Death devastates single grandmom
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Her story, however, has been marked by a recent tragedy after the death of one of her grandchildren, 12-year-old Holly Stamps.
Holly was born with a number of disabilities which left her bedridden and barely able to talk. She required constant care and medication every three hours.
“To me, caring for her wasn’t a problem,” said Dunlap. “If you love someone, you just do it. It didn’t matter to me how we were living. I was happy.”
With Holly’s parents out of the picture, Dunlap was forced to quit her job working in the kitchen of a local nursing home. The expense of hiring a person to care for Holly while she was at work was far greater than what Dunlap would earn.
After some 15 years at Skyline Apartments, Dunlap found a comfortable home on King Street in August. She thought the home would be a better fit for Holly and her 14-year-old sister, Lacy, an eighth-grader at Warren County Middle School.
But the move was followed by tragedy as Holly died six days later.
“I went in to check on her and she was blue all over,” said Dunlap. “I started giving her CPR and when the paramedics left they said she had a pulse. I’m just glad we were here with her. She was my life.”
Dunlap still has Lacy and three dogs to brighten her life, but she is also wrestling with Holly’s funeral expenses. A benefit spaghetti supper is being held this Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Medley’s Classic Diner on Sparta Street. The dinner comes with spaghetti, salad, roll and a drink for $5 and proceeds will go to McMinnville Funeral Home for burial expenses.