Friday, May 11, 2012

Legends Never Die

To most, he was tough, stubborn, cranky, and mean.  To me, he was smart, funny, and fascinating.  He was my Grandpa Walt, and he passed away yesterday.


I will miss hearing him say, "I'm proud of you gal."  I knew he was proud of me.  I knew he loved me.  I knew he would have my back if I were in trouble.  

I will miss hearing him tell stories.  That man could weave one big tale!  Sure, most of us knew he embellished facts, but that was part of the fun.  Some of my favorite stories were about he and my Granny Nelle going across the country in their RV.  I guess those were my favorite because I picture the two of them in the primes of their lives.  

I will miss his funny language, "Waltisms", as my cousins call them.  My favorite Waltism has to be tatelards.  If you know what tatelards are, you are among the elite!  He only gave sacks of tatelards to special kids as they were leaving the ranch.  Tatelards were stored in the tatelard cabinet, and as I got older, he gave me special permission to get my own tatelards.  It is such a fun word!

I will miss his financial advice.  He was always giving me stock tips, and somehow the stocks I bought based on his advice have been the only ones that have earned me money. Thanks for the Ford tip, Walt!

Most of all, I will miss him watching my kids grow up.  He was such a special man to me, and I hate that they will never truly know the Walt that I did.    

5 comments:

Wendy said...

Good job, Monica! One of my favorite quotes of all time that I have heard ever since I had kids of my own is,"Hell, I know, I had kids of my own..." WKPA

Justus said...

I remember going up there to do some work around the house and mom and I were going to prune some branches that were hitting the roof. The ladder was blocked by the biggest wasp nest I had ever seen. I asked walt if he had any wasp spray and he just said "Hell, they wont hurt you." I guess he was right because we didn't get stung...

Molly said...

Callie the dog could sense my fear from a mile away and terrorized me before Walt gave me the Callie Wacker. Never could figure out why all the adults laughed when I asked for the Callie Wacker.

Rita said...

Aw. Love this. So sad for your loss.

Meredith said...

So well said, Monica! I try to describe Walt to people, and it's hard. I always think of him as a porcupine...prickly on the outside with a soft underbelly.

I still fight the instinct to ask my dinner guests if they "got any on 'em" after they return from the restroom. And "trait of the gender" is also a handy one.