2015 Year-in-Review

The year 2015 has been another eventful one, adding on to the events of 2014.

The year began with the Muffet family losing the last member of my grandparents' generation.  Aunt Edna went to the hospital a few days before New Year's, where her health declined rapidly.  She died on January 9 at the age of 89.  Her calling hours were held at Barberton's Campfield-Hickman Collier Funeral Home on January 12.  The following day her funeral was held at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and burial took place at Lakewood Cemetery.  The family then went to lunch at Belgrade Gardens, where we had the chance to share some stories and photos among each other.

I depended on Ohio State's football team to lift up my spirits during the difficult time.  OSU entered the first-ever, four team, College Football Playoff as the 4th seed.  They defeated #1 Alabama, 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl National Semifinal on New Year's Day.  They went on to defeat #2 Oregon, 42-20, in the National Championship on January 12.  In addition to the OSU fun, Aunt Kathy and I attended a Cavs game at the end of January.  The Cavs won 108-98 over the OKC Thunder.

Around the same time, Uncle Ernie's health began to decline and he died on April 13 at the age of 68.  His calling hours were held at Marion's Boyd-Born Funeral Home on April 17.  The following day his funeral was held at Fairpark Baptist Church and burial took place at Marion Cemetery.  Dad's early life and Uncle Ernie's lifelong parish, First Church of God, closed its doors the previous year, which forced the funeral to be relocated.

These deaths, in addition to Grandpa Webster and Grandma Maybin in June/July 2014 marked four family deaths in less than a year.  Fortunately, I finished the year with none in eight months.

In February, I completed my payments on my loans to the University of Akron for my first bachelor's degree.  The finale of Two and a Half Men aired on CBS on February 19 for the final time after 12 seasons.  While I didn't follow it closely the last three years, it was one of my favorite sitcom for the greater part of a decade.  When it first aired in 2003, sitcoms were in serious threat of extinction at the expense of reality TV.  I must credit Two and a Half Men for helping to revive sitcoms back to decency.  On February 28, I went to BHS to pick up a job recommendation from school resource officer, Ken Cheatham.  While there, I ran into three of my former teachers who happened to be working their final day.  They were Mr. Iverson (Physical Science), Mrs. Dague (Spanish 3), and Mr. Passarelli (Design).  When I went home, I wrote an article about them and submitted it as an assignment for the Barberton Herald.

In early March, the Herald's Cheryl Vespoint and BCF's Jim Stonkus hooked me up with a series of assignments which turned out to be an awesome experience.  I was asked to cover Leadership Akron's Barberton Community Leadership.  It was held on six out of 12 Wednesday afternoons in March, April, and May.  I took tours of various Barberton locations, such as BHS and Summa.  I also had the chance to get better acquainted with many important people in Barberton.

I got to attend a cool party on 3/14/15 in honor of Pi Day.  My friends, Megan and Tyler Pacifico, who are science and math teachers, had a group of friends over for the occasion for pies, among other snacks.  The following day, the Muffets had a get-together at St. Andrew's for the 6th anniversary of Aunt Jo's death and we had a nice lunch at Sweet Henry's.

On March 30, I turned 31 years old.  I celebrated by going to the Northfield Rocksino with Scott on March 28 and by having dinner with Cousins Nikki, Andrew, and Mae at Jerzees in Green on March 29.  After getting home, I hosted the first annual Mike Hanshaw's Fantasy Baseball League Draft, with a variety of classmates and co-workers from over the years.  Brett Fogle won the league, followed by Brian Whiddon, Bob Phelps, Scott Demko, Andrew Adam, Chris Perkins, Nick Blake, myself, and Tom Liggett.  On April 5, I celebrated Easter with church at St. Andrew's, followed by lunch at Prime with my parents, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tom, and Susie.  The following Sunday, I finished celebrating my birthday, by having lunch at Bob Evans with BHS friends Stephanie (Jerin) Laughlin, Lindsay (Foley) Motil, and Megan (Lengyel) Pacifico.

