6 Years Together With My Great Uncle Keela McGlothin

My Great Uncle Keela died Sunday.  I always called him my Grandpa because when I met him he said "he was old enough to be my grandpa and since I didn't have N~E that were alive he would be".  For the past 6 years he has been a big part of my life.  I met him when my Grandpa McGlothin’s was dying in Cincinnati Hospital.  I didn't even know that Grandpa had a brother that was still alive.  My Uncle's wife Margareta had passed away and him and my grandpa became close brothers.  My grandpa had stopped drinking which is why at first my Uncle had nothing to do with him.  It did not fit into his lifestyle; my Uncle was a school bus driver and his wife a nurse and they were raising a family.  Grandpa was a bad drinker need I say more.  During the last 2 years of my grandpa’s life, they became as close as any 2 brothers could be.  Grandpa couldn't drive so his brother Keela took him to doctor visits, out to eat and had many days of talking about the past, present, and future.  Together they watched the new bridge    being built over the Ohio River which starts in Aberdeen Ohio and ends up in Maysville Kentucky.  My grandpa kept saying that he would not be alive when it was finished but he was.  They were one of the first ones to drive over the bridge after the dedication.  What a thrill that must have been for the two of them.  I can just see the smiles on their faces as they drove across that massive bridge. 

I found it so odd that they looked so much alike.  U could definitely see the resemblance and know they were brothers.  I honestly thought they were twins    that's how close in appearance they looked.  Stay with me friends this is my way of dealing with my Uncle’s death. 

My Aunt Frankie had taken Mom, me (Donna Sue), and Teresa down to visit Uncle Keela and Aunt Margareta before Grandpa had died.  We had gone there approx 3 times before she died. 

My mother Nola Grooms had talked with her Uncle Keela about the trunks and getting each of her girls one for Christmas.  We had stayed with him during the viewing and funeral of my Grandpa.  Uncle Keela had told her he could do that for her and gave her a price for each.  He got started right away buying and re-doing 5 trunks before Christmas which were 6 months away at that timing.  This is how we ended up visiting him more. 

I would write him letters and send him cards to see how he was doing without his wife and brother.  He would write me back and I still have all the letters he wrote to me.  He was so lonely without his wife and his brother Owen.  We went down to visit him several times checking on the progress of the trunks and taking the ones as he got them completed.  This was the best Christmas present I have ever received.  I know he worked hard on them and my mother had spent monies to make sure each of us had something to remember him by. I will always cherish that trunk and the special memory of Mom presenting us girls with those lovely trunks.  From that moment on he had become more than just an Uncle; he became my best friend.   Sure wish I would have known him and Margareta and his family before.  I feel so cheated to not have known them.  I will take what I get I’m lucky to have met all of them.

The story begins back before I met him and here are some of the things that I remember him talking about.  Uncle Keela told me he had met Aunt Udell’s sister while he was living with his brother Lewey.  Well, they spent a lot of time together and she ended up getting pregnant.  Uncle Keela and Aunt Udell’s sister was going to get married after she had the baby.  When she had the baby she decided to pick up and leave in the middle of the night not to be heard from again.  Uncle Keela then signed up for the Army and Aunt Udell and Uncle Lewey said they would keep Howard Lee until he returned to get him; which would be when he got out of the Army.

He told me many stories about being in Germany during the cleanup of the war.  Germany was almost totally demolished the only buildings standing were mostly churches.  He told me many stories about losing track of his platoon and how he and another Army buddy had changed their names.  Wish I could remember what they changed them too but I can’t. He had to sleep in basements of buildings that had been blown down by bombs.  He ended up finding his troop after many weeks and later on met a girl named Margareta.  He fell in love with her and they got married she was 16 years old and he was 20 years old.  Uncle Keela was talking to a general and the general asked him if he could speak German it amazed me that he learned the language in the short amount of time he had been there.  When the General found out Uncle Keela could speak German he then became his chief of staff and translated all information for the General.  What a lucky break that was.  He drove for the General also so when they were stopped by the Germans Uncle Keela could communicate with the Germans which made passing through checkpoints easily. He was later promoted to Sergeant and released from the military when his duty was up.  Margareta and he were flown home back to Ohio on an Army plane strapped to the inside of the airplane which was used to transport heavy equipment.  Uncle Keela and Aunt Margareta went to his brothers Lewey’s house and picked up his son Howard Lee. 

