The Great Superfather : A Story Of A Great Grandfather

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. I chose to shadow my grandfather because I do not know all that much about him. My grandpa has always seemed like a very interesting person but he does not open up easily. That is another reason i chose to shadow him. My grandpa is usually toiling with a black powder rifle or he is making his own guns or doing research on a weapon unknown to him.

There have been countless influential people in my life that I’ve come across. One who was a meticulous inspiration continues to be my grandfather. My grandmother had remarried to the one I call “grandpa” when I was at the age of five, and they both took to each other’s grandchildren as their own. With my mother and me only living a mile down the road from their farmhouse out in the country, I’d spent heaps amount of time there as a child. Indeed, I had been without a father but my grandfather stepped up to the plate and had taken me under his wing and willingly played the personification of a father figure.

I never really knew my grandpa as well as I would have liked. He was already an old, old man by the time I started high school, and my own memories of him are mostly of a man confined by age and ailing health. So I'm not really going to talk about my memories of him. Instead, I'm going to try to share his memories and the memories of those that knew him.

My current plan as far as outlining where this thesis is going to go involves dividing Grandpa’s story whereby every part of it will fit into each among the five assigned milestones, starting with his earliest memory in 1941 of Christmas Day at 4 River Lane.

My grandfather, J. King Burk, is a man of very few words, but if you get to know him you will come to find that he has been through a lot in his lifetime. My brother and I have a connection with him that most grandchildren don’t have with their grandparents because he was with us when our parents separated. He understands how difficult it is to be raised by one parent, he helped raise my brother and I, and I go to him when I’m making important decisions.

As I've grown up there have been a few leaders in my life or that I've seen that have made me into the person I am today, but the most influential leader in my life is definitely my grandfather. Gary Drumheller, fought in Vietnam and now spends his time at his barbershop or working with a group with similar morals as our council called "The Elks", where their main focus is helping veterans that are struggling financially, mentally, and physically. Throughout my childhood he has always taught me to be persistent, generous, and passionate with everything I do.

My grandfather in law, Ray Schmitt, had a true connection with me and my family. Even though he was not directly related, he always treated me and my family like his sons and daughters. He would always welcome us with smiles and even though he fought through hard times, like occasion strokes, he never forgot to put a big smile on his face. My mom said, “ He was a devoted family man to everyone, and he was devoted to the faith, and that showed in his actions.”

This is a breakdown of my family tree on my dads moms side of the family. I am not sure where the Cieklinski name game from because my grandpa passed away before I was alive. Image result for norway FLAG

Vicki Lyashenko’s article of Three Secrets of a Long Life From my 100-year-old Grandfather, is about a grandaugther asking her grandfather what is the secret to a long life. A few months ago her grandfather told her that the secret to a long life is be thankful for everything, be happy, and keep a positive outlook on life. The article says, “Life isn't always a walk in the park, you cannot control many things that happen to you, but you can control your outlook. Everything that happens, happens for a reason, trust that” (Lyashenko). Lyashenko has decided to take your grandfather’s advice. Life will have its ups and downs and there will be times when we can’t control what is happeneing. But if you keep a positive outlook, life will be a

I have an abundance of grotesque, yet, barely visible memories of childhood. However, no breathtaking family trips, no unique family togetherness that taught a moral lesson, no abnormal holidays. We still ate family meals together, but most often the children and adults lived in different worlds. When I needed comforting or wanted the best of both worlds, I could turn to my Grandpa.

For many people, Grandpa is a storyteller, someone to go fishing with, and someone who has your back no matter what. The experience I had with my grandpa was a little different. I never got the opportunity to meet my great-grandfather Liston Grider, but he still somehow managed to have a huge impact on my life. Sometimes my mom would tell stories about him; happy memories from her childhood, sad ones that were painful for her to tell, and everything in between. I thought I had heard it all, but this past summer I learned something about my great grandpa that would perhaps impact my life forever. This story was not told by my mom like usual, but by someone who was a complete stranger to me. The lessons I learned would not be taught in a single day, but over the span of a month through a series of Facebook messages and letters in the mail. The words I read upon opening those messages and letters would change my life forever, permanently transform my beliefs, and show me what it truly means to be an American.

I think the person who has had the most profound effect on my life besides my parents is my grandfather. I never realized before how much of an effect he had on my interests and goals for the future. Years ago, he used to tell me stories about historical events and experiences he had fighting in Vietnam and my great grandfather fighting in World War 2. His vivid descriptions always made it so interesting and, in some cases, more light-hearted than what actually happened. To this day he still has more stories to tell me, and never fails to captivate my interest. In doing this, he opened my eyes to my biggest interest, history, and encouraged me to pursue this interest throughout school. I feel like it would help to give a short summary of his life and how it affected me.

When we were together we were invincible, us against the world. I’d look up to him, not only because he was 6’4, but because he was my grandpa. I have clear memories of him picking me up from school, playing old school reggae music during our adventurous car rides. We’d always sing along to our favorites, sometimes turn the music up so loud the people in the cars next to us could hear it. When I would visit his apartment, the familiar smell of drywall and pennies would fill the air. It was my hideaway, my home away from home. My grandpa collected pennies in water jugs. He would say that one day they’d be worth more than just pennies. I loved it there, not only because he had a freezer filled with many flavors of ice cream to which he would often say to me “you can have all you can eat” but because it was our time to bond. For five years it was my mom, my dad, and my grandpa helping me to grow. Those are my favorite people, my role models. Being around my grandpa brought me such comfort and joy.

“I had an amazing life. I had wonderful husband I loved more than anything else is the world. I had six beautiful children, who gave me nine grandchildren, and the strength I needed throughout my life. I have regrets; but everyone does. I believe my life was wonderful because everyday I pray for my family and thank God for what he has given me throughout the years. The good times, and the difficult ones – everything was a blessing.” Winnie, now 75 years old, believes she has been blessed everyday of her life. It sounded surprising after I interviewed her to hear how religious and optimistic she is about her life. You see, I knew her as my quirky grandmother – who used to crotchet dolls on top of soda bottles, or kiss a penny that

“I can’t believe that’s true!” I exclaimed, my laughter echoing through the room. My grandpa and I had been chatting on the phone for the past half an hour. You would imagine a man his age would be boring and dull. However, he was quite the joker. At least with me, since I was, of course, his favorite granddaughter.