Great Grandma Iola Harper (Grandpa Harper's grandma on his Dad's side) loved to crochet and knit, and she and her daughter Aunt Dorie Lowther would do it all the time.
Great Grandma Hazel Long (Grandma Harper's grandma on her Dad's side) lived in St. Joseph, so we got to see her fairly frequently. She was a tiny little lady, with a very soft voice. She always had candy for me and Ryan.
Great Grandma Fern Stufflebean (Grandpa Harper's grandma on his Mom's side) lived in Brookfield, MO (where Grandpa Harper grew up). She collected salt and pepper shakers. She was also a crocheter. She lived just down the street from Grandpa Harper's parents (Jacks and Shirley Harper), so I saw her very often growing up, too. She died of Alzheiner's Disease while I was in high school.
Great Grandma Pearl Lajoie (Grandma Harper's grandma on her Mom's side) also lived in St Joseph. She always claimed we are related to John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed), and Henry Lajoie (I guess he was a famous babseball player). I will have to look into that someday. One of the things I remember most about her was her love for cats and birds. She collected china dolls, among other things-which is probably what prompted my collecting them when I was a teenager. She died when Jackson was a baby.
All of these women were such blessings to me.
On to my grandparents:
I have one living grandparent: Grandma Catherine Virgene (LaJoie) Round, better known to Jackson and Cole as Grandma, Too! She lives here in St. Joseph, so she gets to come over and play with you guys and babysit sometimes. I remember getting to stay with her in the summers as a kid. We would play, swim, go for walks, and read books. The ones that come to mind are the "Thingamajig" books. She always knew the most fascinating people. One summer I met a man from Czechoslovakia, and he taught me some words in his language.
Grandpa Eugene Round (Grandma Harper's Dad) was an amazing man. He was in the Air Force when he was young. He lived in Illinois and Kentucky for most of my life, so I did not get to see him as often as my other grandparents. He always tried to make it back to Missouri for graduations and other important events. He came back for my wedding. He got to meet Jackson a few times, but sadly, died (after a long struggle post open heart surgery) when Cole was only 8 weeks old-having never gotten to meet him.
Grandma Shirley Lee Harper (Grandpa Harper's Mom) was a lung cancer survivor. After smoking for 30+ years, she quit cold turkey and found out she had lung cancer 13 years later-boys, never smoke! She first got lung cancer when I was a senior in high school. After surgery to remove part of her lung an 56 weeks of chemotherapy, she was declared to be in remission. She was diagnosed with lung cancer again about 8 years later. At that time, she was living in a nursing homedue to her Alzheimer's disease. When I found out I was pregnant with Jackson, I was so excited to tell her she was going to be a great-grandma. I told my Dad, who visited her often, not to tell her I was pregnant. I wanted to tell her myself. So, I made plans to visit her on her birthday, November 3rd. I walked into her room, she looks at me (don't forget, she has Alzheimers), and says 'You're gonna have a Baby'. I was a bit taken aback, since I was not showing at all at this point. Come to find out, Dad had told her I was pregnant, thinking she would forget, and get to be pleasantly surprised twice. Well, she never did forget. Every time I would see her, she would tell me 'Bring me that baby when he is born, I am going to meet him'. We were told she wouldn't make it through the winter that year with the cancer being back and her having emphysema and Alzheimer's. Jackson was born May 29th, and on June 17th, off he went to visit his Great-Grandma Harper. She was ecstatic! She said 'Ashley, Jack would be in hog heaven right now, he would be so proud'. She died four days later, peacefully, in her sleep, knowing she was a Great-Grandma. I absolutely believe she was waiting to 'meet that baby'.
Grandpa John (Jack) Wesley Harper (Grandpa Harper's Dad)
I don't know where to begin.
He used to swing me! I don't mean, like, go to the park, get on the swing, stay for 15 minutes. I mean, for hours he would swing me. We would swing so long I would fall asleep (happy as could be) on the swing as a child. He was still swinging me as an adult every time I would visit. I wonder how many times I said, 'Grandpa, will you swing me?' I don't think he ever told me 'no'. We were kindred spirits. I can think of no other way to describe our relationship-we were so close. I could go on for hours about this man who was quite literally the heart of my heart. He was my person.
I spent weeks at a time at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Brookfield. Much of my childhood was spent in their home and that backyard swing. So many memories were made on that half-acre of land and the surrounding town.
Grandpa-isms:
Grandpa would say "You know what?", to which I would always respond, "What?", and he would say, "I Love You", and I would say, "I know."
Grandpa would always tell me he wouldn't trade me for a ranch in Texas, apparently to him that means I'm priceless.
Grandpa would tickle me until I couldn't breathe, and then stop when I begged, only for me to take a deep breath, and tell him to "do it again".
Sadly, Grandpa died just a few short months before my wedding, so did not get to meet these two amazing people we created. He would be bursting with joy and pride.
The Dash by Linda Ellis copyright 1996 I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real and always try to understand the way other people feel. And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash… would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent YOUR dash?
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