I took my first week of paid vacation from Acme from May 3 to 9.  After getting of work on May 2, I headed over to Beth and Tony Sveda's house to watch the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquio fight, which was good for six rounds before Mayweather dominated the final six.  On May 4, I went to Kent State to attend the 45th anniversary events for the Kent State shootings of 1970.  I heard some very interesting speeches and met a few interesting people, including someone who was protesting at KSU the day of the shootings.  On May 9, Scott and I took a road trip to Toledo to visit the Great Lakes Naval Museum.

On May 20, David Letterman said goodbye to the CBS Late Show after 22 years and late night TV after 33 years.  My mom started watching him when she was my age in the early 1980s and his show became an institution in my house for my first 31 years.  Late night TV will never be the same without him.  In June, the Cavs made it to the NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games, after losing both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving to injury during the postseason.  Meanwhile, American Pharoah won the Triple Crown of horse racing, including the Kentucky Derby in Grandma Muffet's hometown of Louisville, KY.

I took my second week of paid vacation from Acme from July 12 to July 18.  I worked my last day on July 10 before spending the evening at Progressive Field with Scott, with nice tickets in the section behind home plate.  The Indians defeated the A's, 5-1, with a fireworks show afterwards.  On July 11, I went to Cousins Nikki and Andrew's house to celebrate Mae's belated 1st birthday with family.  I spent the next three days in Cincinnati with Aunt Kathy visiting Cousins Krissy and Brett and their three daughters (Kate, Ellie, and Anna).  On July 13, I got to see Mike and Mike in the Morning (met both hosts), the Cincinnati Reds HOF, MLB All-Star Fan Fest, and Home Run Derby at Great American Ballpark.  It was awesome seeing Reds 3B Todd Frazier win in front of the hometown crowd.  On July 17, I went to the Muffet Family Reunion, organized by cousins Sarah (Gore) Suboticki and Missy (Muffet) Conti.  July 18 was my 10th anniversary on Facebook, which was hard to believe.  At the end of July, I left my job at the Barberton Herald to focus on my career pursuits.

During the spring and summer months, Acme 14 received a $1.2 million renovation that led to be reassigned a few times.  Three self-checkout registers and an attendant station opened the week of July 4.  I was one of six cashiers sent to Acme 12 (Cuyahoga Falls) the previous week to be trained on self-checkout.  After working the self-checkout for two months, the Natural and Organics section was completed and I was transferred from the cashier to the grocery stock schedule.  I was sent to Acme 21 (Green) to learn how to order and stock the department.  In addition to this, I have been ordering and stocking candy/gum at the front checkouts and bulk bins since Nov. 2014.

In August, Muffet and Maybin family friend, Jim Moore, gave me six vouchers that could be used at the Akron Rubber Ducks (AA) baseball games at Canal Park.  On August 21, I went to the game with Nikki, Andrew, and Mae (1st game for Mae) and the following day, I went with Scott and his brother Mark.  Despite playing the inferior Erie Sea Dogs, the Rubber Ducks lost both games.  On August 23, St. Andrew's held its annual outdoor service at Columbia Woods Park in Norton.

On Sept. 12, Krissy and Brett's 4th daughter, Julia, was born at 4:30am.  Aunt Kathy and I had tickets to the Ohio St. game against Hawaii at 3:30pm.  It was my second OSU football game, the other being during the 2002 national championship season.  We left Barberton shortly after 10am and arrived in Columbus around 12:30.  We had lunch at Champs and a friendly couple let us sit with them, saving us valuable time.  Once the game started,  OSU played a sluggish three quarters and only led 17-0, despite playing an inferior opponent.  OSU dominated the 4th quarter with three touchdowns and won 38-0.  Once the game was over, Uncle Tom came to pick up Aunt Kathy to meet their 5th granddaughter in Cincinnati.  Not used to driving that far on my own, I had a very enjoyable ride home.  On Sept. 26, Uncle Gerald and Aunt Karen met my parents and I at the Lodi Prime Outlet, where we had a nice visit together for an hour.

