Grandpa Stapelman's birthday

On this date in 1919, my grandpa, Lester William Stapelman was born and the world was made a better place!

I was only 6 when my grandpa passed away, but I still have lots of good memories of him! He used to tease me all the time about the way I couldn't pronounce my r's. He would ask me to say,"put your shoes on the porch" every time he saw me. Of course it all came out funny and he would just laugh!

I also remember riding with him on the back of Lucy. He made her buck and it scared me so bad! I remember just wrapping my fingers around his belt loops and praying they didn't come loose from his pants.

We almost always went to grandpa and grandmas on Sunday evenings. We would watch Lawrence Welk and the Disney Sunday movie. Grandma would make popcorn and homemade fudge. Sometimes, it would get a little rowdy and the ropes would come out. Grandpa would tie the kids up and see how long it took us to get loose.

I remember how hard grandpa worked up until he got sick. He was always out doing something: farming, hunting, working with his horses. I don't remember seeing him relax much.

I also remember going on a trek with my grandparents. We went with another family and we took the horses and the wagon that my grandpa built. They cooked chicken over a fire and let me tell you, it was BLACK!

So many good memories! Just wish he had been around longer to leave us with more. I know he still looks down at us and sees what kind of people we've become and I think he would be proud!