Goodbye to Grandma

Tuesday night my Grandma passed away in her sleep after visiting with her three children. It was a great way to go and the way that she wanted. She was 99 1/2 years old, and I felt that we would be celebrating her 100th birthday this June. In fact, the night she passed away, I was planning the trip out with my Dad. I guess I just wasn't ready to say goodbye. I was asked to speak at her funeral and needed to type out the words so that I can do it. I want to post this so that I can say goodbye to a woman that I grew to love more and more with every year. I will miss you!

Grandma at 99 years old.This isnt the picture I'm referring to below, but it is of Grandma when she is 27 years old.

When I think about my grandma, I remember the trips that we took out to Utah in the summer. It was often a four day journey to get to her home back in those days when the speed limit was only 55. I remember getting close to her street and looking for the green roof. That is how I knew we were there. She and Grandpa would come out and give us big hugs. We knew that we were officially in the country at that point, because we could see the cows in the back field and smell the hay.
I used to love the baby kittens that would flock to her back door. Even though I had really bad allergies, Grandma would give me the scrap plate and let me go out and feed them. I used to love their little mews as they would curl up around my legs. Interestingly, I never remember having a reaction to them, even when I would sneak in a quick cuddle or two.
I loved staying upstairs and exploring through all of Grandma’s hidden treasures. Up to our last visit, I didn’t feel like I had been to Grandma’s house without climbing those insanely steep and small stairs and poking around upstairs. My sister and I would sleep in the same room and we would wake up to the most incredible smell of breakfast being cooked. There were always lots of eggs, bacon, and other wonderful home baked goodies. In fact grandma always seemed to have a stocked cupboard of goodies, even for my children when we would all visit after I was married.
As I got older and started to visit Grandma during college, I always knew that I had somewhere to stay if I needed. There was always the fun filled, Annie-I-Over, again yummy food, of Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house. I knew that I needed to bring my future husband TM up to meet my grandparents and get their approval as well, which they heartily gave.
It seemed that distance always separated my family from Grandma, but after I was married, TM and I decided that we needed to make sure that we visited with Grandma and Grandpa every year, if only for a few days. After Grandpa passed away, I got to know Grandma in a totally different way.
We would come and visit, and of course, while she could have us do it, stay upstairs in the old bedrooms of my childhood. Now my children have those memories as well of exploring through the closets and rooms upstairs. Despite having so many great grandchildren, she would always try to remember my children and what they were doing. In fact, I warned grandma a few years ago, that we were waiting to bring our third child home from China, and that even if she was done her on the earth, I couldn’t let her go until she had met Boo. She did, twice. Now all of my children know their Great Grandma and love her too.
One of the things that we always did in recent years was to share memories of Grandma when she was younger. Grandma had a picture of her from when she was younger. To me, ever since I was a little girl, I thought that she looked like a golden year’s Hollywood actress. She was beautiful.
I have one special memory in particular that she shared with me. A few years back, when grandma could still climb those crazy stairs, she pulled herself up the steps and took me into my Dad’s old bedroom. She had boxes and old suitcases full of old pictures. She found this small box and pulled it out to show me and proceeded to tell me the story of her and Grandpa’s first date. Apparently, she had decided to take secretarial classes at Brigham Young Academy, because that was where she could meet cute boys. She met Grandpa’s roommate and liked him. She and her roommate were invited to go out to the lake with him and his roommate, Grandpa. During the course of the date, which she told while showing me the pictures, since her friend had a camera, she was thrown together more with Grandpa than the other fellow. She said he was really serious, but they talked quite a bit and had a good time. Grandpa is the one who walked her home, since he didn’t have a car. During the long walk back to her apartment she said that she received the impression that grandpa was to be her husband. They were married a few years later, due to the depression and lack of jobs. They waited until he finally found a job and they could be married.
Grandma would sit and tell me stories of her Nana and her brothers. She told me of her dating experiences and the fun she had. What I learned in those precious visits, is that grandma and I could have been friends. I could picture myself going to those dances and meeting those cute fellows, especially with the cars, and dating them. I could see taking the long walks around Provo and talking and meeting people along the way. I could picture her as a young mother in her part of the house shared with her mother in law. I could see myself shopping with her to pick out her tulip crystal glassware, which is my favorite flower as well. I learned who grandma was as a person and I loved her for it.
I know that Grandma wanted to go home. She missed Grandpa, her Nana, and her other family and friends. I’m sure that she is having a wonderful party, back in her beautiful young spirit, with those she loves. I will miss her more than I can say. I will miss hearing more about her incredible life here on earth, but I look forward to seeing her again and hearing more tales and adventures that she had. Grandma, you will be missed. I love you!