In October, my good friend, Anthony Sherman, worked his last day at Acme.  I finished the month attending a Halloween party at Matt's house, where I got to see a variety of old and new friends.  Longtime Acme 14 receiver, Ed Ody, retired the day before Thanksgiving after over 40 years with the company.  In November, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tom, and Susie at Prime.  The following day, I went to the Holiday Tree Festival at the Akron's Knight Center with Aunt Kathy, Nikki, and Mae.  Aunt Kathy and a group of friends from BHS decorated and donated one of the trees on display.  The following week, I took my 3rd week of paid vacation from Acme for the year.  On December 3, I met Adam (my best friend during school) at the Enchanted Café for lunch and we had a good. long talk about life.  On December 12, I got the neat opportunity to volunteer at the annual Barberton men's basketball Greynolds' Classic with Uncle Tom, offering hospitality to the coaches and players on the participating teams.  I celebrated Christmas with Aunt Kathy's family on December 25 and 26, where I got to meet Julia.  On December 27, I went to the annual Christmas party at the home of Rev. George and Kathy Tarsis.  I finished the year celebrating New Year's at Matt's house with him and his friends.

2015 Fantasy Football Review

The 2015 season marked the fourth season that my fantasy football team, Big Mike Boyz, participated in the Damn D Fest's league, started by Matt D. in 2008.  In late July, the annual draft lottery was held to determine the draft order of the 12 participants, which is done in a snake format (draft order reverses from round to round).  On August 23, the draft was held in Coventry (near Acme), where Matt D. lives at with three roommates.  Before the season started, everyone had to pay their $100 entry fee.

The championship, won by Lee, was held in Week 16 since many NFL teams would be resting their starters in Week 17.  I began the season 3-1, but lost seven of my last nine games to finish 10th place with a 5-8 record.  Despite a losing record, I won $40 back this season.  I earned $20 by scoring high point in Week 3 when I defeated Mario's Doughnuts, 140-105.  I earned the remaining $20 for allowing the most points (bad luck) in league this season

This is a recap of my roster:

QB: I drafted Broncos' Peyton Manning in the 3rd round to be my starter and 49ers' Colin Kaepernick in the 11th round.  These two QBS turned out to be among the most disappointing in the NFL this year.  Manning's ended after nine games with a foot injury and Kaepernick was benched by the 49ers.  I cut both of them from my roster and finished with Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill and Chiefs' Alex Smith.  Manning and Tannehill finished the 2015 NFL season as the QBs with the most INTs.

RB: I drafted Packers' Eddie Lacy with the 2nd overall pick in the 1st round of the draft.  Lacy struggled all season with injuries that caused inconsistent play.  The highlight of my season was picking up Falcons' Devonta Freeman off the waiver wire.  Freeman was one of the NFL's top players in 2015 and if I didn't have him, I would've lost three more games.  Chargers' Danny Woodhead (8th round) and four others filled in for me when necessary this season.  I drafted Lions' Joique Bell in the 4th round and cut him early in the season.

WR: I drafted Packers' Randall Cobb in the 2nd round to be my top WR and he gave me a strong season.  I drafted Lions' Golden Tate in the 5th round and he gave me an average season.   The Cowboys' Terrance Williams (9th round) underachieved but his performance was well enough to ride my bench for the season.  The same couldn't be said for Saints' Marques Colston (7th round) and Bills' Percy Harvin (10th round), who were both cut from my team by the end of October.  I picked up Titans' Nate Washington and 49ers' Torrey Smith off the waiver line and they filled in when needed towards season's end.

