Today would have been my grandmother's 87th birthday. She died a little over ten years ago, just months after Tom and I were married. She was a great lady.
Here is a picture of me and my grandparents taken the year before she passed away. She was known for her red hair, which she kept coloring her whole life in order to not go gray. She relished a good party. I love that she and Grandpa are buried close to one of her best friends. She was a determined woman and an exceptionally talented pianist who played the organ as well.
She was so beautiful in her day. When a cousin and I first came across a picture of her in her twenties, we were absolutely mesmerized. She was fashionable and old-fashioned her whole life. I remember how shocked we all were during my teen-age years when she finally purchased a very formal, billowy pair of pants. We don't think she'd ever worn anything but skirts and dresses prior to that time.
She was a CHOCOHOLIC. A couple I know house-sat for her when they were first married and always relate how tickled they were to find bags of Hershey's kisses in all the pots and pans and in the freezer. This has got to be genetic because she passed her love of chocolate on to her daughters and several of her grandchildren. (Shockingly, while I certainly have a sweet tooth and I do like chocolate, I would not describe myself as having inherited the gene. I can actually go days without chocolate, and I assure you that there are those in my family who can not.)
She would take us granddaughters to lunch and Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus for our birthdays to buy us clothes. The sales people all knew her by name and had things put aside for her.
Best of all, she had this wonderful way of sounding so pleasantly surprised every time I answered the phone or when she saw me in person. I can just imagine her saying my name that same way when we meet again in heaven some day!
Happy Birthday, Grandma!
I love to read memories of grandparents! I too lost my grandmother a little over 10 years ago - on Mothers Day - and had wonderful memories with her!
ReplyDeleteOK, I loved how she would gab on for a while on the telephone and then all of a sudden say, "goodbye" and hand up. That was it. She said what she had to say.
ReplyDeleteI also love how she never failed to comment about the weather...sometimes 3 times in the same conversation:)
ReplyDelete