Together they bought some land and built a house and raised their children.  Uncle Keela became a school bus driver for Bentonville School and his wife worked in a factory.  Margareta’s factory shut down and she later in life worked at the hospital where she retired from and Uncle Keela retired from the school.  During Uncle Keela’s spare time he had a trunk shop where he would re-do antique trunks that he would purchase at auctions, antique shops or friends.  He became well known by people all over the county about his expertise in re-doing these trunks.  He was very good at it, he always told me that the paper he put on the trunks would last another 100 years.  Never worry about the paper coming loose because it would not.  He made trays for the insides of all trunks in his workshop.  All the leather was replaced and the trunks were stripped on the outside of all paint (if any had been applied) he made the trunks look like they did when they were purchased 100 years ago.  This was a hobby he really enjoyed. 

Later in life Aunt Margareta had to be put on dialysis.  Uncle Keela would drive her 3 times a week to Kentucky for treatments.  He went through all kinds of weather but nothing prevented him from getting his lovely wife for her treatments. 

For the past 6 years my Uncle and I became the best of friends.  I spent many, many weekends with him.  Sometimes my sister Teresa would go with me, or Jammie and Logan, and sometimes even Maggie.  Chris and Courtney from Texas were home for a visit and we went and spent a weekend with Uncle Keela. I remember Uncle Keela giving them a feather comforter that he had got from a garage sale.  They used that comforter to keep warm in the back bedroom of his house which did not have heat that was piped to it. You had to rely on a nice thick quilt or an electric blanket or a small heater that was turned on to get the room warm.  The heater was turned off before going to sleep. 

When we all got up that morning Uncle Keela had lit a fire in the fireplace and made us pancakes with toppings of peanut butter and syrup or butter and syrup.  Boy yum, yum was that so good.  Of course, I had my fresh cup of hot coffeeand pancakes too.  Uncle Keela just loved sitting around the table with us talking about the time he spent in the military in Germany.  My son Christopher had just returned home from Iraq and could communicate very well with him.  I truly enjoyed just sitting there listening to them both talk about their experiences in the Army.  Uncle Keela showed Chris and Courtney the safety pin flags that he had made and passed them out to many people for free.  After breakfast, I cleaned up while Chris and Courtney got their bath. Uncle Keela showed me how to make the flag pins and I made several of them.  I then went and took my shower and then we all worked on making those pins for Uncle Keela.  He was going to pass them out to the seniors at the Senior Center and he was going to stand and pass some out at Wal-Mart also.  

My friend Rachael needed some getaway time from some problems she was having and spent a weekend down in Aberdeen, Ohio also.  She felt so lucky to get to come with me and meet the most wonderful person.  She still to this day talks about the good time she had with him and how important it was to her.  She ended up making some very important decisions for her life while she had time to think about all that was going on in her life. 

Uncle Keela was a person who got very lonely when his wife Margareta died from kidney problems.  Taking dialysis for 2 years finally got the best of her; she was a fighter right down to the end.  After a while being by himself he got very lonely.  He was so used to having Aunt Margareta there to take to dialysis and take care of that he didn’t know what to do with himself once she had gone to heaven.  This is when Uncle Keela decided to find his brother Owen and see what he was doing.  He needed a friend and fast to help occupy his time.  He went and visited his brother Owen and they became very good friends; not just brothers.  When my grandpa died and I met Uncle Keela I then felt so lucky to have met him and become a part of his life.

My Uncle Keela had 1 antique car and 1 antique truck.  Boy, I remember riding in the back of the truck with Tyler his grandson in many of holiday parades with his son Gary driving and Uncle Keela sitting in the passenger seat.  Uncle Keela was in many, many auto shows and won lots of 1st place trophies for his truck and car. He always got 1st place in the Tobacco Festival Auto Show in Ripley, Ohio.  I have many memories of him taking me rides in the truck.  We would ride around on the antique roads as he would call them.  One time he took me a ride and we went and got ice cream at the Dairy Queen, the boy was that so neat.  I remember the sound of the horn went ahhoga ahhoga.  The horn made 2 different sounds one for the city and one for the country.  The air conditioner was a miniature fan and u could push out the front glass and make a gap to get more air in.............. I can't remember much about the inside of each I was just happy to be riding in them.