TE: I took some risks in drafting this position, but it turned out to be one of my strengths this seasons.  I drafted Chargers' Antonio Gates in the 6th round, but he was suspended for the 1st four games due to violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.  I drafted Saints' Josh Hill in the 12th round, but cut him before the season started and picked up Redskins' Jordan Reed.  Reed had some nagging injuries, but he and Gates both turned in solid seasons.  Once Gates returned from suspension, I started him at TE and Reed at WR-TE flex.

K: I drafted Ravens' Justin Tucker in the 14th round and he gave me a strong season, despite his NFL team struggling on offense due after losing key players to IR.

D: I drafted the Cardinals' defense in the 13th round and it was one of the strongest in the NFL this season.

Remembering Uncle Ernie Hanshaw (1946-2015)

On April 13, my uncle, Ernie Hanshaw, passed away at the age of 68.  He had been battling health issues for the last decade, but things took a turn for the worst during his final three months.  Uncle Ernie was Dad's racing buddy during their younger years.  Uncle Ernie was quiet like Dad and always seemed to follow Dad around every time we saw him.  They refurbished a Chevy Nova and rebranded it as the "Chevy Too."  Dad has several photos of the work and finished product and the even got an article published in a national racing magazine.  About 10 years ago, Cousin Todd (Uncle Ernie's son) was able to obtain a copy of the publication, which was from the same month as his birth in June 1972.  Todd also got a portrait made of the Chevy Too with the race car he currently owns.

Dad and I attended the calling hours (Mom was ill) held from 5-8 on Friday, April 17 at Boyd-Born Funeral Home in Marion.  On Saturday, we went to the funeral at Fairpark Baptist Church (1st Church of God closed in October) before following the procession to the burial at Marion Cemetery (near President Warren Harding's tomb) a few sections from where Uncle Larry is buried.  Afterwards, we went back to the church to have lunch before heading home.

Memories of Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim Snyder

Edna Muffet-Snyder was the youngest of Grandpa George Muffet Jr.'s seven siblings.  In 1952, she married Jim Snyder and by the end of the 1980s, she was the only sibling still alive. 

I always had a special relationship with them, their children, and grandchildren.  Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim sat in the pew across the aisle from me at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.  Mom, Aunt Kathy, Cousin Krissy, and Cousin Nikki sat in my pew, while Elaine (Aunt Edna's daughter) sat with her parents, husband Ron, daughter Becky, and son Jamie across the aisle.  In addition, their daughter Helen, was a room mother at Woodford Elementary with Mom.  Helen's daughters, Sarah and Rachel, graduated from BHS in 2001 and 2003, so I spent plenty of time with them too.  Since Rachel was in my graduating class, she ended up being my closest female childhood friend.  Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim's son, Bob, is one of the family historians along with me, so we have that bond together.

Some of my earliest memory of Aunt Edna was when she took Sarah and Rachel to Tuscora Park during the summer, where Mom and I would see her.  My favorite memory of Uncle Jim was having him help me with my leaf collection in 7th grade.  He had many types of tree leaves and knew the names of all, just as well as a science teacher would.  They would help out when they could, such as offering Grandma some medical equipment when she was beginning to have health problems that belonged to Uncle Jim's mother. 

In June 2001, Mom took Grandma Muffet and I to Sarah's graduation party at her home.  Grandma had a nice time talking to Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim that day.  The week after the party, I started working at Acme, where Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim would come in and always stop to say hi.  I was confirmed in October 2001 and remember having an interesting talk about the old times afterwards with Aunt Edna, Aunt Jo, and fellow parishioner Jean Uhl.

In April 2002, St. Andrew's was celebrating its 100th anniversary as a parish, which happened to fall the same month as Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim's 50th wedding anniversary and Uncle Jim's 70th birthday.  In October 2002, Uncle Jim died suddenly, a little more than a year after Grandma had a major stroke that left her paralyzed and bedridden.  On a few occasions, Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim would come to visit Grandma at the Barberton Hospital.

