Earlier this week I was sitting at the table with McKenna and out of the blue she began asking me the two Grandpa's that have died in our family...Will's step-Dad that raised him Fitz and my Grandpa Leslie. Tragically my Grandpa Leslie died on 8/7/1974 which was 2 weeks exactly before I was born so 34 years ago. He drove a semi truck and hauled gasoline, one evening he was driving to Gallup, NM when several horses ran out onto the 2 lane highway, he tried to miss them and his truck which was fully loaded somehow exploded. (I don't know if he hit a horse or not - according to the article he did hit one of the many horses) Because it was out in the middle of no where on the reservation, there was little anyone could do and rescue crews had to come from far away. His truck burned for hours and hours...they only found 30 lbs of him as a result. I was told that there were burn marks on this highly traveled road for years and years. This was especially hard for the family wondering if he suffered or if he could have been saved etc. As you can imagine this was extremely devastating to everyone who knew him and loved him especially his wife and their 10 children. My Mom, his daughter was big pregnant at the time and decided that she would name the baby Leslie after her Daddy.
This is the article that the insensitive paper put out...it wasn't accurate and wasn't very nice considering that it made him sound like he was speeding, driving wrecklessly and didn't mention he had been a trucker for a long time and was trying to not crash or mention his family or his life in the military etc. They didn't take him to the hospital either as the article says...but you can see what is left of his truck. 
This was his last Christmas Dec. 1973 with his Mother and two of my cousins...he is holding Jenny Hamblin and his Mom I think is holding Glenna Taylor.
A picture of Grandpa Leslie with his 5 boys my Uncles Monte, Grandpa, Rusty, bottom row is Jerry, Phillip and Mark not sure what year it was taken but I know it was one of the last pictures.
I've often thought of him and loved hearing the stories about him. I've always felt a special connection with him even though I've never met him, at least here on earth. I'm sad that he died and proud to bare his name. He was and I'm sure still is a wonderful and honorable man, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather who is dearly missed. My Grandma Glenna his widow remarried but still remains sealed and in love with her true love Leslie Hathcock.
Thank you to my Aunt Toni who scanned and emailed these pictures to me today!!!
4 comments:
You know how it goes you have heard the story over and over and not one time in my life has it not affected me, I cry every time anyone talks about it. That is so awful, I cannot even imagine how that would feel. My mom has the newspaper article from the crash that we have read it is so sad.
It's Crazy how someone that we never met could affect our lives so much! I can't wait to meet him! :)
amazing story. I bet you had fun with your family to!
Thanks Leslie, what a great tribute to Grandpa. I've never seen that newspaper article before. It really hits home seeing it like that. I have people in our ward that remember when it happened. My stake president (he was bishop in their ward at the time) sayed he remembered how hard it was on Grandma Glenna to be left a widow with all of her children. I'm in the primary presidency with Grandpa's sister's daughter (cousin to my dad and your mom). She remembers it too. So many lives were affected by this tragedy. I wished we all would have had the oppurtunity to know him.
Wow Leslie, I never knew that about your grandpa. I knew you were named after him because he died right before you were born but I didn't know the story behind it. How cool that your family still has the clippings..to pass on to future generations.
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