tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58766040790672908352024-08-29T21:16:32.871-04:00On May 30, 2009 I lost my best friend, hero and mentor. Even after his passing, my grandfather still influences me. These are a few stories and my thoughts of my life with him.David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-73399400455105077022016-06-21T23:17:00.001-04:002016-06-21T23:17:46.881-04:00

I arrived at the driving range on Belle Isle Monday night a little after 7 p.m. I opened my trunk, pulled out my golf bag and tried to unzip one of the pockets. The zipper was frozen and would not budge. I tried another pocket and encountered a similar result. I guess I should pull my clubs out more than once every 11 or so years. But the last time I played, I played with Gumpy the summer

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-15088298292172040782015-06-05T11:00:00.000-04:002015-06-05T11:52:57.420-04:00

Tonight, the first Dorothy and Elbert Carpenter Family Scholarship will be awarded to a graduate of Maple Valley High School, through the scholarship foundation my grandparents worked so hard to establish. For each named scholarship, the family donating the money can give a note to the scholarship recipient telling a little about the person their scholarship was named for. The following message

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-18954412312455602382014-12-22T01:25:00.000-05:002014-12-22T01:25:03.701-05:00

Dear Gumpy, It has been five years since we've been able to talk on Davemas. While I think of you everyday, especially now that I'm a father, you're always in the forefront of my thoughts on my birthday because you insisted my birthday made you feel older than your birthday did. My heart is a little heavier this year because it will be the first time I can't pick up the phone and call Ema. I

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-86546596551127790242014-11-28T01:58:00.001-05:002014-11-28T01:58:04.792-05:00

Gumpy and I working on The Workbench. My grandfather loved his click clack couch. While it was never intended to be a focal point of any decor, especially not after it was reupholstered in a hideous golden mustard fabric, it ended up being the focal point of the front room of my grandparents' farmhouse. During my lifetime, it never moved out of that room, or from its usual position against the

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-62928764171578208072014-09-26T23:49:00.002-04:002014-09-26T23:50:34.778-04:00

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was in Detroit yesterday, announcing a grant of $25.9m that will go toward purchasing 50 buses for the City of Detroit. The announcement itself is great news for the city, but Foxx told a story of his grandfather that reminded me immediately of Gumpy. Here is Foxx, talking about his grandfather at roughly 17:34 of the video: His story immediately

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-17665606086651747702013-06-15T08:30:00.000-04:002013-06-16T10:15:49.828-04:00

Gumpy and I napping when I was six weeks old. Four years have passed since Gumpy passed away and there are few, if any, days that go by without me thinking about him even for a minute.  Unable to sleep on the eve of my first Father's Day, happy memories keep occupying my thoughts. Our trip to Idaho is one of those memories. Specifically, after the first four hours on the road, my sister

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-55532024449322492122013-03-31T23:57:00.002-04:002013-03-31T23:57:55.379-04:00

Sleeping at Mudgie's.   A few weeks ago, my wife asked me how Gumpy would like The Kid.  I answered that I know he would be happy for us for becoming a family and happy for me because he knew how important becoming a father is to me. I wasn't so sure about how he would act around her.  I know he would love The Kid, she has a smile and a hug that could melt even the

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-65478788952084263442013-02-20T00:54:00.003-05:002013-02-20T01:00:12.255-05:00

A few weeks ago, a friend told me his grandfather was going for surgery in a few days.  He didn't really have the vacation time booked to travel the 500 or so miles to be there with family during surgery.  And, being a Midwestern family, he wasn't told until a few days before the surgery.  Sticking with the Midwesterner theme, he was also told not to worry about it and that he

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-90287773099664191982012-12-23T23:04:00.000-05:002012-12-23T23:04:30.172-05:00

One day when I was a kid, I remember Gumpy tried to talk me into listening to more country and Western music.  He loved it, listening to it on the transistor radio mounted to the right rear fender of his tractor.  I think I was in my hair metal phase at this point, and I certainly wasn't about to give up Whitesnake for Willie Nelson. He told me that my Uncle Jim discovered that

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-14712292819404707942012-12-22T09:00:00.000-05:002012-12-23T22:19:22.055-05:00

Gumpy, you've been on my mind a lot this year.  There have been so many changes in my life, things that you would be excited about and I still wish I could just pick up the telephone to share them with you. I'll start with the big news first.  Gladys and I are adopting a little girl.  She's 10 months old, full of energy and a smile that would melt your heart.  Lately she's

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-23290604132979358222012-11-24T02:27:00.001-05:002012-11-26T06:50:00.256-05:00

My mom enjoyed this Thanksgiving dinner with my burgeoning little family.  It was our first official holiday with The Kid, and Gladys and I were happy Grandma Roz could join us. Inevitably, Mom and I talked about how Gumpy would react to me becoming a father.  He was pretty funny about me aging in the first place, often remarking that he felt older on my birthday than he did on Mom's

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-56157344080151754462012-11-05T01:50:00.000-05:002012-11-05T01:50:06.851-05:00

Gladys and I have finally found a spiritual home we are both comfortable with but we've been terrible about attending Sunday services the past few weeks.  We're in the process of adopting a little girl who has been in foster care since the day she was born and Sundays have been the most feasible for our visits the past few weeks. When we walked into today's service, we had no idea the

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-91567577971076299702012-04-12T10:00:00.000-04:002012-04-12T10:00:01.123-04:00

