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I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD THE DAY I CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL, TO FIND JUST ABOUT EVERYONE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD CROWDED AROUND AN AMBULANCE. MY SISTERS WERE STANDING, WELL I REMEMBER ONE OF THEM STOPPING ME BEFORE I GOT IN THE DOOR. I DON'T REMEMBER MADADDY BEING SICK, HE VERY SELDOM CAME OUT OF HIS ROOM AFTER BEING PARALIZED ON HIS LEFT SIDE, NOT KNOWING WHY, I USED TO TELL KIDS HE RAN NUMBERS FOR THE MOB AND BECAUSE HE HAD STOLE A FEW BUCKS TO HELP FEED THE ELEVEN OF US THEY DIDN'T WANT TO KILL HIM SO THEY THREW HIM DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS, REMEMBER I WAS ONLY EIGHT,WITH A VIVID IMAGINATION.( HA HA). BUT I DON'T EVER REMEMBER HIM BE SICK EVEN WITH THAT BAD LEG I DO NO FOR SURE THAT THE AMBULANCE TOOK MADADDY AWAY THAT DAY AND I NEVER SAW HIM ALIVE AGAIN. NO ONE TOOK TIME TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAD HAPPEN. HE HAD TB I NEVER HEARD HIM COUGH, OR MAYBE I JUST DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER. THE ONLY DEATH I KNEW ABOUT WAS ON TV BUT THEY ALWAYS CAME BACK THE NEXT WEEK. I REALIZED HE WASN'T COMMING BACK THE DAY OF HIS FUNERAL LAYING IN THAT BOX AND EVERYONE AROUND ME CRYING, THE MAN THAT CALLED ME LUNNY (my names linette), BOUGHT ME AND MY FRIENDS ICE CREAM, LISTEN TO CHURCH ON THE RADIO,AND MADE SURE I WENT TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY WAS NEVER COMMING BACK. THE ONE THING I REMEMBER MOST IS HELPING HIM PUT THAT STIFF LEG ON A OTTOMMAN, IT WAS A SITE TO SEE LITTLE ME LIFTING THAT HEAVY LEG, AND HIM ROOTING ME ON. HE DIED WHEN I WAS EIGHT IN 1956 I AM NOW FIFTY TWO AND I MISS HIM MORE NOW THAN I EVER DID. HE WAS A GOOD MAN AND HE NEVER GOT TO MEET HIS MANY MANY GRAND CHIDREN FROM HIS TEN DAUGHTERS AND ONE SON, BUT I KNOW HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT GRANDPA. IN MEMORY OF ROBERT ROACH BORN JULY 1 1898, DIED AUGUST 1 1956 FIVE DAYS BEFORE MY NINTH BIRTHDAY.

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