by Blane Miller

Created on: July 05, 2009

In case anyone doesn't know who I am, I am Lee's granddaughter Gina. I'm not his first grandchild, but I am his first grandchild with his wife who passed away just twenty nine before he passed away, Esther, my grandma, "Nanny". They wanted to be called Nanny and Papa because when I came along Nanny was only 41 years old, two years younger than I am today and Papa was 46 years old. They were young to be grandparents. My parents were 18 and 19 and about as wrong for each other as Nanny and Papa were right for each other. My parents divorced when I was six and my mom and I moved in with Nanny and Papa. Papa became an important figure in my life, much like a father figure. Papa was very different from my dad and most other men I've known in my life. I don't have any memory of Papa ever raising his voice and if he did he never said anything cruel to anyone that I can remember. Papa was a very even-tempered, gentleman. He was as strong and reliable as he was gentle and kind. He taught me more through example than anyone ever taught me through lecturing or criticism.

Memories of my time living with Nanny and Papa together:

After spending my first six years in an environment that was volatile and loud, one of the first things that I was grateful for was the love and respect that Nanny and Papa had for each other. They never fought that I can remember. They might have disagreed and bickered a little but not once in my lifetime did I ever see Papa say a mean word to Nanny, or anyone else for that matter. I never heard him criticize her about anything. I noticed how he would even help with the dishes every night because she worked all day too. He didn't even get that mad at her when she cracked the bottom of their new Pinto, when she and I went over some railroad tracks she wasn't familiar with when they first moved to Orange. We must have been airborne because when we came over the tracks my head hit the roof of the car pretty hard. That night at dinner I told Papa how Nanny jumped the tracks and I hit my head. He went out to look at the car and came back in and told her that the car was probably totaled, but he didn't seem mad at her. It was a Ford Pinto after all. He really loved Nanny and when I heard the news that he had passed away just 29 days after she did, I wasn't surprised. In a way I am happy that they are together, even if it's no longer here with us. I think to the world they were a pair known as Nanny and Papa, Lee and Esther,

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