Geoff Hankerson

grandpa90memories.mp3

Playing cribbage with Grandkids. Being consistently beaten by lucky
Matthew who can barely count the cards.
_Watching otters in the river in the backyard in Warrenton
_ Getting great Christmas gifts- Geoff’s first camera, Matt’s first Swiss
Army Knife
_Being terrified looking out the window as he drove the family up Mount
Hood in a giant RV rental that was much wider than the road lanes.
_In the car- going "weeeeeeee" around the corner
_ "Who’s Dat Down There." And "Grab a root and growl."
_Always reminding us that "It" is better than a poke in the eye with a
sharp stick.
_ "A couple thirteen-fourteen . . . "
_ Playing his organ in the Woodburn house.
_ "That’s was good chewin’."
_ Not being totally grey well into his 80’s.
_ Most stylish Grandpa (and Great-Grandpa) ever.
_ Being the only person in history to eat Jelly Beans while sleeping.
_ Being the resident baritone (aka foghorn or basement) in the church
choir
_Breaking his nose 50 times.
_Teaching Sarah the difference between "first cousin" and "cousin
once removed"
_Playing games with great-grand kids and being "the best great
granddad ever"
_Patiently waiting for hours outside while people are shopping.
_Taking Mandy and Steph to Ecola Park
_Pulling out a can of Sterno to start the fire when all the wood was too
wet to light when camping at Lost Lake.
_Giving lots of good hugs.
_Taking time to play with grandkids at Christmas.
_Explaining the history of every historical painting in the Louvre.
_Sharing LaVaun’s 4 TBLS of nutmeg apple pie with George and Sue
at the monastery in Oregon.
_Passionate about education. Being very popular with his staff when
he was Superintendent.
_Taking Matt & Geoff fishing.
_Serving as a jungle gym for the grandkids.
_Always loves a good mystery.
_ "Warshington"
_Grandma LaVaun & Grandpa Marsh staying in the camper out front
of the Burnsville house.
_Driving the 5- speed Honda to Yellowstone Park with the seat all the
way forward to accommodate the frozen dinners in the back seat.
_Getting a 29 hand in cribbage
_Loosing a game of crib after being ahead by a board, 3 pegs out and
having 3 hands to close the game out.
_Three-fingered honky tonk piano.
_Hearing about playing e-flat clarinet for Sousa.
_Driving home from Grandma Nettie’s after Thanksgiving in a snirt
storm.
_Pilot boat rides.
_ "You’re a little short to deal"
_ Singing "Ho ho ho and a bottle of rum" to Jan.
_Playing trot trot to Boston town and getting to go wibbly wobbly
wibbly wobbly all the way home.
_Dad stuffing the ballot box for world series tickets with all his kids
names---and having a winner and getting to see his Twins in a series.
_Jan and Dad going to the see the Twins and eat hotdogs every year
when we were in the Cities for back to school shopping and watching
Persal getting carried off the field by 8 teammates after a rhubarb.
_Window rattling snores.
_George was quietly proud that Dad was Superintendent but never
would let anyone know it. George remembers Jo arguing who owned
the school Dad or the janitor. She pointed out that the janitor had the
most keys so it was the janitor.
_Wearing multiple hats: teacher, Superintendent, coach, choir
director, volunteer fireman, volunteer everything, lobbyist, school
board president, usually all these at once.
_Marsh was a guinea pig for Mom's new haircut kit. He had to get an
emergency makeover so he didn’t look like Moe.
_ Late nights at Gallea's always resulted in the strangest giggles and
belly laughs heard anywhere.
_ Trips to the Twin Cities that George got to go along and see movies
and eat at the NanKing.
_State HS basketball tournament was a hard ticket to score. Dad
always got them and what an event the old one class tournaments
were. 18,000 fans packed into Williams Arena. George can remember a
lot of the players’ names still.
_Pep fests at Mapleton were memorable. Dad would have stories and
jokes to tell about all the players and it really went over well. He would
lead the pep fests even some cheers. 40 years later at the town reunion
Dad got a standing ovation from the townspeople in the old gym. They
hadn’t forgotten.