In 2003, Rachel and I graduated from BHS and if there were two people I wish could've been there who weren't, it was Grandma and Uncle Jim.  I remember talking to Aunt Edna about how things changed a lot in two years.  In the years after Uncle Jim's death and Krissy and Nikki's departure from Barberton, I began to sit in the pew with Aunt Edna and her family at St. Andrew's.  Aunt Mary and Grandma died less than a week apart in July and August 2004, leaving Aunt Edna and Aunt Jo as the Muffet family matriarchs.

Jean Uhl died in 2005 and a generous donation her estate made to the church allowed for a handicap elevator to be installed.  I would help Aunt Jo and Cousin Juanita (Grandpa and Aunt Edna's 1st cousin) down the elevator and Aunt Edna would ride along.  Aunt Jo died in 2009 and Juanita died in 2011, but afterwards, fellow parishioner Louise Baker would ride along with Aunt Edna and I.

After Uncle Jim died, her family would help her with the garden.  Some years, Aunt Edna would give me tomato plants for my yard, even last year.  Aunt Edna was an important source to me on the topic of Muffet family history.  I presented her with a family tree for her 80th and 85th birthdays in 2005 and 2010.  I talked to Aunt Edna at church on Christmas Eve in 2014 and in the following days, she became ill.  She died fairly suddenly on Jan. 9, 2015 at the age of 89.

2014 Year-in-Review

I consider the years from 1999-2005 to be the formative years of my life, but 2014 ended up being one of major transition for me as well.

Cousins Nikki and Andrew French became parents for the first time early morning January 7, when Cousin Mae was born.  It was a few hours after the final BCS game, which was very appropriate considering the family's relationship with Ohio State and its football team.  On January 14, I returned to Kent State for my final semester, taking four classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  They were High Impact Speaking, Criticism of Public Discourse, Visual Design Media, and Communication Research Methods.  Criticism of Public Discourse was my favorite since it had me reviewing historical speeches.

I turned 30 on March 30 and had a great day.  This is a Facebook post that I wrote that day:

• Thanks to all for the birthday wishes for my 30th! I went bowling with my best friend Scott Demko yesterday. This morning I tried Taco Bell breakfast today with Scott and his parents before going to church. Mom's cousin Karl was visiting from Tennessee and we had a good conversation after the service. I then went to Bob Evans where I had lunch with Stephanie Jerin, Megan Lengyel, and Lindsay Foley-Motil. I had birthday cake with my parents and I mixed in some March Madness this weekend when I had a chance. I'm wrapping up my spring break from Kent State, so the few extra days off helped me to get caught up with my appointments. I also got to go to work early at 6am for the first time on Saturday, which gave me an extended weekend. I still have a few more birthday activities to look forward to in the next few weeks.

In April, I was scrambling to find an internship for the summer semester since I was graduating in August.  Aunt Kathy saw an article in the Beacon Journal about College Now, an organization that assists college students, opening an office in Barberton.  I called the director, Jason Miller, and he suggested that I complete an internship where he did, the Barberton Community Foundation.  I went to their office for a meeting to meet the staff and they agreed to take me aboard.  I had a wonderful experience with the BCF, helping them with everything from writing and organizing their binders.  They have a great staff, in addition to their Board of Directors.

Grandpa Webster turned 90 on June 11, before he passed away from lung cancer on June 17.  I went to his calling hours on June 20 at Boyd-Born Funeral Home in Marion.  The week of his death (June 15 to June 21) was a pretty crazy week for me.  I got bronchitis for four days to start the week and I had tickets for the Indians-Tigers game on the evening of June 21.  During the pregame, my favorite childhood baseball player, Omar Vizquel, was introduced to the Indians HOF.  I only ended up working two days that week, but I had personal and bereavement pay, so I didn't lose any income.

