Deadbeat Dads

I did not know either of my grandfathers. My mother's father, John D. Poteete worked for Ford Motor Company in Detroit. He took Nana away from Alabama to the motor city in search of work for the automobile industry in the 40s. Unfortunately, he liked to gamble at the Hazel Park Racetrack, and most weeks would blow his entire paycheck and drink himself silly. Nana basiically kept the family financially afloat, working during the days leaving Mom and Uncle Johnny to take care of themselves. Sometimes John D. would come home so drunk, mom would have to peel him out of the bushes and put him to bed.  Think about your childhood and compare it to that.  Mom grew up on 5 Mile road, an area of Detroit that is now not super desireable to live in. Nana eventually left him and went back to Alabama, but never divorced him as divorce was not an option in the 50s. It was frowned upon.  You could separate, but not divorce.  They remained married until he passed away on a bus in Detroit. He had no ID on him. He had a letter in his pocket that had the address of one of Mom's aunts on it and this is how they found Nana, through contacting her. He was shipped home to be buried in the plot in Athens cemetary where Nana was eventually placed next to him. All of this is to show the strong women that my grandmother and mother are - and I get it honest from both of them.
My dads father, Harry White worked for Standard Oil. I believe he was a traveling salesman. During one of his long trips away, he met Peggy. She became my step grandmother. Let's just put it this way, Harry left my dad's mother for Peggy. I remember meeting Harry only one time, with Peggy before he died. We went to visit them in Meridian, Mississippi. Although I have seen pictures of us with him and Peggy in Ohio, I do not remember this. There weren't a lot of positive things said about Harry by Uncle Bert, because of the nature of the way he left my grandmother. Dad never really spoke about Harry at all, except that he lived with his new wife Peggy. So, I never really knew him. Prior to Peggy, he was a pretty big drinker - but Peggy was fairly religious, and apparently turned him around. I also remember attending his funeral. And that was that. 
While neither of these men were in my life in any way, they were in my parents lives less than mine.  The impacts that I got from them, around addiction, gambling, drinking and leaving your family in the lurch are impacts that are indirect to me but came through my parents in what NOT to do.  I am so fortunate that my parents did not follow in their footsteps.