Grandpa King

This will probably be one of the hardest posts I will write as you can see by how long it took me to complete it).

My grandfather passed away on Thursday February 14, 2013.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Grandpa King (also known as Grandpa, Buddy, D.A., Delbert Arthur and Pops) was born on July 15^th, 1929. He was the second child in a family of 15 children total. His mother passed away shortly after the birth of his little sister Genevieve (the third child in the family) and his aunt (his mother’s sister) moved in with the family to take care of the children. Later his father and aunt married and had 12 more children bringing the total to 15 – bet that was fun times J My dad actually has an aunt younger than he is. I don’t know lots about his middle years – he married my grandmother and had 4 children – my Aunt Linda, my Dad, Aunt Judy and Uncle Jay. I do know he was hard working and a good father. At the funeral my dad said he remembered hunting with his dad at the age of 5 – Grandpa King carrying him on his back in the swamps. He was close to his children and they were very fond of him. I remember the time he caught me and my cousins in the woods one day – he had told us not to go in there because it was rattlesnake season and they were out. My cousin James Randall led us out there anyway (we were younger than him so we can blame him for it…) and of course, Grandpa King found us. He used to wear pointed cowboy boots and he put one of those boots in our behind all the way to the house. He told me later that he booted my older cousin the hardest because he knew better. I will always see him getting up from the table after breakfast, grabbing his old worn cowboy hat and heading out the door – talking about “those frattling cows” (or rabbits, chickens, etc..). He had a fast smile for everyone and a nice word. He was just as quick to rebuke you and you never wondered what he was thinking – he let you know. I happened to grab about 10 minutes of him visiting with my Aunt Judy on my ipod – I have not listened to it all as it is too hard to hear that sweet old voice. So many stories and memories – too many to recount here but they are forever with me. I had just made a conscious decision about a year ago to go visit my grandpa with my children as much as possible. I am so glad I did as they got to know him over this last year and they will remember their great-grandfather. We even attended his church each time we were down and I remember him getting up one Sunday and saying “I have some special folks here – my granddaughter, her husband and SIX of my great grandschildren are visiting with us”. Dad tells me he was quite proud of us and spoke highly of us to others. Last time I was down I remember sitting in the floor in the living room doing school with the babies. I read to them and Grandpa King said “Beverly, I have to        you, you read the right way. Some folks read monotone but you put emphasis where it is supposed to be and it really draws in the listener.”

We were planning on going to visit him on Thursday – Will was coming with me so I could sit and chat with him while the little ones played outside. I was going to take my family tree book and really go over it with him. I knew he would enjoy talking about the old times and I was going to record more of his stories. Dad called me on Wednesday and said that Grandpa King was not doing well at all. We loaded up and headed down right away – me still planning on visiting with him as I figured he was just getting weaker and would just not be up and about much. We got there around 8pm and I saw that someone was leaving. I am now so grateful that my aunts were visiting him because that meant he was awake. I went right in while Will unloaded the kids at the travel trailer we stay in. Uncle Bobby was there and told me “don’t expect much sweetie – he hasn’t opened his eyes all day”. I went over and held his hand and said “Grandpa King”?. He looked right at me (his eyes were always such a clear blue) and said “hey”. I said “I came to visit with you” and he said “well thank you”. He closed his eyes and I knew he wanted to sleep so I said “I sure do love you” and he said “I love you to sugar”. I love this memory of him – he was always calling us girl grandbabies “sugar”.  Katie and I stayed up with Dad and Uncle Bobby and Grandpa King had a few bouts of coughing. He never opened his eyes again. I went to bed around 2am and Katie stayed inside sleeping in Dad’s room. Got up in the morning around 8am and went inside. My Aunt Judy, Uncle Fleming and Uncle Jimmy arrived shortly after that. We all sat in with Grandpa King and visited with each other (Grandpa King just slept all day). At some point Dad was in the living room reading to the kids and Katie went in to sit with Grandpa King. Uncle Bobby went into the long walk in closet to talk on the phone and Grandpa King started coughing up blood. I heard Katie worriedly say “Uncle Bobby!” and a few seconds later he called out for dad. We all went in and Grandpa King took his last breaths with Dad, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Judy and me standing beside him telling him how much we loved him. It was surreal – I thought later that it was the best way in the world to pass on into the arms of Jesus – your earthly family surrounding you.  The house he was born on used to stand less than a mile away from where he passed. My dad wondered how many people passed less than a mile from where they were born. When the kids and I visit this land in Floresville we always like to sit outside at night in the quiet and ponder the fact that my great grandfather, their great-great grandfather, plowed those fields and walked in the places we walk now. It is such a blessing to have family ties such as that and I think keeps us so rooted and grounded.

The funeral was on Monday and was packed by so many who knew and loved Grandpa King – folks even traveling from California to attend. Good stories were told and family visited with each other. Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Diane were a real comfort to me – Uncle Jimmy at Grandpa King’s bedside and Aunt Diane at the funeral. I am so thankful to all the family surrounding dad and taking care of him – Uncle George, Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Diane, Uncle Charlie & Aunt Yvonne, Uncle Fleming & Aunt Judy and probably countless other friends and family I don’t even know about. It was hard on me when my mom’s father passed away – I loved Papa and have so many great memories of him also. It seems harder with Grandpa King – I think because I will be going back to his home.. the place where I grew up knowing him. It just seems like he should be there when I pull up in the driveway… he should be coming out, like he always did, with a big smile and a big huge for me and the kids – asking how the drive went and telling us to “come on in!”. He should be coming out of his room in the morning in his overalls, eating his breakfast and then heading to the back door to get his hat – heading out to mess with the cows and anything else that needed to be messed with. So far, the two times I have gone up since he has been gone – I have gotten teary eyed thinking out him not being there. It just does not seem possible. He has left quite a legacy though – in his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren – all who remember him fondly and with love.