"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.

(image removed due to BF Attachment limits)
 
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Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
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Sorry for your loss, Carl. Lots of good memories. May he rest in peace.
 
Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
Click to expand...
Sorry for your loss, Carl. A very heartwarming post. I can only hope my grandsons have the love and respect for me, that you have for your grandfather.
 
Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
Click to expand...
Sounds like a nice way to go! Sorry for your loss, Carl, but happy for the life you had together!!
 
Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
Click to expand...
What a wonderful tribute to your Grandfather. Thank you for sharing and condolences on your loss.
 
Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
Click to expand...
I miss my grandpa too! Like yours he was a Carhartt man too. As I am as well ‼️😀
 
I’m sorry for your loss, Carl. 🙁 Sounds like you had a great grandpa, and that’s definitely something special.

I hope you don’t mind me sharing this photo of your grandpa that you posted last year in the Merle thread.

web02a.jpg
 
Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
Click to expand...

Great post Carl.
 
Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
Click to expand...
Very sorry for your loss Carl, but I'm glad you were able to have such a great relationship with your Grandpa, and that you were able to go to that last knife show together :thumbsup: That's a nice tribute :thumbsup:
 
You were fortunate to know and be around your Grandpa, Carl. I did not grow up geographically close to either sets of my grandparents, so never truly got a chance to know them, only through limited visits and stories from my parents.

Treasure the time and memories you had with him, they are GOLD.
 
Thank you all for the kind words. We knew the day was coming for some time, so had many opportunities to be together over the past year. He was ready. That makes it a bit easier, but still is sad. So many memories keep popping back into my mind. I hope I never forget any of them.

Taught me how to drive a stick shift when I was 14. He took me to the biggest hill around and parked the truck 1/2 way up and made me try over and over and over to start up that hill without stalling the truck. I remember him yelling "GET ON THAT CLUTCH BOY!!!" At the time I wasn't very happy with him. Looking back it is a fond memory, and I know he was absolutely entertained.

Another time when I was really young at a knife show, he gave me $20 and I managed to buy a knife from another dealer. And then later that day sold it for a $5 profit at grandpa's table. I was so proud of myself, maybe a bit too proud. He told me "Now that you're making money, you can buy your own dinner tonight". That took some of the wind out of my sails. But I learned life isn't free. I really did have to buy my own lasagna dinner that night. He just smiled.
 
Rookie82 said:
I lot who know me know I got my start into pocketknives at an early age. My Grandpa, Bob Siple, was sales manager at Queen Cutlery in the 70's and 80's before I was born. He left around 1985, but stayed interested in knives. He even made an attempt at his own line of knives, called Siple Cutlery. He took me around to a lot of the big knife shows in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee when I was young. He taught me to be respectful to adults, to stand up and look them in the eye and shake their hand. To be honest in dealing with folks. What to look for when buying or selling or trading a knife.

By the time I was about 15 my interest in knives fell away and I spent more time with friends and other hobbies, and went off to college. But after I got married and bought a house, I started to rekindle my knife interest, and my relationship with Grandpa took on new life. The 2 of us went to shows again, and bonded over our shared hobby. Nobody else in the family had interest in pocketknives, but the 2 of us did.

I enjoyed that we had something special that nobody else could understand. As he got older his health started to fail, and this past summer he expressed to me that his biggest desire in life was to go to a knife show again with me. We luckily had the opportunity in early August to go to a show in Titusville, PA that is only a 1/2 hour drive from home. We set up a table for all day Friday and Saturday, and he was so happy to be there and see folks. I'm glad we got to do that one last time.

My mom told me grandpa was not doing well, and yesterday I stopped by to talk with him. He was only able to stay awake for about 10 seconds, but he smiled when he saw me and I held his hand. Today he passed away at age 85, surrounded by loving family. He passed peacefully and without pain. I suppose there is no better way to go.

Here is a photo of us together from our last knife show together last month. I won't forget our many adventures together. Life lessons, aspirations, opinions, and funny stories. Days hunting together, dressing out game, and cooking it. And always talking about knives. I miss my grandpa.
View attachment 2334416
Click to expand...
I am very sorry for your loss Carl !!!! You have lots of memories of your Grandpa that you will Never Forget . Some days you will be just sitting around and the memories will just roll through your mind and you will smile .

Harry
 
It's shattering when loved ones die particularly of the 'ally' type, but how wonderful for both of you to have a mutual interest in knives. In sadness, remember too how much it must have meant to him to have a kindred knife spirit as kith & kin.Nobody in any part of my family has had any interest in knives so I'm always impressed when I hear there are other types of family too ;)
 
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