by Stephanie L. Bryant

Created on: February 22, 2007   Last Updated: April 23, 2007

The most significant people in my life is are my Grandma Darlene and my Grandpa Richard (RIP). I can honestly say that I out of everyone in my family, I loved my grandparents the most. My grandpa was a good man and my grandma is super strong for her entire family.

My Grandpa...

I heard stories of my Grandpa Richard from my various family members over the years. The one that stands out the most is this.... He use to own his own cab company, Princess Cabs. It was a family business but it was successful none the less. There was a man who lost both of his legs back in WWI and had prosthetics. He would call my grandpa a couple times a week to run various tasks. This man wasn't very good with his new legs and couldn't easily walk up and down the stairs of his building. When he got to this man's apartment, he would walk up the 3 flights of stairs to the man's residence. First he would take the mans prosthetics to his cab and then go back and carry the man down the 3 flights down to the car and help him attach his legs before running him around town. Not many cab drivers are that caring for their customers to go to such lengths to help them. He had a heart of gold and a spirit to match.

When I was 6 or 7, my Grandpa Richard passed away after his 3rd heart attack. I remember that day being so devastating. It started as a normal day. My brothers and I went to school and it was art day in class so we were making snowmen out of soda bottles and cotton balls. Around noon my teacher informed me that my mother was coming to pick me up so we could go to my grandparent's house. I was sooo excited. My grandpa was my favorite person and I always loved sitting on his lap and rubbing my chin on his because his whiskers felt good. Well, when we got to their house in Devils Lake, Grandpa and Grandma weren't there. After running through the house to find them, one of my aunts informed us that my grandpa had passed. I was crushed and my heart was broken. I loved my Grandpa Richard. I placed him high above anyone else.

Still to this day, I love him more than anyone in my family, except my grandma that is.

My Grandma Darlene is this short, little, loud woman. She is now in her mid 60's and is still living in the first and only house she and my grandpa bought years ago. She would have a total of 13 children, but unfortunately she had 3 miscarriages and her daughter, Lisa and son, Ricky died shortly after birth. Over the years my Grandma had dedicated there life to taking care of handicap children and she sponsored foster children. Today she is taking care of my 3 cousins who are now teenagers (and we all know how bad teens can be) because their parents aren't fit to take care of them.

My Grandma Darlene is a very worldly woman. For someone who has hardly left North Dakota, she has vast knowledge of so many things. I see so much of her in me. I can sit on the phone with her for hours talking about books, politics, food, television, the decline of society, and everything in between.

If I could wish for anything in the world, I would wish to be like my grandma and to find a man like my grandpa was. To me, they are what people should be... Caring for others, passionate about the world, and over all good people with high morals. Their relationship showed me what true love was and gave me a goal to reach for in my relationships.

Without them, I would not be here. With out them, I don't think I want to either.

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