Let me tell you about my two grandpas.
This is my grandpa Harold Klinker. He and my grandma Shirley raised six kids (one being my dad) in the small southern California town of Yucaipa, he served as an orderly in a military hospital, and worked as a grocery clerk for many years. They then moved up to northern California to my hometown of Lodi around 1992 and they lived in the same little house with the paintings that my grandma has done herself on the walls, a backyard lined with well-trimmed flowers in large flowerpots, and my grandpa had his big red armchair that he’d sit in every day when he wanted to “rest his eyes” (which we always knew meant napping). He loved playing card games and was almost too good at them. Just when he was about to deliver a punishing hand, he would lay his cards down and say “This is cards!” One of his favorite activities was to go to the grocery stores around town and chat with the clerks and checkout people, as he was once a grocery store worker himself. It didn’t take much time of doing this that the employees would know him by name every time he walked inside. Whenever we would come visit for dinner when I was in high school, he would always be amazed by how I had to get up so early in the morning to go to school because he couldn’t believe how dark it was outside at that time of the day. He was kind, caring, he was a believer in Jesus Christ. Later in his life, when he was in the nursing home, he would be so surprised when I would visit and he would tell me about the food he had eaten that day. I remember when I heard that he had passed away at the age of 92 after a slow decline in his health and how I felt the loss that had just occurred, but I also remember that he is now free of all of his pains and worries. I know I’ll see him again someday and he can remind me what it’s like to get utterly demolished in a game of cards.
This is my grandpa William Scott Hayes, he goes by Scott, and I call him Papa. He and my Grammy have lived in the same house in Petaluma (CA) for 45 years and have four children, my mom being the oldest. Many have likened him to Mr. Rogers from the old TV show as he frequently wears sweaters and has a genuine generosity to him. Before becoming a teacher, he, like my grandpa Harold, joined and served in the Army, but never actually saw action. A former History teacher and guidance counselor at the local high school, he absolutely loves hearing what courses each of his grandkids are taking, what they want to study in the future, and what they think of their teachers. In his retirement, he enjoys traveling and giving his “talks” based on his two published books about his great great uncle Arthur Sullivan, a famous composer of the time and member of the duo Gilbert & Sullivan which wrote operettas like The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, and so on. Living in the Bay Area, he loves to read in the newspaper about the San Francisco Giants and repeat what he has read to me whenever we see one another. Another area in which we have a lot in common is in our shared love and knowledge for movies. Every time we talk, he always makes a point to ask what movies I’ve seen lately or what movies he thinks I would like. I remember he got a Turner Classic Movies trivia game as a gift, and he was an unstoppable force and no family member stood a chance at defeating him. At his age of 83, he is still rather active and loves going on his daily 45-minute walk with whoever wants to join him. He is everyone’s biggest fan, and I cherish every moment I get with him.
Each man has a different quality to him, and both had a unique impact on my life. They both showed me how to be the loyal head of a family, how to be a hard-worker, and how to have fun. I’ve always thought that a grandpa is such an important relationship for a boy to have. They get to tell you and show you what being a man is like, and they have the potential to be great models for how to bring a “classic” style to life. Also, they can bring up some pretty embarrassing stories about your parents if you play your cards right. Depending on their age, the grandparents of this time have lived through some of the most polarizing moments in history and might have a lot of answers to the “where were you when __ happened?” questions. Often called the Greatest Generation because of this fact, I think that if you have the ability to spend time with your grandparent(s), then you should surely take advantage of it. What better way to learn how to live out your life than from the ones who have already done it?
