My Grandfather

Aaron Jesse Mattley

Son of Aaron and Sarah E. (Combs) Noe Mattley

By Coleen Crewdson

 

 

 

 

 

Aaron Jesse Mattley – 5^th from the left

 

 

 

       My Mother recently told me a story about my Grandfather.  In about 1909 he had been farming and raising cattle with his Uncle and decided that the cattle business was not for him, he bought a furniture store, and deciding it was not the business for him he sold it for a few dollars, some jewelry and the deed to some land in Oklahoma.  Well, he went through the jewelry and there was only one piece good for anything.  So with ring in hand he went to my Great Grandmother Sarah Elizabeth and asked if she would loan him some money.  He told her she could keep the diamond ring for security on the loan.  She had the ring for years. 

 

       Now, knowing her health was failing, he went home one last time to say Good bye to his mother - at that time she gave him the ring.  This ring became my Grandmothers wedding ring.  The old setting was turned into a ring for my Mother and the diamond was put in a new mounting that Grandma wore until her death.   My Mother still wears this ring and it will be handed down to my Sister Shelley, then to her daughter Kerianne, and on down to my Great niece Jordan.  The diamond in this ring is a rare cut which makes it quite valuable.   My favorite part is the fact that my Great grandmother held it for so long and returned it to him without saying a word.  This was the last time he saw his mother.  Times being what they were he couldn't afford to go back to her funeral.

 

        I have a desk that came from his furniture business with the tag on the back stating it was in storage in 1889 and made about 1845.  My Grandfather never thought about the land in Oklahoma or paid the taxes.  It turns out that it is one of the richest oil sites in Oklahoma.   Grandpa would tease my Mother and say,  "I could have married an Oil Man's daughter" but "I got an English Teacher instead".   I know he was happy with that English Teacher.  They were married over sixty years when he died. 

 

       He was a sweet man with a stubborn streak a mile wide.   I remember when I was a kid.  He had to go into assisted living because it was too hard for Grandma to care for him.  The home was right across the street from their house on Logan in Denver.  Grandpa would come up missing ever so often and my Parents were called to join the search.   I remember the last trip he took.  After looking every where and not being able to locate him, my brother Kurt (I believe) said, "Let’s check the pool hall on Broadway."   Sure enough, there sat Grandpa drinking a beer and waiting to play pool.   He was always on the go and a good man in the true sense of the word. 

 

        I regret that he didn't live to see me grow up.   He was in his late 70's when I was born.   I grew up thinking old men couldn't talk and they drooled when they were tired.   Not old enough to realize he had several strokes and that's why he drooled.  He always let me win at checkers, and a quarter bought a lot of candy back then.  I was rich with love and candy because of him.

 

 

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