Together he took me on many road trips; he would call me his chauffeur which I didn't mind.  We went to Kentucky and he showed me where his family (Mom, Dad, baby sister) was buried.  It was in woods behind these people house.  We knocked on their door and asked if we could go on their property to look for the graves.  We did find the gravesites; we cleaned it up and Uncle Keela had tears in his eyes. I could tell he missed them.  He always told me he was the last of the McGlothin’s left from his family and when he was gone he hoped his memories lived on.  U know when a relative dies some of them make a lasting impression on your life and some do not.  Well let me tell U Uncle Keela will never, never be forgotten by me.  He was there through my grandfather’s death, my troubles with my ex, my divorce, my brain surgery, and my recovery.  He never left my side through N~E of it.  He cried many of nights for me while I was recovering from surgery.  I will never be able to write on paper what exactly he means to me.  He was my best friend; I remember he had lots of antique clocks all through his house.  On the hour the clocks would strike or play music.  U know I could sleep through that; it didn't bother me at all.     The music was soothing to me.  The clocks would all strike on the ½ hour and then chime out the number of hours it was. 

He was also an antique oil lamp collector; he had 2 lamps that he was so proud of a pink antique glass one and a light green antique one.  The man had lots of old things in his house which we spent many of hours looking at and talking about. 

His dogs    the name was Hank, we used to go walking down Ebenezer Rd. to the Methodist church and back home, Hank loved to take walks.  If U ask me I think he really just wanted to go so he could see his girlfriend up the hill.  I couldn't swear to it but it was funny how he would start howling and she would come out to meet him at the edge of her property.  (My story may jump around but as I think of things we did I write it down.)  She would come out and together they would walk to the church and back and Hank would drop her off and we would all go back home.

My favorite potato chip from southern Ohio is called “Grippos” and they have to be a barbecue and the hotter the better. Uncle Keela would always have me a twin pack when I arrived to visit.  My favorite drink was mocha frappuccino made by Starbucks.  I always felt so special that he thought enough of me to have them there.  He would always tell me U can’t find these chips just anywhere they don’t make them up North and yes he was right about that.   

Lots of winters nights Grandpa Keela would light a fire in the and he would set me up with a nice cup of hot coffee and a piece of fruit or snack.  We would talk about things we were going to do the next day or the things he has done in his lifetime.  He always made sure I had a good book to read and if I didn’t he would take me to buy one.  God, I wish I would have got to meet him a long time ago.

 I can’t tell U the love he had for the hunt to find antique trunks to buy and refurbish. I have about 5 trunks that he has restored, they mean so much to me because they were picked out and done by him.  I also have many oil lamps that he gave me. 

I remember that every time I would get ready to leave his house on Sunday afternoon that he would cry as I drove away, the love he felt for me was unforgettable.  He always said it was too lonely without me to keep him company. 

Have U ever been to a Senior Center?  Well if I was down there during a weekday I would go to the Senior Center with him and eat lunch.  He would always introduce me as his granddaughter.  I enjoyed visiting with all the people there.  My Uncle Keela was responsible to take up the monies for the lunches which cost $1.00.  Food was always good; my Great Aunt Udell ran the center which I didn't know her either.  While I was at the Senior Center they taught me to do circles to make pillow tops.  Grandpa Keela bought me the things I needed to make the pillows.  Now that brings on another story............  We found Margareta's sewing box which was dirty and dusty where it had been stored at the house.  Together we went through the items in it.  Allot of the sewing items were so old but neat to look at.  When I went to bed that night and woke up the next morning Great Uncle Keela had cleaned that sewing box up and boy did it sparkle?  Together we went shopping for some new items to put in it along with the older items.  This was so neat and meant so much to him to give it to me.  I will cherish that sewing box forever, every time I open the lid I think of him and the time he took to fix it up for me.

