Leaving something behind
When my grandpa died, and since I was the only grandson, I kind of got the pick of his stuff.
I have some of his guns and a few tools, that’s about it. It has always bothered me that a man as good as he was had so little for his family to inherit.
My grandpa, or Papa Everett as we called him fought in the Pacific Theatre of World War
II. He was highly decorated, though he never talked about it much.
He worked at a lumber mill in Oregon until he retired and moved to Oklahoma to be nearer his only remaining child and her family --- which was mom, dad, me and my older sister. He took me hunting, fishing and even went to a few rodeos with me. He was a great grandpa.
These past few years, I’ve tried to buy some stuff that the kids might actually want to inherit. They both like rodeo and horses, so I’ve had a couple of bits made that have our family brand on them.
The first one I had made cost $500. A man named Leon Hughes in Claremore made it for me. It has a solid mouthpiece and swivels on the sides.
The port is what I’d call a medium port, and the port has been kind of flattened. It also has copper inlays in the mouthpiece so the horse’s mouth will stay wet.
The shanks are made of a heavy flat stock and he put a lot of silver on the shanks. I use it on my calf roping horses, it seems to make them flex at the poll and stop really good.
Another bit I had made is similar to the first, except the mouthpiece is flat instead of round. I think of it as a cross between an Ed Workman bit and the first bit I had made. Shad Mayfield had one I liked so I kind of copyied his.
A friend of mine has a couple of Rolex watches, they have increased in value. He bought them with the intention of passing them down to his kids.
Since visiting with him, I’ve always wanted a men’s and a women’s Rolex. One for each of my kids to inherit. I haven’t found one cheap enough yet, but I kind of watch around auctions and pawn shops.
I’ve got some western art that we’ve bought over the past 20 years. I’ve even got a piece of White House stationary John F. Kennedy signed.
I like reading books about hunting dangerous game in Africa, some of them were kind of expensive.
Not all of this stuff I bought with the intentions of giving to my kids, but there is some stuff they might need to get appraised after I kick the bucket.
The day I got married, I had $300 in my pocket and that was it. It’s always been a goal of mine to see that kids have a better start to their adult life than I did. I’d like to be able to give them a house or a piece of land when they get married.
I remember my first job after we were married, I brought home $1,026 a month. My wife was still in college, she only had about six months to go before she graduated. We sure lived on a shoestring budget those first few years.
My grandpa’s passing and my wedding day are both days that kind of stand out in my mind as being on the poorer side of life. My grandpa’s estate kind amounted to a few tools and some guns.
A man shouldn’t work hard his whole life and not leave much to his kids. That seems unjust to me, to be an American and a cowboy, and be broke in the end.
Maybe I’m spoiling my kids, but I don’t want them to struggle the way I did. It seems I worry more about their futures the older I get.
I hope one day they will put a bridle on a horse and think of me and smile, or read a book and understand why I wanted to hunt leopards in Africa from a ground blind.
Maybe that’s what my grandpa thought too, every time I use his hammer I think of him. I hope I can leave some stuff that will last and maybe be passed on for a few generations.
If I’m lucky they won’t hold an auction the week after my funeral and sell it all to the highest bidder.
Oh well, at least I tried ... .