Tribute to Papaw Wood (published 3-14-2011)

Papaw Wood, my maternal grandfather, passed away on this day, March 14, in 1983. I'll never forget leaving the Morristown-Hamblen Hospital early Sunday morning, after staying the night shift with him, and thinking that Papaw was going to get better. At the time, I was attending East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City and renting a small apartment. I came home on weekends and pulled shifts sitting with Papaw Wood at the hospital. The next morning, when I was at my apartment before my first class started, Mom called to say that her father had passed on.

Papaw was a farmer in his earlier years in Indiana, where my mother was born. Later, he worked for Prater's Furniture as a furniture mover in Morristown, Tennessee. In his retirement, Papaw worked part-time at a gas station in Bean Station, Tennessee.

Granny and Papaw Wood had one of those all too rare marriages. Papaw courted Granny all his life. They always had the spark! Even in their later years together, Papaw would sneak up behind Granny, reach behind her ear, and say, “I stole some sugar!” Granny would pretend to be annoyed, but then she would smile and say, “Oh, Aby!”

Papaw was married once before he met Granny. The first marriage didn’t work out. Some time after the divorce, as he enjoyed telling it, Papaw saw Granny walking down Main Street in Morristown and said, “There's the girl I'm going to marry!”

As a child, I spent a week during the summer with Granny and Papaw. I saw how they genuinely loved each other. Papaw taught me how to whittle, carve wood, tie rope, work in the garden, and so forth. He loved to tickle me until I couldn't breathe! Papaw's mother's maiden name was Bair, which he pronounced as “bear.” Papaw would give me “a big ol' bear (or Bair) hug,” as he called it. Papaw loved to pull pranks on Granny and other folks. I got a lot of my sense of humor from him.

For birthdays and holidays, we would either go to Granny and Papaw's in Bean Station, or they would come to Rogersville. Well, they always came to Rogersville for Christmas Eve and would spend the night. I used to love to listen to Papaw tell his stories about when he was younger. I wish I could remember all of them. I developed an appreciation for good conversation from him.

At the viewing before the receiving of friends, Granny looked at Papaw’s body, lying in the coffin, and said, “He loved me so good.”

Papaw, thank you for being so good to me! You were the best Papaw I could have ever had!