Saying Good-bye

We have grown accustomed to burying our loved ones in March.

My maternal grandfather broke his hip the Tuesday or Wednesday of my Spring Break in 1995. He never really returned to himself after the surgery and passed away the Wednesday after Spring Break, March 22, 1995, and we buried him on Saturday, March 25th.

My father had a stroke the Wednesday of my Spring Break in 2003.  He was doing well in the hospital until he had another massive stroke the following week and never recovered.  We lost him on Wednesday, March 26, 2003, and said our good-byes on Saturday, March 29th.

My uncle (mother's brother) passed away from complications of lung cancer on March 20, 2005, the Sunday at the end of Spring Break.

We have lost other beloved family and friends, but Spring Break just seemed to be a difficult time for us. We normally say we just want to skip Spring Break, but now, maybe we just want to skip the whole month of March.

Yesterday, March 2nd, we buried my maternal grandmother, Granny, the lady we knew would outlive us all.  The little lady everyone seemed to know, who loved her husband of 52 years and greatly missed him for almost 18 years, and who loved her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren more than anything.

I have very few memories that don't include her.

• My mother was a teacher, so Granny (and Grandpa) took us on the first day of school and attended any events during the school day. She was at awards ceremonies, special lunches, band concerts, field days, and middle school & high school sporting events. 
• She took my brother and I to our doctors' and dentists' appointments, helped us learn to drive by letting us drive her around, and loved to just sit and talk, listening to what was going on with us. 
• When the great grandbabies came along, she was in the floor playing whatever you could imagine--Hide and Seek, battle games with a curling iron as a weapon, cars, rolling them to and fro, and she read book after book. 
• During college, when I didn't have class, we would run her errands and enjoy lunch together.
• We had Christmas Eve at her house nearly every year of my life--silver aluminum tree, ornaments from the early 1940s, twirling color wheel, crocheted tree skirt, handmade, sequined stockings hung from the mantle, and villages all around. 
• When I was a toddler or just beginning school, Granny and Grandpa moved back to North Texas part time from their vacation place at Port Mansfield.  I remember helping them move into their apartment.  Later, while I was in elementary school, they moved a few streets behind us.  I could walk to their house whenever I wanted.
• We spent time at their place in Port Mansfield fishing and enjoying the coast. When they decided to sell their property and move back full time, I practiced my driving by helping move their final items. 10 hours of driving and experiencing being searched by Border Patrol kind of stick with you.  :-)
• These are just a few memories.  I could go on and on. 

Below are the memories I typed to share at the funeral for my grandmother, Nadine, better known to everyone as Granny. Some ideas are the same as above, while others are memories shared by my mother, brother, cousins, and aunt. Even though some repeat, I wanted to leave it all intact.

Family

Nadine loved being around her family. When her children were young, she drove with her daughter, Jayne, to orchestra and band concerts, and to hear and support the band during football games.  She enjoyed attending football and wrestling with her son, Andrew. The day school was out, they would get in the car and drive wherever her husband was working in the United States and spend the summer.  Throughout her life, Nadine visited every state except North and South Dakota. 

Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren

Nadine’s grandchildren and great children were her greatest joys. She was there to take her grandchildren to the first day of school almost every year, doctor and dental visits, attend awards ceremonies, band concerts, and other school programs. She taught her grandchildren how to drive, and she enjoyed going to dance and sporting events.

Her great granddaughters loved teaching her to dance. Her granddaughter, Andrea, remembers when her youngest taught Granny the “Walker Bootie Dance.” Her great grandson enjoyed teaching her to play soccer.  She got down in the floor and played whatever they wanted.

Her grandson, Danny, remembers her push for everyone to get their education and that she was there for any and everybody.

Holidays

Nadine loved spending holidays with family.  Until the family grew too large to meet in one place, she enjoyed the huge family Christmases she had with her brother and sister and their families.  Each year, Nadine enjoyed decorating for Christmas and having her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren over on Christmas Eve to celebrate and visit.  The grandchildren discussed the silver aluminum tree decorated with ornaments from the early 1940s and the twirling color wheel. She hung the handmade sequined stockings from the mantel each year. She would decorate her front yard, but the decorations had to be brought in every night because someone might take them. Whenever eating at Granny’s, the grandchildren had to sit at the “kids’ table.”  There was a “kids’ table” even after the great grandchildren came along.

Her daughter-in-law, Peggy, mentioned the memories of handing out Halloween candy each year.

Summers meant homemade ice cream on the back porch.  The grandchildren would get so tired of cranking, but the ice cream sure was good.

Her grandson, Pete, recalls one Mother’s Day when he and his dad rode the motorcycle from up north to Dallas to visit Granny.

Nadine sent cards to everyone for every holiday and birthday. The grandchildren mentioned the excitement of receiving the card and it having either a $5 bill or pennies taped inside.

Helping Others

Nadine enjoyed helping others.  If anyone was in the hospital and needed someone to sit with them, Nadine was the one to call. When others needed her help, she was there.  When her granddaughter, Micheal, taught 5^th grade, many years ago, Nadine rode the bus with the class as the parent chaperone to hear the Dallas Symphony because no other parent volunteered, an act that impacted the students for many years.

Everyone knew Nadine as Granny, and if you visited, you always got hugs and kisses before leaving.  Every time you visited, you had to have a Coke.

Hobbies

Nadine loved crocheting, knitting, sewing, cross-stitching, and more.  She crocheted baby outfits and blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She would teach anyone who wanted to learn.

She baked and made candy, and she enjoyed eating sweets until her final day. Her granddaughter, Laurie, remembers stories of her helping Granny make rum balls and Granny telling her not to eat them as they were made.

She enjoyed working in her yard—planting strawberries that no one could touch and the lilies she planted after Easter each year.

Later in life, she enjoyed working the daily puzzle in the paper and watching Wheel of Fortune, NCIS, and Law and Order.

She will be missed by all.