Gumpy's electric razor finally stopped working a few weeks ago.  It was a decent razor.  Nothing fancy, just a plain electric razor with a small trimmer.   It couldn't have cost more than $40 but it was always good for a decent, quick shave.  So it's back to the disposable razors that seem to last for two shaves before my baby face painfully lets me know I need to get a

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-38026668454058790442012-03-03T14:58:00.000-05:002012-03-03T14:58:35.568-05:00

Until very recently, the work I do rarely requires wearing a suit on a regular basis.  As I become a better writer and my reputation within Detroit social media circles grows, I find myself in more situations where I need properly tailored suit.  With somewhat of a heavy heart, I realize my days of being able to go to every meeting in jeans with a t-shirt and sport coat are numbered. I

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-19642968954796362292011-09-05T13:28:00.001-04:002011-09-05T13:28:49.463-04:00

For many years, my understanding of my grandparents relationship came through Gumpy's stories.  We spent many hours on the golf course and many more working around the farm together.  Since his passing, I've prodded Ema a bit more to get her version of things. Gladys and I stopped by the farm a few days before our second wedding anniversary to spend some time with Ema.  It had

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-1961341384937672962011-08-03T02:32:00.002-04:002011-08-03T02:33:14.677-04:00

Someone reached out to me yesterday on this blog to ask if I could promote a new program the Knight Foundation is sponsoring in Detroit.  The new initiative is called BME (pronounced be me) and it is designed to amplify the good works of black men and boys in the city.  Philly residents can participate too. What piqued my curiosity about was a post for the Knight Foundation by Trabian

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-36716190323692858192011-08-01T01:42:00.000-04:002011-08-01T01:42:17.851-04:00

Last Saturday (July 23, 2011) was the memorial service for Cleo Prescott, although he passed away in January at the age of 85.  He was a volunteer firefighter in Vermontville, eventually serving as their fire chief for 20 years.  He was a mail carrier, serving Vermontville's rural route one for many years.  He sold tractors in the family business, he cooked in the Army during the

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-238502224552670272011-06-19T05:57:00.000-04:002011-06-19T05:57:11.146-04:00

My favorite memory of Gumpy on Father's Day was the year my grandparents took us to Idaho to visit my Uncle Jim and his family.  It had been only a few weeks since my dad declared that he wasn't going to be living with us any longer, which was the beginning of my tumultuous teenage existence.  I was angry, confused, hurt and generally unpleasant at best to deal with. We arrived in

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-41451200913172943772011-06-13T14:24:00.000-04:002011-06-13T14:24:01.429-04:00

When I was 14, my grandparents took my sister and I on a wild adventure to Washington, D.C.  Okay, wild is a bit much.  The closest thing we got to wild was watching our first drug bust in a parking lot inside the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest. The trip was fun, even for an angst filled teenager.  We went to the Lincoln Memorial, took a tour of the White House, wandered

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-56246222658909209682011-06-04T23:50:00.000-04:002011-06-04T23:50:32.771-04:00

I don't wear the watch Gumpy gave me for my college graduation very often.  I usually save it for special occasions or big meetings where I think I need just a little edge.  I wore it last night again, this time for the graduation ceremony at Maple Valley High School, which I attended to help hand out the awards for the Maple Valley Memorial Scholarship Foundation. My high school

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-87893733636481726162011-05-17T01:53:00.000-04:002011-05-17T01:53:49.508-04:00

Written May 12, 2011  It’s been a while since I spent the night at the farm.  One year, 11 months and 18 days to be exact.  The night of Gumpy’s memorial service was the last time I spent the night here.  There are a few more things in the Shrine (otherwise known as Uncle Jim’s bedroom) because Ema is sorting through things again.  The crickets and frogs are bellowing

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-52458241834841623752011-05-02T03:15:00.000-04:002011-05-02T03:15:39.198-04:00

Saturday's visit with the old boy This post will be a bit of a hodge-podge.  Classes are over for the semester, my mother in law is back home in Tampa and I finally feel like posting again.  Thoughts of Gumpy are never far away from the front of my mind.  I still cry occasionally and yearn for his counsel.  It's been almost two years, and while I know that his suffering

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-1051173041420296322011-02-24T03:56:00.000-05:002011-02-24T03:56:18.906-05:00

I've really missed Gumpy a lot the past few weeks.  He wasn't one for telling me how to handle something or to tell me what I should do.  He was big on telling me about his experience and letting me learn from him.  Now that I'm at a point in life that he would have been very familiar with, I really miss the wisdom of his stories. Gladys' mom decided she wanted to stay with us for

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-22641851012178248162010-12-08T16:33:00.000-05:002010-12-08T16:33:36.947-05:00

Memories can be fickle.   They can be vivid one day and fleeting the next.  They can cause great sorrow and happiness without rhyme or reason.   For me, looking through photos gets me headed down a sentimental path.  Going to certain places, eating certain foods and talking with family can trigger other memories.  Memories are full of fact and imagination since our

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5876604079067290835.post-30925751577103927262010-12-04T00:02:00.000-05:002010-12-04T00:04:47.853-05:00

By the time I was in college, my golfing routine with Gumpy had changed.  I went to the farm once a week during the summer, so I only had the chance to work on my golf game once a week.  Gumpy, however, practiced almost everyday.  While I had the strength and size advantage, he countered with superior knowledge of the course and cunning. That cunning manifested itself in the form

David Lingholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02386189937642750484noreply@blogger.com1