It was only 20 days before my 7th birthday and also the summer before I went into first grade. I had 3 older siblings; Danielle 14, Andrew 13, and Michael 9, we lived with Mamaw and Papaw since we were all born. My parents lost custody of my siblings and me when I was born. My Papaw was 54 at the time and my Mamaw was 50 when we all came to live with them.
My papaw was already retired from Baron Steele and my Mamaw was already raising my older siblings. In 1999 the custody was final but my parents still came around. I hated this they just gave us up to live their live’s child free.
Around 2000, my Papaw started to get sick, with diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. In May of 2002 he went to the doctor for a monthly check up and my family thinks that the doctor told him that he didn’t have long to live. We only had one more week of school left; he wanted to go down to Kentucky, which is where my Mamaw and Papaw were from. He left the next morning while we were in school. We didn’t even say goodbye to him.
On July 3, 2002 my Mamaw got a phone call saying Papaw died. We were at the fireworks with my parents and we came home and my Mamaw was sitting in the dark.
She said “Papaw died, We need to start packing so we can leave in the morning”.
We left the next morning (July 4, 2002) to get his funeral ready. My whole family was down in Kentucky. I remember when we went to get his funeral ready the next day.
All I could think was: My dad died. Why did he leave us like this?” My Aunt Donna and my cousins Brandi and Robert were in Florida when he passed away so they had to hop on a plane and go to Kentucky. My aunt Donna was a daddy’s girl, just like my siblings and I were Papaws favorites.
July 5, 2002 was his funeral day. I remember walking in Croleys Funeral Home to see his casket; it wasn’t open since he was already decomposing. Even though I was only 6 years old, I knew he wasn’t coming back. When we walked in, just busted out crying since my dad died. My cousin Charlotte came to my brother Michael and I and just held us while we cried in her arms. It was one of the hardest moments in my life.
July 3, 2002 changed my family’s life. Since then my older siblings graduated high school. I graduate from high school this year and it’s really hard since my Papaw promised us that he was going to be here to watch us get our diplomas. My sister Danielle had a handsome baby boy on December 6, 2007 named Dyran; he brought joy in our lives since Papaw’s death.
On July 3, 2013 my brother Michael and his girlfriend Courtney had a handsome baby boy named Sterling. It marked the 11th year of Papaw being gone. Michael named his son after my papaw with his middle name, Ray. This year was really hard on us because it’s been this long. A week before Sterling was born, I had a dream of my Papaw telling me that Sterling would be born on July 3 and it came true! Even though he isn’t here with us in person, I know he is here with us in spirit.