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Poppy's Top Story
Written By: Erinn

       " That’s it, go and pick up stones on the hill, Kenny!”
    This is what my grandfather, Kenneth Landon Ryan, also known to me as “Poppy”, heard all the time from his father. From the time he was little until he was 21 whenever he and his brothers and sisters got in trouble that was their punishment, and for my grandfather that was a lot of rocks.  Poppy was born on a chilly day, the third of December in 1928 in his home on Pleasantville Rd. in Fallston, Maryland.  He is one of 7 children.  My grandfather is currently living on Kenmore Ave. Bel Air, Maryland.

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    Growing up on the farm was a hard way of life.  But my grandfather says “ I wouldn’t trade it for any thing in the world.”  As a child he would wake up very early, get dressed, and go out to the barn.  With his brothers and sisters, Poppy would feed and milk the cows.  Then they carried the buckets into the milk house.  After that they dump the milk into the strainers, which would run into cans and cool the milk.  After this they would go inside and eat breakfast.  When they were done eating they would go out and clean the barn.  Once the barn was clean the children would come inside again and clean up for school.  Poppy attended “ Youth’s Benefit School.”  He and his siblings had to walk a half-mile to a two-room schoolhouse.  It was very cold in the winter because it was heated by a potbelly stove.  Sometimes the teacher would yell “Kenneth turn around and stop looking at the girls.”  He enjoyed school but had to quit in 7th grade to work on the farm.   He quit because his mother died when he was 11.

    After his mother died his father hired a housekeeper named “Miss Russell.”  The children liked calling her “Russ.”  She would help with the dishes, laundry, cooking, etc…  She was easily frightened.  One night Poppy’s father, “J.O.” went to bed early.  The boys decided that this was the perfect time to play a trick on Russ.  They took a dress form and threw a sheet over it.  They crouched low to the ground under the window by the sink, where Russ was doing the dishes.  They ran the “ghost” under the window while making ghost noises.  Miss Russell was so afraid she dropped the dish she was cleaning and screamed all the way up the stairs!  Russ leaped into the bed on top of J.O.  Everybody got in trouble that night.

    Poppy had many animals on the farm.  His pet was a dog named “Mickey.”   He was a black and white terrier and was very smart.  He also had a beautiful palomino horse named “Scottie.” Poppy said “You could ride him without a saddle.  He wasn’t a work horse, just a pet.”  His oldest sister Margaret was afraid of riding.  One day JO said “Kenny go out, get Margaret on the horse and lead her around SLOWLY.”  Poppy did as he was told and helped his sister on top of Scottie’s bare back.  He started leading Aunt Margaret around the field.  Poppy led her under an apple tree branch, which knocked her off of Scottie.  Poppy kept walking the horse like nothing happened.  Luckily, his father never saw what happened.  Margaret never told on her brothers, but never rode horses ever again.

    My grandfather and his brothers and sisters were very close.  They worked together and played together.  No matter what had happened that day or where they were they always sat down and ate dinner together that night.  They shared stories of their day around their big kitchen table.  They laughed a lot.  Every Sunday morning after the chores were done they would all get dressed in their nice clothes and go to church at “Friendship Methodist Church.”  After church they would come home and change.  Everyone would be very happy.  They would go outside and play ball.  Later that day their relatives would come over and have a big picnic.  Everybody looked forward to this each week.

      When Poppy turned 21 years old he left working on the farm.  He became a truck driver for a while.  Then he was hired as a black top paver.   When he was 23 years old he joined the army, from 1951-1952.  He was stationed in Germany.  He built roads and airports.  He was a heavy equipment engineer.  When Poppy got out of the army he became a butcher.  He owned the shop with his younger brother John for many years.  He retired in 1983 and is currently in the lawn care business.

    My grandfather met my grandmother through his younger sister Irene.  My grandmother and Aunt Irene were best friends.  They got married one hot evening on July 7, 1951.  They built a house in Bel Air and have lived there ever since then.  They had two children, Robert Orville Ryan born February 19, 1954, and Lori Beth Ryan born October 12, 1959.

    My grandfather has over come many medical obstacles.  He had a heart attack in 1987 and had to have a pacemaker.  He had cancer of the bladder and had to have radiation to clear that up.  He had surgery in September for colon cancer.   Now he is going through chemotherapy and is very weak.

     Poppy has traveled to many different places. He went to  Kaiserslautern, Germany, and  Munich, Germany.  He went to Florida, New Mexico, Texas, California, and Canada.  His favorite trip was a recent trip to Ireland.  He said that he is going back there again and is going to take me too.

     My favorite memory of my Grandfather is how he has always spoiled me!  He always comes to watch my softball, and basketball games and cheers my team on.   He brings candy for the team.  Whenever I go over to visit he fixes me my favorite food and gives me candy to take home.  He cooks the best steak in the world! The best part is I never get in trouble.   My grandfather has gone through a lot, and I love him.  He is my hero.

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