A Tribute to my Grandmother

May 5, 2006

I got the sad news that my grandmother passed away this morning. She was an amazing lady, and I want to honor her memory by sharing just a bit about her.

She was 92, and until about the last year or so, was able to get down on the floor to play with babies and get back up - all by herself! She loved babies and children so much, and was never happier than when family got together and she got to hold and love those little ones. When her friends become dependent on walkers and scooters, she refused, saying that she had to keep using her legs to stay strong. Last summer she went down her steep stairway into the basement and defrosted her freezer by herself, "forgetting" to tell anyone she was going to do it. She kept her mind sharp, and had the librarian bring her every large print book that came in. She did crossword puzzles and cryptograms better than the average 30-year-old. She loved to play cards, and was quite competitive around the bridge table - known for an occassional colorful expression when the cards she wanted did not come her way. She was a hard worker (a bit of a perfectionist) and had arguably the best garden in the country until she was no longer able to keep it up. Every summertime meal was graced with freshly grown fruits and vegetables. Even last summer, she grew beautiful flowers, as you can see. (Sadly, her green thumb gene was not passed on to me.) She was adventurous, and drove my brother's speedboat for a little while on Lake Erie at the age of 88! She was a strong woman, who pressed on through the deaths of her parents and all but one of her siblings, her grandson, her husband and her son (my father.) She told my aunt last night that she was "ready to go." If I can live life with half the strength, courage, and love that she has, I will consider it a life very well lived.