A Time for Thanksgiving...Part 4 (The Finale)

Well, there's just one grandparent left...Grandpa Simeroth, or Papa as we call him. He was married to my grandma for 50 long, happy years and they made a life together that was full of love for their entire family and Papa's continuing that amazing way of living.


Papa was one of 12 kids born to my great grandparents, G.G. and Great-grandpa Andrew. The Simeroths are a large, loud, extremely close Catholic family and I love them all to death! Papa was also born and raised on a farm in rural Oklahoma. He went on to the Air Force and then to college at Oklahoma State University. He and my grandma moved around a lot with their five kids when he changed jobs, and that's how my mom got here and met my dad. Papa used to run the college farm for Northwest and Dad worked for him when he was in college, then Mom met Dad there. The Simeroths moved again when my mom was in college (it was too cold for them, lol), so Mom stayed here when they moved back to Warner. Papa retired from working on a man's ranch in 2001, but that hasn't stopped him from working and now he works at the Warner schools as the maintenance man/electrician. Honestly, he can't not work or be doing something, that's just the way he is.

Papa, Granny, and the kids

Papa is an amazing, loving, hard-working man. I love to visit him whenever I can and I know that he cares for all of us so much and that he's very proud of me. He is a strong advocate for education and really wants everyone to go to college and believes that somehow everyone should be able to go. That's why he's so proud of me and that I will be the first of his grandchildren to graduate from college. I want to instill that in my kids and just be proud of all their accomplishments and whatever they do. He also has a strong faith and is a wonderful Christian role model. I know some people think differently of Catholics, but Papa is a great Christian example to me and others in our family. He believes that it is because of Christ that we are all saved and given new life and a place for us in heaven. I admired his strength when Granny passed away and I know that part of that strength came from his faith. The Simeroths have never had a lot of money, so they know that just being together is the most important. I learned that from Papa and I truly believe it does not matter if you get each other gifts or any of that, but it's truly being together and loving one another that is the main thing. Papa is also a hard-working man and he shows that work ethic to the whole family and we all get that characteristic from him. Since Papa is now the only grandpa I have and really the only lucid grandparent at all, I cherish my time with him so much more and love him so much. He is a wonderful man and I love spending time with him and learning from him.

A Time for Thanksgiving...Part 3

Okay, I realize that I really should have done all this BEFORE Thanksgiving and not after when it's Christmas season. But oh well, I like to post this on here so I can go back and look at it and remember my amazing grandparents.

So now, I'm going to move on to my grandma, Katie Simeroth. Like the rest of my family, she was a wonderful, hard working, & stubborn (at times) woman!


Granny, as we called her, grew up in Denver, Colorado and was one of nine children in their family. She faced some hardships in her younger life because her father was a very angry man sometimes, and actually we think he may have suffered from bipolar disorder. Her mother died when she was in her young adult years and her dad then remarried, but she dealt with that adjustment very well. She also had to deal with my grandpa being away in the military for training with the Air Force. He came home one weekend before Christmas, they were married and had a two day honeymoon, then they moved to Florida where my grandpa was stationed. They had five kids, including my mom and were married for fifty years in January 2008, a month before she passed away. The picture above is my grandma, grandpa, aunt Genny (the older kid), and my mom (the baby).

As you all know, my grandma passed away on February 21, 2008. I'm sure you all know the story, but again, I'm recording this more for my own benefit than for you guys. I remember that week so well. It was right at the end of my three day weekend at home for President's Day and we got a phone call at our house on Sunday night at about 10:30. I remember thinking that it was odd that we would get a call that late and immediately the thought that popped into my head was that something was wrong with Grandma...Barnes. Well, after they got off the phone, my dad came to see if I was awake, which I was, and he said that Granny had a stroke and was in the ICU in Oklahoma City. Granny Simeroth, not my grandma Barnes. Mom was crying in the living room when I got out of bed and she told me the real story. It wasn't just a simple stroke, Mom said that she had a hemorrhagic stroke and she was bleeding into her brain at the brainstem. Granny was unconscious and was only breathing because of a ventilator. She would die once they took her off the ventilator and the family knew that was what she would want, so they were going to turn off the ventilator the next morning. I was shocked. It had never crossed my mind that Granny could die now. I knew she was not as well as she once was, but I didn't know that she had been having mini-strokes and problems. I just couldn't believe that Granny was going to die.

We decided that Mom, Dad, and Nate were going to drive to OKC the next morning and that I should drive back to Springfield then too. I did NOT want to go back to school. All I wanted was to see Granny before she died and be with my family, but I had to take a test on that Wednesday. I was miserable when I came back to school. I was just trying to go through the motions, figure out a way to get out of there as quick as possible, and trying not to cry all the time. I can think of instances when all I could do was lay on the ground in my room with the door shut and cry my eyes out. I was crying to God to give me peace and comfort and help me to get through all this. They turned off Granny's ventilator on Monday after my parents got there, but Granny was still breathing. I kept in constant contact with my family about Granny and they told me when her breathing started to slow and become more labored on Tuesday afternoon. I had to talk with all my teachers to try and get class and clinicals worked out so I could go to OKC as soon as possible and they weren't quite understanding or wanting to let me go, but they let me leave Wednesday mid morning after taking my test. I immediately left to go to Oklahoma City and drove as fast as I thought I could get away with and it actually went by pretty quick. I got to the hospital that afternoon and Grandma was in their End of Life room. Most of the family was there or had been there and were just sitting in that room on the couch and chairs just talking and trying to get through this. I remember Granny laying there in bed and just looking like she was straining for every breath, but otherwise she looked just the same as always. My godmother, aunt, Mom, and myself decided to clean Granny up and give her a bath. I felt like that was finally something I could do to help my family. So we got her all cleaned up and she seemed calmer already and her breathing had periods where she would just stop breathing altogether. We all floated in and out of the room and the waiting room down the hall, but Papa only left when we were cleaning her, then came right back. Mom came and got everyone out of the waiting room when Granny's breathing started to slow even more and we knew it wouldn't be much longer. We all said the Rosary prayer, read some Psalms, and parts of the Gospels and New Testament. It was so meaningful for our family to all be together when the time came and she went very peacefully. I almost didn't believe it at first because she was breathing and then she just stopped and we all waited to see if she would start again, but she didn't. Granny passed away shortly after midnight on that Thursday and I knew it was by the grace of God that I was able to be there for her and my family. But I know that God also meant for me to be there for myself, because I don't think I could have gotten over it had I not been there.