I remember the story he used to tell me about his brother John Lee that went missing and the last time he saw him he was hopping a train to go find work.  When John Lee didn't return Great Uncle Keela and his brother Owen hopped a train and went looking for him.  They went to Indiana first because that is where his brother Lewey was headed to find work. He told me that they asked everybody if they had seen John Lee.  They went to the place of work that he was supposed to be heading to which was a mining company.  They said that he had been there but didn't stay long.  Long enough to get a check    .  They then went next door to the bar and asked people in there if they had seen John Lee.  Great Uncle Keela said they even offered a reward for information.  One guy in the bar said he had information about their brother John Lee and so Great Uncle Keela gave him the reward monies.  The information ended up to be a lie.  The guy told him that he had left and gone to Ohio for a job; I forget where in Ohio he said. His brother Owen and him hopped a train to northern Ohio but when they got to their destination they did not find their brother John Lee.  By this time all their monies had run out and they stopped looking for their brother and went back home to southern Ohio.  Many, many years had passed and their brother was never heard from.  Later in life when his brother Finley died he told his daughter while on his deathbed that he knew what had happened to their brother. He said that he and John Lee had lived with Lewey (his brother) and Aunt Udell who was Lewey’s wife. Aunt Udell’s husband Lewey asks the boys to go to town with him.  Well, John Lee told Lewey that he wanted to stay home.  Lewey and Finley left but then Lewey said he was going to go back home because he forgot his wallet in his dirty pants pockets. Aunt Udell had a red nightie on and had seduced John Lee who ended up going to bed with her.  I guess that red nightie was just too much to resist.  Well, you can imagine how mad Lewey was when he came home and his wife and John Lee were in bed together.  Lewey went out and got Finley out of the truck and got his rifle out of the truck.  John Lee ended up getting himself killed by Finley.  Aunt Udell’s husband Lewey made Finley kill John Lee for sleeping with his wife.  After Finley killed him he was told to pick up his body and bury him back by the biggest old Oaktree    (in Kentucky).   When Grandpa Keela got this information, of course, he was curious and wanted to go find his brothers grave.  He had the location and told his son Dana to go with him to help find it.  Well if U can believe this they did end up finding the grave where John Lee was buried.  Dana and Grandpa Keela had spent an entire day looking for the grave but right when they were ready to give up they found it.  I said, “how did U know it was a grave?” Danna told me that John Lee wasn't buried that deep and U could tell where the ground had been dug up even after all these years.  Dana told me that he had taken a stick and poked around in the ground to see if he would hit N~E thing and when he did that was confirmation that John Lee was there and not too far in the ground.  They did not dig around because Grandpa Keela said after all these years that he and Udell were the only ones alive that know what happened and he did not want to get her in trouble what good would come of it?  He did not want to go through this kind of turmoil this late in his life; he was just happy that he finally had found his brother and knew the story of what really happened to him.  Grandpa Keela did take me to the location where John Lee was buried but I never walked back to look at the grave.  Going to the location and seeing the biggest oak tree in the woods was enough for me.  I could see it from the road it was up on a hill and I had a clear view of the location.

I can say that Grandpa Keela’s kids hated me because of the time I would spend with him.  Needless to say, they could have spent time with their Dad also they lived within 5 miles of him. They made a choice to not see him and I made a choice to spend every bit of time with my newfound Great Uncle. I knew I could not make up for lost time, but I was going to enjoy the time we had left together getting to know this kind man.  He died of pneumonia at the age of 82 years old in the VA hospital. 

For the last year of his life, I didn't get to see him that much he had been in a car accident, he was broadsided by another car and his leg got broken up really bad. The doctor who did the repair did a horrible job and his leg was a long time healing.  He was later moved from the hospital to a nursing home.  I went to see him and his family was there in the room.  Can U believe that they stayed in the room and listened to everything we were saying?  They could have left and let me and my family visit with him.  At this time his dementia was starting to show but not bad.  Glinda his daughter was in the room and gave me dirty looks, so I just ignored her and acted like she wasn't there. From that point on I knew it would be hell to see him again, things were changed again in our lives.  By that time, I had my brain surgery which stopped me from going to visit him as often as I had before.  Now he was in a nursing home and his family didn't like me to see him. The only thing we can think of as to why they were acting like this is they were jealous of me and the time I was spending with him.  I know Grandpa Keela talked allot about me to his kids and they just got tired of hearing about me, me, me.........................

