Grandpa

My maternal grandfather was reportedly elated the day I was born. This stemmed from the fact that I was his first grandson. Grandpa & Grandma were blessed with four children including my mother, her two older sisters & her little brother. Mom's oldest sister, Mary, & her husband Dan had two daughters before my parents were married. The middle sister, Jeanette, & her husband Arthur also had two daughters before I was born. Four granddaughters & he loved each of them, but no grandson.

Grandpa was a great man who loved children & always had. He was also fond of fishing & was probably looking for a fishing buddy. When he was a young man during the Depression, he was lucky to land a rare job working for the company that would eventually become the Hostess Bakery. He kept that job throughout the Depression & in the years that followed. He kept that same job as his children grew & married & had kids of their own.

It was later said by his daughters (my aunts & my mom) that my Grandpa always made you feel as if you were his favorite. For however many minutes you got to spend with him that day, you were the most special thing in his eyes. We would spend many hours together fishing at the lake near my house - sometimes just him & I, sometimes the two of us & my little brother.

The day I was born, my grandfather retired.