Did Anyone Else Not Know Grandparents?

My father's father passed before I was born. My mother's father passed when I was two.

but I did know both my grandmothers and they were both wonderful people, full of love.

And, both were amazing cooks.

My father's mother would visit her sister in Zurich. And she would bring us back Lindt chocolate.
 

I never knew my paternal grandmother nor my maternal grandfather, both having passed away before I was born. I only saw my maternal grandmother a handful of times due to living hundreds of miles away; she died when I was just ten. My paternal grandfather was dutifully visited by my father at least once a month, and I often went along for the two hour or so ride there. He lived until I was in college…
 
Just to add to my earlier post...I was 18 when my grandfather died... he died on the 6th of September a Thursday... the following Thursday, the 13th my mother died suddenly ...age just 39..It was a devastating time ..:(

I was 27 when my grandmother died.. she'd lived long enough to see my child...but sadly dementia had started setting in.
 
Vida May said:
What time period would that be when your maternal grandad became disliked? I think history has a lot to do with why people are as they are.
Click to expand...
1930s-1940s. He was an attorney, a businessman and later a judge("the judge"). I think maybe his behavior had a lot to do with his being disliked. In a different conversation with my uncle, he pointed out that "back then" after a woman was finished having children, that meant also finished having sex. However, many men weren't finished, and would either drink heavily, and subsequently become angry and abusive, or have mistresses or visit prostitutes.
 
Didn't get to know my mothers father, who apparently wasn't around much. I was told by my uncle, that he had a lot of gambling debts, and just disappeared. My moms mom Isabelle was a party girl to the end. My dad always called her Dizzy Is, and I always liked her. Grew up spending a lot of time with my dads parents. My grandmother Olive was an angel, and my grandpa Joe told great stories, but took no guff from anyone. Was very easy to "get one up along side of your head" if you misbehaved. He had been a bare fist boxer when he was younger, as well as legitimate boxing.
 
Pepper said:
I didn't have grandfathers. Before the 1952 election, I went to the 9 inch TV to kiss Dwight Eisenhower and call him 'grandpa'. My father immediately turned off the TV and said "He's not your Grandpa and in this house we're democrats and we want Adlai Stevenson."

I found out years later I did in fact have a grandpa, but my grandma & mother hated him. He lived in a Salvation Army home. I would have liked to have met him. I think. His name was Willie the Bum.
Click to expand...
Pepper, that is so sad. And I don't like hearing the reaction of your father. When I was young we had the project of writing a politician in class and we received a picture back. Which my mother promptly threw out since he wasn't the political party of her choice.
 
Llynn said:
I only knew my maternal grandparents. They were wonderful people and I spent a lot of time with them over the years. My old man disappeared right after my birth so I never knew his parents.
Click to expand...
Never met one person on the bio-dad's side of the family. They are really no one to me at this point in my life. Perhaps they could have been when I was younger.
 
hollydolly said:
Just to add to my earlier post...I was 18 when my grandfather died... he died on the 6th of September a Thursday... the following Thursday, the 13th my mother died suddenly ...age just 39..It was a devastating time ..:(

I was 27 when my grandmother died.. she'd lived long enough to see my child...but sadly dementia had started setting in.
Click to expand...
Oh my word hollydolly, if you ever mentioned the young passing of your mother previously, I don't remember. That is absolutely devastating.
 
Remy said:
Pepper, that is so sad. And I don't like hearing the reaction of your father. When I was young we had the project of writing a politician in class and we received a picture back. Which my mother promptly threw out since he wasn't the political party of her choice.
Click to expand...
Actually, I love the reaction of my father! He was a very funny man, and you had to be there! My poor writing skills tells the event poorly!
 
I knew my maternal grandmother very well. I was close to her from the time I was born. My mother almost died when she had me so my grandmother helped her when we came home. Then my brother had polio when he was 3 and I was still an infant. My grandmother took care of me while my mother spent the whole day at the hospital with my brother. To bond us even closer, I was born the day after her birthday so she always told me I was her birthday present. She was separated from my grandfather (she was Catholic so would not consider a divorce) so I never knew him. I saw him once on the street when he came up to my mother and me. She would not let him talk to me. I remember that.