Well Grandpa Keela had another operation on his leg by another doctor who had to fix what the first doctor messed up.  3 months later he was released from the nursing home and went to stay at his sons' Danna's house.  Keela's granddaughter came daily and took care of him and took him to the doctors etc.  She was paid by the family to do this; they all worked.  They ended up putting his house up for sale    and cleaning it out of what they wanted to keep.  I'm sure this was hard on all of them; he was the best Dad N~E kid would ever want. Can U believe they even had a cement swimming pool when they were growing up, back in the day this was something?  Keela said there were always lots of kids over to their house.  What a time they all must have had.............

Grandpa Keela was living with Dana until he was accepted at the VA hospital which wasn't until 1 month before he died.  I had gone to the VA hospital with him when it was just built and I went in with him to look over the place.  Grandpa Keela had completed all his paperwork and returned it to them.  He said when the time came this is where he wanted to stay; it was a very nice place.  He hated the nursing home he told me it was like he was in prison    and it made him so unhappy.  He told me when he got out of jail he never wanted to go back there again.  He was just so sad there.................... 

Well the last the thing I want to say is the last time I saw my Grandpa Keela which was about 2 months ago I had to beat down Dana's door to make them open it.  Marlon and I had seen Glinda drive up and go in the house.  We were behind her but she didn't notice who we were.  We got out and I rang the doorbell, well, when she didn't answer I banged on the door.  She didn't answer again so I banged louder; she finally opened the door and asked me what I wanted?  I told her I had come to see Uncle Keela.    He had got up out of his chair used his walker and had come to find out why they weren't answering the door.  When Keela heard my voice, he was telling her to let me in.  As I walked into the house with Marlon Glinda looked at me and said "U better not upset him “I just ignored her and walked with Grandpa Keela and Marlon into the TV room. I helped Grandpa sit down in his chair, while Marlon took a seat on the and I knelt beside Grandpa's chair so I could talk with him.  Glinda and the rest of them stood in the kitchen watching us.  I stayed for about 30 minutes and he told me that he can't walk and doesn't remember a whole lot of things.  I told him that I loved him no matter what and he can walk because he just proved he could if someone makes him mad and we then we just laughed.  I told him that I loved him so very much and missed him and I was sorry so many things changed to prevent us from

 visiting each other.  I introduced him to Marlon, and he asked me if he was a good man to me and I said "YES he is and I 

love    him very much".  He told me that I deserved someone good after Greg treated me so poorly.  This man still had enough memory to tell me this.  I truly believe that he knew who I was......... We looked outside at the feeder and I told him it was beautiful outside and maybe later today they would take him out to sit on the enclosed porch and he could enjoy the breeze.  I asked him if he had been getting my cards and letters and he said "NO" this totally upset me.  I told him I wanted him to know that I wrote to him every week or sent a card with our pictures in it so he would remember me.  I believe what he said and I told him I had to go and gave him a big hug and kiss and told him I loved him.  That was the last time I saw him.  I did write his family and told them that I was upset that they were not giving him his mail.  They basically wrote me a F~U note so that's the end of that story.  In the end, he needed someone to read them to him but at the beginning, he was capable to do it on his own.  They took care of his bills and things and since they didn't like me they would read the letters and throw them away, so sad.

Well I feel better writing this all down thanks for listening to friends..........  My heart is so broken right now I feel such a loss in my life.

What else can go wrong? 

A girl just came to the door and was looking for Emma Marlon's daughter I told her that she didn't live here.  I told her Audy was here and she said OK and she would talk to her.  Emma's x boyfriend was killed last night at 11:30 on a motorcycle, he was drunk and speeding.  I know that Emma will be so hurt when she hears this, he was her boyfriend for her last 3 years of high school she is only 19 and Taylor was 20 when he was killed.  So sad.....................

Love Donna Sue 

Marlon and I are going to look at the place on Lippincott tonight before he takes me to my Moms.  I am going to stay there all night and Jenny my sis is coming tomorrow at 2:30 to pick us up and take us down to West Union for the viewing of my Grandpa Keela.  I pray his family does not make a scene, please pray too.PS Marlon and I are going to look at the place for the reception on Lippincott Rd. tonight before he takes me to my Mom's.  I am going to stay there all night and Jenny my sis is coming tomorrow at 2:30 to pick us up and take us down to West Union for the viewing of my Grandpa Keela.  I pray his family does not make a scene, please pray too.