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 i...
In the half century that I've been alive, I have only been to two funerals that had over 100 people there. Big Ken's funeral was one of them. His grandkids called him Grandy. He certainly was a grand man - standing 6'4" he was a big man but gentle by nature. He was quiet, not a big talker, but when he did talk, it was insightful, and ususally made YOU think, sometimes for hours after you had spoken with him. I called him Uncle, but he was really my cousin by marriage. He touched the lives of so many people - and it was amazing to see just how many in the church that day we were all paying our respects. Words that describe Big Ken are humble, honorable, devoted to God, teacher, coach, mentor - the example he set is hard to emulate, but I try daily. Big Ken made you think about your life choices and why you were making them. He would offer advice, but it was never judgemental. Big Ken was an icon who made a big impression on my life. He loved his garden too! I believe I get my interest in gardening from him and my Aunt Mary. At my wedding, he came dressed as a Mardi Gras Reveler. He was one person I totally did not expect to dress up - he just didn't seem like the type. This made me so happy! I think about how many times he asked me about my life when home for the holidays - he genuinely cared about what you were doing and why. His impact on people in his church was widespread and everlasting. He knew the meaning of DO THE RIGHT THING, and now so do I. I can only hope that one day I have the same amount of impact on people as Big Ken did on me.