Granny was a rather stubborn woman at times, like so many in my family and she couldn't keep her nose out of anything. I guess I'm a little like her that way, cause I always like to know what's going on. She loved us grandkids like crazy and definitely spoiled us a little bit, not as much with gifts but she spoiled us by sometimes letting us get away with things (especially me and my brother cause we lived so far away). She was also the nagger of the family and my mom is sometimes a little like that too, but she never let things really bother her too much. She loved to laugh and did it frequently whenever one of us did something stupid, or in making a little jab at someone else. Granny was the Canasta Queen and we always accused her of cheating at that and Dominos, but she would always just laugh and say we were jealous. That's one thing I miss, is Granny's laugh and all her funny comments. She was a tough lady and never gave up trying to do things on her own, even in her last few months when she was mainly using a walker and wheelchair. I loved her so much and it still hurts sometimes to think of all she missed and how suddenly she was gone, but I'm so glad that she never suffered and this is the way she wanted to go. She was tired of not being able to do things on her own and did not want it to get any worse, so this is the way she wanted it and I'm so grateful that the Lord took her to be with Him.

A Time for Thanksgiving...Part 2

I've talked about my grandpa Barnes and all the wonderful...and sad...but mostly great things about him and his life. So now instead of reading or starting to study for a test, I'm going to talk about my grandma Barnes.

Grandma Barnes with my dad as a baby

Grandma grew up in Peoria, Illinois and then moved to Northwest Missouri a little bit later in her adolescent life. She went through her fair share of hard times when her father, aunt, and uncle were all killed in a train crash when she was I think about 14. She learned how to survive through the those difficult times from her mom who had to raise her and her 2 other siblings alone and also manage to handle a farm right after the accident. But Grandma loves to tell how the entire community pitched in to help harvest corn right after her dad died. I think that may be where she learned her generosity. She frequently volunteered for things at the church and also regularly donated food and other things to the food pantry in town. She had lots of friends and loved spending time with them and just catching up on what was going on in their lives...maybe that's where I get that part of my personality and character. She and my grandpa really encouraged their kids to do better for themselves than they did and tried to give them the best they could to better their lives.


Grandma is still living in a nursing home in Maryville. She's been there for about six years now after living in an assisted living facility for about six months. Her story is a little different from the rest of my grandparents because she has Alzheimer's disease...in the late stages. I haven't gone to visit her in at least 2 years. It may be bad, but I just can't stand to go see her like that and I don't want to remember her that way (although I know it will stick with me forever). She has no idea who I am. She used to think I was my aunt or a cousin or someone related to her, but the last time I saw her she just ignored me and acted like I wasn't there because she did not recognize me at all. It was devastating to me, I knew it would happen, but it really made me so sad for not only myself, but her as well. I can't imagine the kind of darkness she's living in. I know she hates her life...she's said it before and said that she wishes she was gone. It breaks my heart to hear this and it's been something that I've really struggled with in the past...I still don't understand why she's still here and why she has to go through this and why our whole family has to go through this, but I'm trying to just trust God and leave it up to Him. I'm ready though. I've been ready for a long time for her to go to be with God, and when that does happen, I will know she is in a much better place and that she's happy. It's because of her that I'm passionate about research for Alzheimer's and
understanding all their is to know about this horrible disease.

I love the old Grandma Barnes. I really do want to learn how she did things in her life...unfortunately, I won't be able to ask her in person how she made her amazing homemade noodles and rolls, or her secrets to making the perfect quilts. When our family would come over for Sunday dinners, Grandma loved to cook everything for it...the ham or chicken dressing stuff, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, noodles, rolls, strawberry shortcake...everything! She was an amazing cook!! Also, I really want to learn how to quilt like she did. She had been doing it so long it was like second nature to her. She made quilts for each of the weddings and children in our extended family, as well as for the church bazaar and other quilts with her group at church and any requested quilts from friends or family. She even thought to make a wedding quilt for me and my brother for when we get married as well as baby quilts for our first 2 children. I hope that one day I can learn to be closer to as good as she was. She loved having our family over anytime and was especially glad whenever my brother or I would come over to spend the day with her sometimes in the summer or on holidays. She was a devout church-goer and went every Sunday and she and Grandpa would sit in the same spot every week. I learned that after she went in the nursing home, she started leading her own little group of ladies who would come into her room and she would pull out her Bible and talk with them about it. How amazing!! She really loved her kids and grandkids and wanted them to have a much better life than she had, so she did everything in her power to make sure that happened, but she didn't let them get away with a whole lot and made sure they also understood that they had to earn what they got. I remember every Memorial Day we went out to the various cemetaries in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa where family members were buried. I loved hearing from Grandma the stories of these people and how they were related to us. I liked helping Grandma in the garden when she had a vegetable garden out at our house and with her peonies and magnolias at her house. Grandma was a wonderful lady who loved everyone and I'm striving to learn to be even a little bit close to her domestic abilities. I hope I can be as good a grandma as she was.