12 and 10 years ago I (and my family) endured two biggest heartaches…the loss of our Grandfather and Grandmother. Herbert C Cooley, Sr left us in January 1999 and two years later my grandmother Genevieve M Cooley went to join him in October 2001. Most of the people who would ever read this already know that had it not been for my grandparents I have no idea what type of life I’d be living now. I moved in with them when I entered middle school and stayed with them until the end. This afforded me many opportunities for a better school district, more stability, and the chance to be someone different then if I had stayed in Pontiac.
The hurt, pain, regret, anger and love still sit with me each day. These are two deaths that I don’t think I will ever overcome. There is not one day that my grandparents aren’t thought about. My heart still aches from their loss. There are so many things I didn’t get to share with them, things that I wish they could have been here for both now and in my future. I was so very blessed to have these two wonderful individuals in my life for as long as I did, and can only hope that they felt the same about me.
My grandfather was such an awe inspiring person. His love and support could not be rivaled by anyone. He was larger than life to me when I was younger and still is to this day. I know there are things from my youth that were disappointing to him, but all he ever did was try like hell to guide us to the right path and pick us up with open arms when we stumbled along the way. His hard work and dedication to his family is something that I still feel today.
My grandmother was a spitfire. You always knew where you stood with her and she definitely wasn’t one to tiptoe around something. I know that this is exactly where this comes from in me. She had a way about her, always put together, but not in that “I tried and you can tell” way. She was one of my favorite people to spend time with. How many teenagers want to spend time with their grandparents? I sure did. I loved sitting with her and watching movies. We both liked to shop. And she taught me how wonderful a lunch in the old Hudson’s restaurant was. She also taught me about cherishing what is important. And that things are just that, things. I always feel she was slightly misunderstood by many (much like myself).
When my grandma was sick and in the hospital one of the greatest tragedies that the US has endured happened, the terrorist attacks in September 2001. They say everyone who could remember will always remember where they were when they first heard about the attacks…I was at my desk at work. My grandma was in a coma then. I remember going to her hospital bed and talking to her about everything that was going on and asking her to please wake up after this tragedy had ended so that she wouldn’t have the memories of it. She had already lived through so much, I didn’t think she needed this memory also. Unfortunately for us she never woke up and died a couple of weeks later.
I try to remember only the great times with my grandparents. Our family trips in the camper driving out to California to see my dad, with my 2 cousins and I squeezed in together in the upper “bunk”. My grandpa trying to teach me to waterski. My grandma making sure a good meal was homemade most nights. Going down to the Eastern Market area with them around Christmas to pick up our fresh duck for my grandma’s polish soup Czarnina (FYI that’s polish for Duck Blood Soup – eww is all I can say, lol). My grandpa teaching me to drive, and forgiving me when I wrecked his truck 5 months after getting my license. Summer rides in the pontoon boat on Lake Oakland. There were so many wonderful wonderful memories I could fill up millions of pages with them.
My point is my grandparents loved life, loved their family and most importantly loved each other. I hope to have the marriage that they had. So here is a photo tribute to the two most missed people in my life! I love you Pa & Gram, and I hope I you’re proud of who I am today!