On July 3, Grandma Maybin died in her sleep during the early morning at age 92.  I went to her calling hours on July 6 at Campfield-Hickman-Collier Funeral Home and on July 7, I was a pall bearer at her funeral and burial.  The funeral was at Barberton First Baptist Church (officiated by Mike Prebynski) and the burial was at Hillside Cemetery. 

Both of these grandparents were World War II Army veterans (Grandpa was a Military Police and Grandma was a nurse) and both maintained sharp minds until the end.  After Grandma Muffet and Grandma Webster died in 2004 and 2005, I would commonly say that my biological grandparents were deceased, since I was still able to call these two my grandparents.

In August, I took my second week of paid vacation from Acme.  On Friday, Dad and I finally made it to Lawrence County, Ohio to see Grandpa Hanshaw's grave.  It was Dad's first trip there since Grandpa's funeral in 1988 and my first trip there in general.  It was a challenge finding the grave in the unincorporated cemetery, but when we did, it was so fulfilling.  Grandpa was buried at Hecla Cemetery, but we also paid a visit to Zoar Cemetery, where his parents and other relatives were buried.  The following day, Scott and I went to see the National Road Museum in Muskingham County.  It was one of a handful of road trips that Scott and I made this year.  We also visited three Ohio casinos, Cleveland's Horseshoe, Northfield's Hard Rock Rocksino (my favorite), and Austintown's Hollywood Casino, in addition to the Indians game.

I also went to my first editorial meeting at the Barberton Herald in August, which led to three articles.  I've continued to write about one article per week.  I enjoy working with the staff and have met many interesting people while conducting interviews.  However, I work as a independent contractor and will continue to look for full-time work.  In September, I applied for a position as Manager Trainee for Acme, but did not receive the job.  I also attended a job fair at Kent State in October, which led to some additional interviews, although none successful.

Speaking of work and my current job at Acme, my co-worker Kathy Sharkey trained me to complete register and bulk candy-gum orders while she was on vacation.  I did this the weeks of March 30, June 15, July 6, and August 3.  On October 16, Acme opened a new location in Green and Kathy was transferred there a few weeks later, so I am now completing the orders on a weekly basis.

On September 20, I attended a wedding for BHS friend Stephanie Jerin and her new husband, Neil Laughlin.  The wedding was at Unity Chapel in Tallmadge and the reception was at the SYB Hall in Stow.  I was very nice and I got to see several BHS friends there.  During the break between the wedding and reception, I spent time at a local bar with Cousin Rachel's husband, Ron Musilli, and a few of their friends.

In December, I attended a few Christmas parties, one at Matt D's new house and the usual Tarsis Christmas party, where I have my usual run-ins.  Nikki hosted Easter and Thanksgiving for the first time in 2014, but Christmas stayed at Aunt Kathy's house.  Christmas was a struggle this year, due to four family members being ill.

2014 Fantasy Football Review

The 2014 season marked the third season that my fantasy football team, Big Mike Boyz, participated in the Damn D Fest's league, started by Matt D. in 2008.  In late July, the annual draft lottery was held at David B's in Barberton to determine the draft order of the 12 participants, which is done in a snake format (draft order reverses from round to round).  I was not able to attend, so Matt sent me a text informing me of my position.  On August 24, the draft was held online for the first time in league history.  A life draft was held the first six seasons, but it was becoming too difficult to get everyone together.  Before the season started, everyone had to pay their $100 entry fee.  There were two new owners in the league this season, Dave and Matt J. (Matt's BHS friends).

The championship was held in Week 16 since many NFL teams would be resting their starters in Week 17.  The championship ended in a 77-77 tie with Lee, the league's 2013 champion.  Lee won the tiebreaker based on having the best regular season record.  Matt J. was the biggest overachiever of the season, winning his division with a 9-4 record despite a questionable draft.  My drafting skills definitely approved this season, leading me to the biggest turnaround from 2013.  I finished 3rd place with a 9-4 record after finishing 12th place (last) with a 2-11 record in 2013.  Big Mike's Boyz overcame a low draft grade in 2012 to make the postseason, but that would not be the case in 2013.