_ Mapleton was special partly because of the proximity of Uncle Bob’s
hometown of Minnesota Lake. Shrimp and steak was a rare treat at
Docs and of course the time Doc and the local newspaper owner
printed a fake front page with Headlines reading Yahtze Bach boozes
again.
_ Watching dad sing in a men's quartet wearing kilts in the Robert
Burns festival.
_Moving to TRF and watching Dad instantly become a community
leader again.
_Camping trips out west are my best memory. Not the time it snowed
in the tent and Dad got an eye inflammation. All the way to the coast
with now freeways.
_Monte Gallea watching Jo drown and saying, "She’s all right. I can
see her hair."
_Visiting Grand Forks with Grandparents, Uncle Ken, Aunt Rosie,
Marilyn, Bob, Kathi, and Ken: swimming, ballgames, Uncle Ken’s park
and movies.
_George and Jo screaming so loud the choir heard us at the Medford
church.
Setting the attic mattress on fire at Medford house and throwing the
mattress out the window.
Jo saying to George, "Naa-na-na-naa-na," when Dad told us we had a new
baby sister.
Going to Lokken’s at Excelsior-----FUN for all!
Staying in Hill City during WWII, hearing the sirens blow when it ended
and thrilled that Dad would be home again!!
Many holiday dinners at Uncle Doc and Aunt Mabel’s but poor Uncle did
not ever get to finish a meal, it seemed.
Dad Carrying Jan through he barn to see the cows at the Gallea’s.
Steph seeing her Grandpa’s name every day at Golden Lake
Elementary School’s sign, which listed Marshall Hankerson as district
superintendent.
Grandpa gave the rocking horse to Jan for Christmas one year. The
horse was passed down to George’s kids.
Visiting at Crater Lake and Great Sand Dunes National Park with
grandkids in 1982.
Grandpa staying over night at Stefan’s house in 2004.
Eating at Byerlys.
Thanksgiving at the Macgregor farm in 2004. It was very cold and the
power went out.
Buying Matt a fire truck for Christmas and him preferring a wood
block.
Reading a chapter of the Christmas story every Holiday season.
Enjoying Matt’s commentary at the Washington Wild Animal Park -
"Do you got any chickmunks" & Ahmad the camel liking the driver’s
face.
The Monkey tree at the Woodburn house.
Geoff going to the driving range with Grandpa to hit golf balls and
hone their swings (1984).
Geoff, his brothers and sisters going to Hill City over the fourth and
taking to the 4th of July parade (1976). Grandpa lifted Geoff onto his
shoulders to help him see the parade.
George and family's perilous trip with Marshall and LaVaun in the RV
up the steep, narrow path to Crater Lake (1981).
Buying Geoff his first suit to use for interviews (1995).
Watching banana slugs at the Woodburn house backyard.
Geoff observing Grandpa going to the store, coming back 10 minutes
later to retrieve his wallet. Geoff then realized he was the victim of a
genetic curse (1989).
Grandpa giving Geoff a long interview, including stories about his dad,
growing up with his brother, and 80 of his favorite photographs.
Swinging a golf club like a baseball bat.
Top 10 of the 8 people in his graduating class!
Taking JoNett and her friends to Charlie’s to celebrate graduation.
Taking Jan to TRF airport road to tech her how to drive a car and
teaching her how to drive a stick shift in George’s Corvair.
Popcorn for Sunday night supper. Huge aluminum pot full.
Tapping the tobacco pipe empty meant 10pm.
Flying into Lake of the Woods to go fishing with Kenny. Kenny’s friend
let all the fish go on accident, let the boat go and left a can of kerosene
unattended on the campfire.
Pipe cleaner in the milk.
Kevin McHale him that he knew that uncle was the Mountain Iron
football coach. Kevin replied, "How do you know about that?"
Ate lunch at Café D’Napoli with Vern Mickelson and George Mikan. He
got lots of strange looks as Marshall at 5’8" walked in between them.
46 Ford,50 Ford green, 54 Chev grn, 57 Oldsmobile super 88 Yellow
and White, 60 Mercury, 63 Merc., 59 Simca, 65 Comet, 74 Nova
orange and white, 65 continental