Not knowing them for my whole life. Not knowing what they looked like where they lived, or what they did for a living. Hearing so much about them amusing but yet sad stories always reminding me spending time with your grandparents while you still have the chance to. You can ask them all the questions you want in life, or anything about their lives, like who they all dated or what they struggled with in school most. What I couldn’t ask my grandparents on what they did for a living or what their dream was hurts me more than anything. How they died and how it affected their kids lives is what I will be talking about hoping that you reading about my story on my grandparents  helps persuade you to be their for your grandparents and give them lots of hugs.

My grandpa's name was Richard louis Rueger who was born december 28, 1925. My grandma’s name was Thelma Francis Rueger born august 7, 1927. My grandma was a farmer's wife and was a clerical secretary but retired at the age 58 to spend time with family and travel. She lived in Eagan her whole life. Now, I didn’t see a picture of the house my mom grew up in or any pictures of my grandma until I was 12 years old because it was so hard for my mom to talk about when my sister and I were younger. When my Grandpa died my Grandma couldn't take care of 5 kids and the farm so they had to move closer into the city. My mom has told me so much about the farm, what they raised, and how she helped out around the house. My grandpa died when my mom was and infant so she never got to meet her dad when she grew up in his house. He was in the marines and was an all time farmer which i do not like farmers. The thing that my mom struggles with the most is the fact that my dad's parents are still alive and how he spends time with them so much because my mom never got the chance to grow old with them and sit with them and have quality time. So whenever we have to go to my grandma and grandpa is that she always has something negative to say because it brings up sad moments in the past like when i hear someone did something great with their grandparents.

My grandpa died when my mom was an infant at the age of 44 form a heart arrest, Myocardial insufficiency. He died in his home at six AM in Eagan on 12-02-1970. Now the fact that he was 44 and he was young yet with a lot of life me never getting to ask what his dreams were or what he had planned for his kids and wife. Me never going to their house to eat cookies and answer all my questions i had to ask and yet he died at the age 44. Next my grandma died when my mom was 16 years old the day after my mom's birthday. My grandma died on mother's day (5-9-1981) in a hospital bed in ST paul at the age 61. It started out as ovarian cancer, but by the time it was discovered it had spread to the colon, and the entire abdomen area and also part of the liver. It was not a pretty death until finally four PM she had passed away.  My mom took her mom's death the hardest because of the date.

Now as you know my grandma died on mother's day the day after my mom's birthday. My mom takes this death the hardest because. She just had a great weekend celebrating her birthday and her mom was starting to look good and taking care of her household on her own now that her last kid was getting ready to move out soon. My mom's oldest sibling becky was graduating that year in 22 more days. My mom and Becky were the closet kids to grandma out of the five kids they had. The family had gone to hawaii a few months back for the first time before becky graduated. So we thought we would make it a tradition by us going this year before taylor graduated. Now My mom didn't really meet her dad so she didn't really take that death to hard until she turned the age of 15 and started getting curious about what he was like just like I am now. She had all the same questions as me from what he did, what was his dream, and how he died. So the questions kind of run through the family. Now whenever we go to my dad's mom and dad's house my mom doesn't really like it because it brings up bad memories and questions of her dad.

Not knowing who they were or what their dreams were. I wish they could have met me and see who I would become so they could be proud of me. If I was a kid reading this essay who still had their grandparents around, I would go to them and ask all the questions ive ever wondered into my head and make them proud of what I want to do/become, tell them about my dreams, eat grandma's delicious cookies, Give both of them the biggest hugs in the world, step outside and say… I love you