Carl Hicks Staples born January 13, 1930 to Ethel and Solon Staples in Hillsville, Va. One of ten children, he grew up hard like most did in that era. He met Allie and fell in love, got married and joined the Army. He & Allie had two children Marlon and Susan. Then of course, like most stories go, the Father turned into a Grandfather.
This man is MADE to be a grandpa. One of the strongest men physically and mentally I've ever known. Pa worked all his life to build a family, home and his farm. "Triple Ridge Farm" His love for the farm is something indescribable. That love has filtered down to my sister and I and now to Brodie and Aspyn. Pa has built something that money would never be able to buy and that's a passion and love for life and the earth.
Pa was diagnosed with Prostate cancer about 6 or 7 years ago. He was treated and was just on a regularly checkup routine to monitor him. Several years passed and his tests began to come back a little irregular. I began taking him to Mimi's Oncologist in Winston and a recommended Urologist as well. They worked together and found a combination of treatment that stabilized the cancer and we continued with the regular checkups. About a year ago Pa began feeling bad, too bad to go to the farm some days and well, if you know Pa, that's bad. We had more extensive tests done and it was revealed that the cancer had spread. Most recently (past 6 months) he fell and broke his hip, had surgery, went to rehab and is now home. Hospice was called in to help Mema a month ago and they have been a life saver for her!
You always know in the back of your mind that you will have to go through this stage in life but you are never fully prepared no matter what the circumstance. I have been blessed beyond imagination with the family and friends in my life. And as I sit hear and try to think of what word(s) would be powerful enough to evoke the emotion to help you of those reading, and those of which don't know my Pa, understand the love I have for my grandparents is really unreasonable.
Amanda and I were so very lucky that we got to spend every weekend with our Grandparents and the summers.....???? We spent ALL summer with Mema and Pa!! Nights of egg sandwiches, as Mema would pack Pa's lunch (He worked 3rd at the Radford Arsenal) Weekends of playing in the barn and riding our horses in the yard. Helping him skin squirrels and eating them for breakfast.... Yes I said squirrels. Stopping at the store and getting sardines, crackers and a bottle of pop to take for lunch on the farm. We would sit on hay in the barn or go down to the creek and eat our sardines. (Everyone couldn't believe I'd eat sardines as I child! lol) Going on the wagon train every 4th of July and sitting by the fire and listening to the music at night. Doctoring the cows and feeding the calves. Cutting and putting up hay in the hot sun and then feeding that hay on a snow covered ground in the winter. The songs he would sing..... One, he would come down the hall hitting the sides of the wall and singing "School Days again today!" Another "Tarpon sitting on a railroad track, picking his teeth with a tarpon tack. Along came a train, choo choo choo, cut that tarpon right into!" He had a ton of them!
Pa rarely got upset but one day we were in the front yard and he had gotten aggravated about something and I remember him throwing his fist in the air and kicking is feet. I got so tickled at him and so he kept doing it. I said Pa what are you doing? He replied "It's the shit leg dance!" ahhhahahahahah From that day forward Pa and I would do the shit leg dance anytime we got aggravated and you can't be ill after dancing like that! I have so many memories that I will cherish for an eternity.
I could write for days on end about Pa but I'm not going to. I'm just going to post some pictures and remember that even though the toughest is yet to come, I have the most amazing grandfather that a child could have!
