My Grandparents

My grandparents( my mother's parents) were the only grandparents I knew. My father's parents were both gone before I was born.....We had different names for my grandparents than most...the story is that my sister named them, since she was the first grandchild. According to my mother, my grandmother said she was not going to be called grandmother, or grandma or anything like that. So she suggested that she and my grandfather would be called by there given names, Don and Edith. My mother said NO WAY. I don't call you that and neither will my children....so their names were Gago (grandmother) And Dandaddy(grandfather). I really don't know much about Gago's family except that she had a sister named Jane, whose husband was named Agustus (Uncle Gus). They had 3 Children, 2 girls and a boy. Aunt Jane died back in 1958 or 59, somewhere along there because it was before we moved to NC and that was in 1960.

My grandparents had 2 children, Mother the eldest and my Uncle Harry. I will talk about Uncle Harry a little later. Just My Thoughts

My grandfather designed and built laundry and dry cleaning equipment, Hence that is how my family (Hamiltons) got into the business as I mentioned earlier in another story. My Father owned a laundry/dry cleaning business when we lived in Indiana and then when we moved to NC he owned one from 1962 until 1972. Prior to us moving dad worked for Dandaddy, But I am not sure exactly what he did as I was too young to remember, BUT I do remember going to the factory with him several times and I remember him taking my tractor ( the pedal kind) and welding it after a "crash" while riding it and breaking it..That is what I remember about dad working for Dandaddy.

Anyway my grandfather traveled many places overseas for his business because he sold equipment anywhere he could. Had a great business for many years. My father did some installing and repairing work....that is how we ended up in NC...as told in an earlier story.

My Grandfather had nice things.....he had a yacht, and at one time, when I was 16 he bought something he always wanted a 1955 Rolls Royce....I remember that car...once when we went back to Indiana for a visit...Gago wanted Dandaddy to go to the store for something, Dandaddy asked me to go along......said we will take the Rolls...with a smile on my face...in that car we headed to the store. Before we got out of the driveway.....he stopped and said..you drive....I couldn't believe it! I actually got to drive that car....the hood was as long as a city block...but it didn't matter...I felt like a king driving that thing...I will never forget that. It was the only time I drove it.....I will always remember that.....

I only regret about my grandparents is that we lived so many miles away that I missed conversations we could have had. There are things I would have liked to talk about...with both of them..I know can't look back on what might have been....I just wonder sometimes..what if?

I remember shortly after I got married, Gago and Dandaddy were down for a visit. And I asked them to go for a drive.....we all climbed into 2 cars.....Mom, Dad, sisters brother brother in law, wife, the whole gang........as we pulled into the driveway of a house they hadn't seen Gago said "Greggie, what is this ( she always called me Greggie) I told her it was the house Connie ( wife) and I had just bought...with a tear in her eye she hugged us both and said how happy she was for us. That always brings a tear to my eye every time I tell that story.

What more can I say? My Grandparents were terrific people, I didn't get to see them as much as I wished I could have but I did my best to make up for the times we didn't get to share together. I am sure they missed us as much as we missed them....