This is a recap of my roster:

QB: I drafted Lions' Matthew Stafford in the 5th round to be my starter and he had a solid season.  However, I drafted Seahawks' Russell Wilson in the 9th round and he ended up having a better season and was my starter for the 2nd half of the season.

RB: I drafted Bears' Matt Forte in the 1st round and he gave me the strong season I expected.  I drafted Zac Stacy in the 3rd round to be my 2nd RB, but he was in a slump midseason and I traded for Saints' Mark Ingram, who had a strong finish after fighting injuries to begin the season.

WR: I drafted Packers' Jordy Nelson in the 2nd round to be my top WR, but I was forced to trade him at midseason due to my RB struggles.  I drafted Texans' Andre Johnson in the 4th round, Saints' Marques Colston in the 6th round, and Colts' Reggie Wayne (WR-TE flex) in the 8th round to be my other starters.  These three finished the season as my starters, in addition to 49ers' Anquan Boldin, who I picked up on the waiver wire.  I received Vikings' Greg Jennings in the Nelson trade and he filled in at times when one of my starters had a bye week.

TE: I couldn't draft Tony Gonzalaz for the 3rd straight season since he retired before the season started, so I drafted Bears' Greg Olsen in the 7th round, who gave me a strong season.  I picked up Titans' Delanie Walker off the waiver wire early in the season and he filled in at both the TE and WR-TE flex position early when I had players on byes.

K: I drafted Broncos' Matt Prater in the 11th round, but he was suspended for PED use the day after the draft.  I replaced him with Prater's replacement Brandon McManus, but he struggled and I replaced him with Packers' Mason Crosby.  After I cut McManus, the Broncos went on to do the same.

D: I drafted the Rams' defense, but they struggled and I replaced them with the Bills during the season.

Memories of Grandma Mary and Grandpa John Maybin

Mary and John Maybin were the grandparents of Cousins Krissy and Nikki.  They shared their two granddaughters with Grandma Muffet (Grandpa died right after Krissy was born) and I was her only other grandchild.  Due to this and not having a grandson, Grandma and Grandpa Maybin took me on as their own grandchild.  She also considered my parents to be her family.  Grandma Maybin would host Thanksgiving at her home for Grandpa Maybin, their children and grandchildren.  Since hosting them would have left Grandma Muffet, Mom, Dad, and I without anyone to celebrate Thanksgiving with, she would invite the four of us over for lunch.

When I was little, Grandpa Maybin would invite the family with him to the Barberton VFW and that meant inviting my parents and I.  The children would get gifts and he would say he had three grandchildren, so I would get a gift too.  Grandpa Maybin died in 1992, at the age of 70, when I was eight years old.  I went to the calling hours and it was the first time I saw a person in a casket.  In 1995, Grandma Maybin and Susie moved and we continued to celebrate Thanksgiving in their new home.  In 2004, due to scheduling conflicts with Krissy and Nikki's in-laws, the family's Thanksgiving celebration was moved from Thursday to Friday.  During the last 15 years, Grandma Maybin gradually turned over the responsibilities of making the meal to Susie.  In 2012, they hosted Thanksgiving for the final time before turning it over to Aunt Kathy in 2013. 

In addition to Thanksgiving, we all got together every Christmas and exchanged gifts.  There were also some Easters when we got together too.  Any other time there was something going on with Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tom, Krissy or Nikki, we all got together.  Since Uncle Tom's family were like family to us, I invited Grandma Maybin and Susie to my BHS graduation party in 2003 and my University of Akron graduation lunch in 2008.

During a family get-together in January, Grandma Maybin wasn't able to join us since she was in the hospital.  It was an unusual feeling not having her there, but she was back again when Nikki and Andrew hosted Easter at their house for the first time.  It ended up being the last time I saw or talk to Grandma Maybin before she died on July 3, 2014 at the age of 92.