"The Pioneer Woman" Ree Drummond has shared some sad news about a loved one by penning a touching tribute.
On Nov. 6, she announced that her father-in-law Charles "Chuck" Drummond died at the age of 79. The father of her husband, Ladd, died peacefully in his sleep on Friday morning at his home in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and, according to Drummond, had been declining in health over the past two months.
“I’m sad to share that Chuck---Ladd’s dad, my children’s grandpa, and my one-of-a-kind father-in-law---passed away Friday morning,” Drummond wrote on her personal blog.
“I waited a couple of days to share here because we needed to communicate with extended family, take a few breaths, and shed some tears...but since you all have seen photos and read stories about Chuck since the beginning of my blog, I knew I wanted to share with you,” she wrote.
Drummond said that her father-in-law, who was affectionately referred to as “Pa-Pa,” had been feeling “pretty miserable” for the past two or three months and was “finally ready to go.”
She goes on to describe her father-in-law: a man with a gravelly voice who could “come across as gruff” but was open, generous and committed to his family. A rancher by trade, he taught his three sons everything he knew, followed by instilling a working diligence in his six grandchildren in that way only an elder could do.
“He was happiest working, and all the grandkids knew that you should never, ever, ever say you’re bored around Pa-Pa...because he’d give you enough work to do to cure you of boredom forever!” Drummond wrote.
In her tribute, Drummond takes a moment to mention those closest to Chuck that he leaves behind: her husband, Ladd, and his brother, Tim, the two surviving sons of her father-in-law. The eldest Drummond son, Todd, died during his high school years and Chuck’s wife, Nan, died in 2018.
“I’m glad they have each other, and the bank of fifty-plus years of memories of a dedicated father who probably worked them a little too hard as children by today’s standards, but who taught them valuable lessons about hard work, business, and life,” Drummond wrote. “We love you so much, Pa-Pa. Thank you for living such a full life, and for letting us all be a part of it.”
