I remember all the trips my family would make to drive up to my grandparents house on "Cramer Mountain" in the Sierra Nevadas. I loved their house because it was surrounded by pines and all of the christmas trees. My grandma made the best grilled cheese sandwiches and my siblings and I all fought over the bear mug when it was time for hot cocoa in the morning. My grandpa was a great numbers guy. One of the stories my dad would always tell me was how when my grandpa was only about 8, he was working in the grocery store and he could add up the customers amounts faster than the calculator. People would come to the store just to watch him do it. My grandpa grew up during the great depression and was one of 11 kids. I know that he was the middle child and always looked after his youngest brother, Dick.
My grandpa worked hard his whole life. It is sad that he never had the opportunity to go to college because if he did, he could have been a great engineer with his math skills. But he did always find work in manual labor. He was a boxer and even has a nose that you can punch without breaking because it has more cartilage than bone (my brother has this same nose). He would box in matches for the soldiers during WWII and he worked in a scrap metal yard. I know that my grandpa was drafted into the war right near the end, but luckily WWII ended soon after, so he never had to fight. I know that my grandpa has worked for Budweiser for a time. When he retired, he and my grandma moved up to Alta, CA to their christmas tree farm in the mountains. My grandpa loved taking care of the trees and he built their house there including the water tower that supplied all their water. My family moved from NC back to CA to be close to my grandparents so we could help them out. Being as independent as they were, they did not like asking for help. So we moved to Nor Cal. I did not like it at the time, but now I am so glad that we did because I was able to get to know my grandparents. When we would go up to visit we would always play card games and my grandpa would always be scorekeeper. Our favorite game to play were Dummy Rummy. My grandpa also taught katie and I to play kings corner and dice (which was my grandma's favorite). When we weren't playing cards, I would go for walks among the trees with my dad and grandpa. I liked being outside and watching the trees grow. My grandpa would give me several colored tags each year to go and mark my christmas tree. My dad would leave the choosing of the christmas tree to me because I loved it so much and always wanted to find the perfect, full, and tall tree. I would tell grandpa that I should get miracle grow to help the shorter trees get bigger, and he told me that I could do whatever I wanted. One summer, we went up and helped my grandpa plant baby trees. It was fun and I learned a lot of caring for the trees from my grandpa. We had to plant them and then put a slat of wood against them to block the afternoon sun.
I have always kind of been a shy kid. The summer before we moved to NorCal, it was the Atlanta summer olympics. I remember we were visiting my grandparents and I would sit there by myself. My grandpa would then call me over and sit me on his lap. He would talk to me and pay special attention to me. That was the summer when I became really close to my grandpa. He seemed to know that I really needed him. My grandpa called me his girl. Everytime my family went up to visit them, he would pull me over to him and ask "How's my girl doing?". He always asked me about school and encouraged me throughout college. I am so glad that my grandpa was there for my wedding. It meant so much to me to have all of my grandparents there for that important day. My only regret was that I didn't get a picture taken of me and my grandpa that day. The summer after Brad and I were married, my grandparents celebrated their 70th anniversary. A month later, my grandpa slipped in their house and broke his neck. He did not die, but he became virtually paralyzed. Being the independent man that my grandpa was, this was hard for him. After he had gluacoma and skin cancer problems, which took away some of his eye sight, it was hard for my grandpa and he became slightly depressed because he could not do as much. But he did manage. However, after breaking his neck, my grandpa really struggled and we began to see that he would not be around much longer.
I am so grateful for every moment I have had with my grandpa. He really made me feel special and loved. I am so grateful to have had him as a grandfather and am proud to say that I am a lot like him. I love you grandpa! I am so grateful for the doctrine of eternal families because I know that I will see my grandpa again. I know he is happier now that he is not trapped in his body that was holding him back in so many ways. Knowing that he is happy and that I will see him again helps me to be happy and filled with hope.
LeRoy Cramer
January 12, 1917 - December 25, 2009
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