"Oaks", just like in our lush Appalachian Forests, amongst all the other species of trees and life, there will always be the Might Oak Tree. My grandfather was just as a 400 year old, old growth oak tree....A tower, with strong roots and foundation. He let the sun shine down on his face, in the breeze off Watauga Lake, smiling, laughing, the oldest "big kid", on the lake. He taught me about the Lord, him and Nanny both, would make sure they came to pick me up for church, just as my other grandparents. That gift in it's self, to me is priceless. When you live a legacy like that of my grandfather, it's hard to highlight just a few moments over the precious years we all shared together. One of the most intelligent human beings I have ever been blessed to know, but I got to know more about my Grandfather in the past 6 years, personally then, I did earlier in life. He was always a prankster, loved to 'dish' it out....I can see him now, slapping his knee, getting tickled about some "story" he's in the middle of with Nanny Shelby, Granny Oaks, his Daddy. Any disease of the mind, is extremely hard on all involved, heartbreaking, but I have more peace of mind knowing he's no longer in those prison walls!
He loved the Lord, his dear sweetheart "Shelby Jean Oaks", they grew up in a totally different time than the world is today. A time when you just would throw out something, because it "didn't work" or wasn't good enough any longer, a time when Love ran deep, and even in the Mountains of Western North Carolina, they found a young love and shared many great years together, as well as, with the rest of us family. I will always remember the antique road trips all of us would take together, men up front, women in the middle, us kids in the back, and don't think for a second, Charlie "Rob" Oaks, would forget his cowbell! Just one of the many tricks he would have up his sleeve. He would watch in the rearview mirror for the moment when the "women" would finally have dozed off, just to swing that cowbell, just like the wild west dinner bell, just to get the biggest laugh, and knowing all to well, my grandmother, would be soon, giving him a look to kill! They loved to tease each other, even in later years.
I am so very proud to call such an amazing Godly man, my grandfather, and Tatum her Great Grandfather. We mad sure that his last chapter was filled with as much love as the whole family could give and show him. He had given so much of his time, money, love, assistance as he could to our community, he enriched the lives of so many young people over the decades. He loved to see Tatum's artwork, she actually painted her first finger painting just around a year old, and chose to give it to Paw Robert. He was beyond proud of his great granddaughter, Tatum Addison Cooke! His spirit will live on through many of us, but greatly through her!
Rest easy dear man, friend, jokester, Pa! We love you more than words can tell, we will see you in the Forest for now, but again in our heavenly mansion, when God calls the rest of us home.
Love You Always,
Sommer & Tatum