Grandpa and Grandma Feeler:

Today is a bittersweet day.  It's would have been my Grandpa's birthday and it's also the anniversary date of my Grandma's death.  It seemed fitting she "went home" on Grandpa's birthday.

Grandpa:
I was kind of a grandpa's girl.  We lived close by and went over often.   As a little girl, he would always ask me for sugar (a kiss on his cheek).  I would sometimes tell him I was out and had to go to Vichy to get more.  When I started dating Dwayne who is from Vichy, my family said I was still going to Vichy to get sugar.  lol
Grandpa and Grandma had a huge strawberry patch.  They would sell strawberries and also people would come in to pick their own.  I used to help them pick in the evenings.  Sometimes it seemed I ate more than I picked.
Grandpa played the fiddle and sang gospel hymns.  Our preacher would go down and they would sing and play; it was a good time.  Grandpa loved to tell stories which is probably where my dad got his talking and story telling from.  If you live around Vienna, you know that from seeing him in the stores and especially from the article in the Maries County Gazette. 
My Grandpa died on my seventeenth birthday.  The relatives all felt bad for me but it seemed an honor.  I always know the date Grandpa died and many years ago it was.  (It will be forty years this coming April 19th)

Grandma:
Grandma was more lenient with the grand kids than Grandpa.  Grandpa insisted we clean our plates.  As soon as he got up from the table, Grandma would tell us we didn't have to finish.  We usually ate pretty slow so Grandpa got up first.  lol
I was named after my Grandma.  Her name was Eliza Rebecca and my middle name is the same as hers, Connie Rebecca.  I'm the only grandchild named after Grandma.  I always loved having Grandma's middle name.
Grandma made each grandchild feel special.  No one ever felt as if another grand child was favored more than another.  My cousin's wrote a song about Grandma for her eightieth birthday; What Makes Grandma Grand.  They also sang it at her funeral.
I am glad all three of our children got to know my Grandma.  April was only two and a half when she died, but she does have some memories.  The boys knew her well.  Since I was a stay at home Mom, we went to visit often.

I never knew my Mom's parents; they had both passed away years earlier so I only knew Grandpa and Grandma Feeler.  What a blessing they were.

I am grateful for Grandpa Arch and Grandma Eliza and the influence they had on my life.