Grampa's Hard Work and Courage

My earliest memory is swinging on Grampa’s leg and sitting on his lap a lot. Grampa nicknamed me “Pudge” because my dimpled, baby-fat cheeks were so appealing to him. Bernie says I was Grampa’s favorite, probably after Bob. Grampa worked nights at the foundry. He fell into a vat of lye and burned his leg. I remember the injury being very serious. There was a one- page article written in the newspaper about a new treatment for this type of burn, it was very successful in the healing, but left an awful scar. I remember Grampa always had a cane, but I am not sure whether he used it because of the accident. Mom told a story of how Grampa, once, almost single handedly took charge of their hometown in North Dakota. During a Swine Flu epidemic, Grampa assumed the duties of judge, postman and coroner. Grampa was apparently immune to the flu. Many, many people died. Mom remembered watching horse-drawn hearses, one right after the other, as they passed by her window all day long. Grampa worked all day and all through the night for a long time. What a courageous man he was. Grampa’s wife died when my Mom was eleven years old. She died of tuberculosis. Grampa raised Mom alone after that. I probably have these facts all wrong, but in my childhood memory, I think I heard a rumor about Grampa having an affair and burning down some house. Supposedly, it’s one of our family’s deepest darkest secrets. I do not know exactly what happened, but I do think it was around the same time that Grandpa relocated himself and our Mom to Moline and changed his name from Lehman to Williams. Diana probably knows more about this story. His other big secret was buried in the cement blocks at the bottom of the basement stairway. Years later, after he had died, we were all gathered at the house for the holidays and the grandchildren were digging in the cement blocks when they came across a stash of buried whiskey bottles. Grampa’s secret stash. Mom kept Grampa’s drinking solely to herself. The only other memory I have of Grampa is his horseradish. Grampa had his own special horseradish garden where he grew the radishes and everything he needed for his recipe. I remember he had to grind the radishes, and he had to do it outside because it was very smelly. I was at home the Sunday Grampa fell over in the hallway from a massive heart attack. He died immediately. I was so panicked, all I could do was stand back and watch as the ambulance took my grampa away. I loved my grampa very much. He was so lovable and very comfortable.