyed that even if he was not himself.
Grandpa loved to tell corny jokes and even if I didn’t think they were funny, I always laughed out of respect. He served in the United States Army and fought in World War ll in Germany. Grandpa rarely talked of those times, probably it was too painful to visit them in memory and even more so to share them with others. Although this was true, one time he recounted a story of enemy planes overhead. I asked him if I could interview him for a school paper and he obliged. Unfortunately my memory is terrible and I don’t remember any details from this exchange. Sadly it’s lost forever I guess.
Growing up I was very close to my mother’s parents, Nanny and Grandpa Gould. When Nanny sometimes watched me Grandpa would come along. One time he helped me bake a mini cake in my Easy Bake Oven. Another time I hid from him at his house. My mother was calling for me and I thought it would was funny to hide behind Grandpa’s stuffed chair. I was four at the time and everyone panicked as my grandparents lived near a raging river. My family thought I got swept away or something and searched for several minutes, not finding me. Eventually someone discovered my charade. My grandpa spanked me twice. I’ll never forget it. He was scared. My mom and Nanny were terrified something had happened to me. I earned that spank and never hid from my family again. I respect my grandpa for teaching me right from wrong. This fleeting memory will always stay with me….one of respect and love.
I wish grandpas never died, that mine lived longer than he did. I wish he could’ve met my husband Tom and see us dance at our wedding. I wish he could’ve met my two sons and held them on his lap with pride. Mostly I long to talk to him and to Nanny about my life now. How I’m truly happy, much happier than I’ve ever been and that this life has been wonderful. I’ve made it that way!
I know Tom wishes his grandpa could’ve lived longer, he lost him when he was around 11. I know my sons’ wish Tom’s dad, their Papa Blowey could’ve lived to see them grow and thrive. He was the kind of grandpa that wrestled on the floor and played fun tricks to get the boys to laugh. One day when he had us over for dinner he placed a Billy Bass fish that sung on a platter. Around it there were french fries, making it look like real food. Once our family sat down to eat, he pushed the button and the fish started singing. The boys’ eyes popped out of their head with sheer amazement! He was a great grandpa to them and they remember that. How proud he would be, I’m sure he’s looking down with pride and knows how they turned out.
No one wants to say goodbye to their grandpa, the man who jokes, laughs and slips a treat here and there. But it’s all part of this life. We have to let go and move on. Thankfully we have our memories to keep dear to us. It’s amazing we had those moments, ones that we can keep forever, close to our hearts.
In memory
Stuart Gould, my grandfather
Thomas Blowey, Tom’s grandfather
Robert Blowey, Tom’s Dad, my sons’ grandfather
William Doyle, my paternal grandfather
All My Best,
Heart and Soul 💕
I’m glad my kids have good memories of their grandfathers.
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Me too, it’s so important! Blessings to you💕
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