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WALKER FAMILY HISTORY
Ron McMullin's Memories
I have a few memories of Grandpa Walker, though he died when I was just 4 years and 3 months old.
So I am going to share them with you.
I remember that Grandpa Walker was a diabetic. He would have to give himself a needle, and didn't go into a private area to give himself the
shot. I remember one time, a bunch of us kids (probably my siblings)
peering from the bathroom toward the kitchen when Grandpa had a needle in hand and was about to poke himself. He saw all of us kids watching and
asked if we wanted a needle too! You have never seen kids run so fast up the stairs. He really didn't come after us, but we weren't staying around
there. In this joking manner, he got his privacy.
I also remember that Grandpa liked to take his grandkids to the Ridge. One day, he piled us all in his new Mercury, a yellow car with a green roof.
Out on the highway, he asked who would like to drive. Of course, I thought I should be the one to hold the steering wheel with him, since I was a bit
his shadow. When he let Stuart (Fairbanks) do the driving, I was so sad. (Probably pouted most of the way out to the Ridge). He liked to go up and
see the sheep and talk with the sheep herder.
I remember going through the Cultural Hall (the big gym) with Grandpa one day. He had gone to take a look at the progress on the building. It must
have been nearly finished, because we walked up the stairs by the stage on the north side and the stairs had been framed in but there was no drywall or
lath and plaster, whatever was used back then.
I got my start in gardening under Grandpa's hand when I was 3 going on 4.
In our back yard, for some reason a part of the back lawn to the north was left as bare soil (no grass growing in the middle of the lawn). Grandpa
took me out there in the spring of 1954 and helped me plant a pumpkin patch.
I do not remember if the pumpkins grew, but that was a start.
I remember that when Grandpa died, they had his coffin in the living room for a while. I don't know if it was customary, but there were dishes of
candy around for the visiting people. The candy was round and mostly red and yellow and came in a tin can with a
pop off lid -- I think the label was black and had pictures of the candy on the label. I remember the Aunts
scurrying around the house and wondering what was going on. I really don't remember feeling any particular grief at that age.
Shortly after Grandpa died, perhaps the next year, I remember going with Grandma Walker to buy flowers for the flower beds. She drove the car all
the way to Perk's greenhouse, just on the west side of Raymond. She drove so slow, that I thought we had
traveled all the way to Lethbridge. Grandpa drove much faster.
That really is all my pleasant memories of Grandpa Walker -- I have only one bad one where I got
punished for getting down some matches that were kept above the stove -- Glen had just come home from University and was showing
us kids a few "tricks" he had learned in his chemistry classes. I took it upon myself to go and get him some more matches whether he needed them or
not. Grandpa caught me with my handful of matches and I received a reward that would make me think twice about touching matches again.
I am glad I have those memories. I wish that I remembered more -- Oh, there is one more -- I remember going to the bathroom with him, but maybe that is
a story that needs not be told!
Love you all,
Ron McMullin |
