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.