Grandpa Leavitt ~ Emerald’s Best Friend submitted by Viola Seitz Schiefer

Grandpa Leavitt ~ Emerald’s Best Friend
Emerald’s father Andrew died when Emerald was nine years old. Emerald lived just across a field from his grandparents. He had from the time he could walk found his way across the field to his Grandparents home. He was their first grandson. They thought he was marvelous. 

His Uncle Leo and Uncle Ken were not that much older than him and they enjoyed being with him as much as he did them. It was natural for Emerald to gravitate more to his Grandfather after his own father’s death. Grandpa taught Emerald the love of horses, how to ride and how to work them. He went along with his Uncles until the WWII broke out and the two Uncles were called to serve their country. 

At that time Emerald was indispensable to his grandfather who was suffering from poor health. Grandpa was helping to build a new road to Veyo from St George, they were making a cut to put rain water under the road through a pipe and Emerald was driving the team up the slope of the cut when the team got frightened or something so Emerald stopped them on the slop. Grandpa yelled out ‘Emerald do not ever stop the horses like that again’. Emerald said that was the one and only time Grandpa ever yelled at him. Grandpa told him that he could have caused the scoop to flip and kill him. 

Emerald loved helping his grandparents and was really needed while the Uncles were gone. Grandpa’s health continued to deteriorate until 1946 when he passed away February 10. His boys both had gotten home from the war and all his children were with him to the last breath. 
This story was told by Emerald’s to his sister Viola who composed this version 8/10/2014.

Viola remembers her grandfather’s death in this way. Viola was 10 years old. She had hardly been out of her home town Veyo. Lila brought her with the other children to St George so they would not be left alone; she left them at her sister Verna’s home. All the adults were at the hospital to be with their parents. Viola remember being so nervous that she could not sleep, everyone else was asleep, she felt abandoned as well as frightened; it was a long night for her and a sadder morning. She hurt too much to even cry, her mother was busy with the other family members, and there was no one to turn to. It was a devastating experience. One she has never forgotten.