Karen remembers Grandma Hampton

Grandma Hampton was famous as a cook and gardener and quilter and sewer. She was also a good housekeeper. She wrote a letter to her children and grandchildren every Sunday for years and years. She missed Aunt Robin who was a missionary in Africa and once she got to go to Ivory Coast with grandpa to visit her. That was the thrill of her life. She made me laugh a lot and she tried to make me eat lima beans. Of course, I didn’t like them. She made me a rag doll with long floppy legs that I still have. I will never sell it. She made me several quilts, including a baby quilt. I keep one of them in my room at the group home. Even though Grandma was a good Baptist who went to church every Sunday and Wednesday, she could surprise us. Once when she took us to the mountains in North Carolina for a hike and picnic, she hiked up the mountain faster than everyone else. Then when we stopped by a river, she decided to jump in and swim because it was so hot that day. She didn’t have her swimsuit, so she stripped down to her underwear and jumped in the cold water anyhow. You see what I mean about making me laugh.

Remembering Grandpa Hampton

What I remember is having a good time with him, having a good time picking blueberries when Grandma made blueberry pancakes. He helped me with my homework and he read me stories. My dad tells his dad’s story about playing with boys who were bigger than he was. He wasn’t a big boy. They jumped across the creek and he tried to do the same thing. When he realized he couldn’t do that, he turned around and jumped back. Do you think this could be true? Another story he liked to tell was about why he had such thick toenails…ewww. He said he got them because he kicked a lot of rocks in his bare feet. He grew up in Etowah, Tennessee, a very small town. He taught my dad how to do the taxes when he was very young and he taught my dad how to play golf. Dad still has Grandpa’s old trophy. He was a kind and loving person. He took care of my dad, my aunt and my uncle really well. He died just before Sheri was born. Grandma knew how sad Sheri was to have missed her grandfather so she told Sheri all about him.