My paternal grandmother died of Leukemia before I was born. She was only 62, My paternal grandfather lived at my aunt's house so I would see him when I went there. He did not speak any English even though he and my grandmother had immigrated here from Poland before my father was born. He would watch me and then try to talk to me and my cousin had to translate what he said. He was not the type of grandfather I could hug or anything like that. Later on my father told me that neither of his parents showed affection. Yet they said and did things that showed they loved him.

Working on my family tree has given me the opportunity to know my maternal grandfather and his family a little bit. I have pieced together his life and get so excited when I see his actual signature on some form or see his physical description in various military forms. Unfortunately my polish grandparents remain a mystery to me.
 
Last edited:
Nathan said:
1930s-1940s. He was an attorney, a businessman and later a judge("the judge"). I think maybe his behavior had a lot to do with his being disliked. In a different conversation with my uncle, he pointed out that "back then" after a woman was finished having children, that meant also finished having sex. However, many men weren't finished, and would either drink heavily, and subsequently become angry and abusive, or have mistresses or visit prostitutes.
Click to expand...
That is sad. I like to think family is about so much more than filling sexual needs. We need a better idea of what marriage is all about and more romance novels for older people.

There are some really good movies about love in our later years. And I think grandparents are very important to children.
 
JonSR77 said:
My father's father passed before I was born. My mother's father passed when I was two.

but I did know both my grandmothers and they were both wonderful people, full of love.

And, both were amazing cooks.

My father's mother would visit her sister in Zurich. And she would bring us back Lindt chocolate.
Click to expand...
I wish everyone could say they knew loving grandparents.
 
I knew my maternal grandparents. Both were characters. My grandfather wasn't too legal at times. My grandmother lost both legs to diabetes, but still had a half-acre garden she tended from a wheelchair. But my dad's parents are unknown. He was an orphan. How that came to be I don't have any idea. When you're born into a situation, you accept it, and you don't ask questions, until there's no one to give you answers.
 
I was lucky enough to know both my Maternal and Paternal grandparents. Sadly my Maternal Grandmother passed away when I was about 8yrs old and my Maternal Grandfather got lost in 1966 and his body was found a month later. He was in his 90's,
My paternal grandparents didn't care for my Mom, me my sister, and brother, But I was lucky enough to know my Dad's Grandmother and she was Precious,
 
I knew my paternal grandmother & grandfather. Neither one spoke English, but hugs translate into any language.
My paternal grandmother showed her love with food, and grandfather by putting a bit of his homemade wine into my cream soda. Paternal grandfather eventually suffered from dementia (some say he had Parkinson's disease as well) and eventually had to go to a nursing home to keep him safe. He died when I was 9.

His death was traumatic for me because his casket was in the living room of another family member. I avoided that living room after that. My grandmother died when I was about 18.

My maternal grandfather died before I was born, so I did not know him. Only that he was a taxi driver, who left the family after 3 children were born. My maternal grandmother had another child after that, but the father was a mystery.
There was a lot of alcoholism in that family, including my mother. My grandmother lived walking distance from us, but we rarely went there. I would say maybe we saw her every year or two. When we did go, I felt very uncomfortable.

I went to her funeral when I was in my late 20s, and really nothing had changed.
For that reason, I did not stay long.
 
I never heard grand- mother / father mentioned ....never asked.
I was born 15 years after my only ( late ) sister, my mother was 45 y/o father 52 when I turned up:)
 
My dad was 59 when I was born and I never knew anyone from his side of the family, honestly his history or family was never discussed. I did know my mom's mother and step father, though I never met her real father.

Funny but true story. In elementary school we had some sort of assignment about family. First the teacher told me I had to be wrong because my dad couldn't be older than my grandparents. Then she asked about my other set of grandparents. I was totally confused, I had no idea people had more than one set of grandparents, I really didn't relate my grandparents to my mom or dad, they were just grandma and grandpa.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top