Answer I Needed

On the car ride home I talked with my mother about what had happened.  It didn't occur to me that she was the closest friend my father had and knew about as much as he did.  She started telling me about how my father had a terrible relationship with his stepmother ( the long lost aunts' mother).  Nobody else knew because they were either dead and also they lived far away from family I talked to.  What happened was my grandfather couldn't take how miserable my dads life was in that family because of the stepmother, that he just packed up and left.  He fought for my dad's sisters in court for a long time. He fought so hard that he spent all his money and went bankrupt.  So he gave up.   By this time the mother had died of breast cancer and their aunt was taking care of them.  The aunt hates my grandfather with a deep passion so he thought they would be brainwashed into hating him.  This I can agree was not bright on his part to not try to stay in their life but every man has his reasons.