Charlie and Caroline

I knew that Charlie would leave someday, but I guess I thought that because he was such a good person, God might allow him a lot of extra time here. Today I got the phone call from his daughter telling he had passed. It was a gut punch, and it hurts enough that I have to write something immediately to deal with the pain.

Charlie Grotton, and his lovely wife Dolly, came into our lives when we moved to South Gardiner, Maine. About two years after we moved there, my daughter, Caroline, was born. My Mother, who lived in Florida then, came to visit often to see her granddaughter, and would take Caroline for walks in her stroller. She started visiting the neighbors who lived across the street, and thus we met Charlie and Dolly.

From then on, it was a serious LOVE FEST as Caroline became the Granddaughter they never had. The Grottons had two daughters and five Grandsons, whom they loved dearly and who all lived out of State; but a nearby little girl was a surprise gift. Dolly created marvelous sweaters, toys, and all sorts of wonderful handmade creations for Caroline. Charlie would rearrange furniture and make a “tent” with blankets and chairs; then he and Caroline would climb underneath with bowls of popcorn. They would laugh and sing together for hours. Caroline loved her “Uncah Char-rie” like a Grandpa. It was such a blessing to have these two kind and gentle people nearby. We visited so often, and we came to know them well.

When Caroline was four, my husband I and got divorced; he stayed in the farmhouse across from the Grottons, and we moved a few miles away to Farmingdale. Charlie and Dolly were very saddened by this, because they knew things would change with us not being across the street. And they did change.

Caroline and I moved to Florida from Farmingdale, and we only saw the Grottons in the Summers when we returned to visit Maine. It was always a warm reunion when we visited Charlie and Dolly, and Caroline always felt their special love.

I tried to keep them up to date with cards and photos of Caroline as she grew up. I remember Dolly telling me what a loss it was for them when we moved, and how they really did think of Caroline as their Granddaughter.

Dolly passed some years later, and Charlie survived alone on their beautiful property for many years. He was always so happy to see us and hear from us. I did my best to remember him on his birthday and holidays with cards and photographs, so that he would know we always thought of him lovingly.

Today he is gone. That sweet, kind, funny man that we loved all these years is no longer here.

But I will hold him in my heart, and I will choose to remember one of my favorite scenes from Caroline’s childhood when I think of Charlie. We would be upstairs in her bedroom, and it would be sunset in the summertime or fall: bedtime for my three-year-old girl. We would look out her bedroom window and see Charlie across the road taking down the flag from the Grotton’s flagpole. Caroline would yell out: “Good Night Unca Char-rie”. Charlie would reply: “Good Night Caroline”. And all was well with the World.