my peaches and cream: Five for Friday: Grandma

I didn't blog on Friday because I was at a funeral. Chris' grandmother, Mary, passed away on Friday the 15th and her funeral was last Friday. I will miss her dearly.

No one likes funerals. We can all just admit that up front right now. No one wants to be there. No one wants to cry and feel bad and have people they haven't seen in years come see them at their worst. It's just uncomfortable and sad.

But we do it because it is respectful. It creates a sense of closure and it lets us celebrate the LIFE of the deceased. I heard so many stories that day about Mary and her life and it was comforting to hear that all the people I came into contact with at her funeral had the same opinion of her that I had. She was kind and caring and made even the toughest times bright and cheery. She was the face of perseverance. I loved her. Still do.

Here are my top 5 facts/stories about Grandma. Some are funny. Others, touching. Here we go, and in no particular order:

Grandma was my favorite drinking partner. On her 91st birthday, "I'll have a glass of beer. Well, maybe 2 glasses!!" And the beer would flow and we'd have a wonderful time listening to her stories. I can only hope I keep my sense of humor and youth when I'm that old.
Grandma had trouble with her hearing for her entire life. She had dozens of hearing aids just in the 111.5 years that I knew her...and none of them entirely worked. She could hear us, but not all the time and had delayed responses to many of our questions or comments. Chris' stepfather, Rick, is a joker. He always has a funny comment and likes to tease people. One year on Thanksgiving, Grandma was on her third glass of beer. Rick handed it to her and jokingly said, "Grandma, this is your third beer. Too many more and I'm gonna take advantage of you!!" To which she replied (rather delayed as she was at first unsure of what he meant), "No you won't!! I'll just lay there!!"
At the rehearsal dinner before my and Chris' wedding, Grandma gave a speech welcoming me to the family. I remember her saying, "I'm so happy to finally have a granddaughter." Her speech was so eloquent that there wasn't a dry eye in the room. I saw big burly men cry their eyes out!!! Hilarious and soo very touching. :)
When Chris' brother, Steve, got married, I sat next to Grandma in the car from the airport to the hotel. She told me a story of how, when she was young and newly married, she put on her husband, Elmer's overalls and painted her entire three story house!! This was unheard of in the 1930's...not only was she painting, but she was wearing men's clothes! She was so proud of that. That she did something for herself even though it was looked down upon. She also told me the story of how her husband died...which included the church she attended calling her to tell her that he was passed out drunk on the church steps. At the end of the story, she said to me, "He was a nasty man. Just a nasty man." I later found out that her marriage to Elmer was an arranged marriage of sorts. She married him as a favor to his family.
On Halloween of last year, we took Jayna to the retirement home to see Grandma. Jayna sat on her lap and Grandma kissed Jayna about a million times!! Grandma was sooo happy to see Jayna that she didn't want to let her go. I'm so happy that she got to spend some time with Jayna when she could. I'll cherish those pictures forever.