Memories

Memories of a Wonderful Woman

My Grandmother passed away this weekend; she was almost 90 years old. She was a wonderful woman and an awesome grandma. She was everything you think of when you think of a grandma. She was a little plump, she was amazingly sweet, she was funny, and she could bake amazing desserts. She lived in Ohio, so we only saw her on family vacations while we were growing up, then periodically as adults. I wish we could have seen her more- she was a special lady. Her 90th birthday was coming up and my sister’s were both going to fly up for her party. I was not going to go because of Ainsley- I thought the travel would be too much at this time. I have been thinking about her a lot lately and even more today as I remember her life.

I wanted to write some of my memories down and share them.

Our grandparents lived in a small Ohio town on Lake Erie. They lived in the same house the entire time I knew them- a 2 story house on a hill above a railroad track. I remember how exciting it was to finally arrive at their house, crunching over the rocks in their driveway. We would run from the car to get inside and say hello. Grandma always had cookies and pies made for us.

There was a sour cherry tree in their backyard and she made the most amazing sour cherry pies. If we were there at the right time, we would pick cherries too.

My Grandpa had a big riding lawnmower that had an attached wagon in the back that we used to take turns driving down a big hill in the yard. There was a big tree with a tire swing that we would play on. They had chipmunks- I thought they were adorable even though Grandma thought they were pests. We spent hours in their backyard. We also took many trips to the Lake Erie Shore. No matter how hot it was outside, that water was frigid!

My sisters and I slept upstairs in one bedroom. The trains used to go by all night and they would literally shake the house. They would also blow their horns for nearby intersections. Once we fell asleep, we did not notice any of the train noises.

We spent our evenings playing cards- Grandma loved cards. The game we played the most was Skip-bo. Grandma was a great card player- we all used to want her on our team. She was also an awesome Atari player. Yes, the original Atari game! They had the original Atari and several of the classic games- Pac Man, Pole Position and Space Invaders. Grandma was high scorer on them all, above all the grandkids.

Funny Stories:

Grandpa did not drink alcohol. Grandma did, but she did not want him to know. Years ago, Grandpa was in the garage working on a car. Grandma made herself a nice, tall, rum and coke and left it on the counter. Grandpa came in from the garage, grabbed the “coke” and drank it all down. He went back in the garage for about 5 minutes, came in and said he was exhausted and went to bed for a long nap. He never knew he drank a rum and coke.

A few years ago, my sister Sara went to visit Grandma. They went to the mall to shop. After a bit, Grandma said she was thirsty. Sara started to go to the food court, Grandma said, “I want a real drink, let’s try this restaurant.” She ordered a large mixed drink that came in a “fishbowl” glass. They shared it!

At our wedding reception, we provided soda, beer and wine for the guests. If anyone wanted something else, they could get it from the bar. After the reception, Dan walked grandma to her car and she seemed unsteady. Dan thought it was from the uneven limestone patio. However, we discovered later that she had been at the bar drinking 7&7’s. Go Grandma!

We will miss her tremendously, but I know she had a wonderful and fulfilling life. She had most of her children living nearby and was very involved in the raising of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She lost my grandfather a few years ago and I know she will be thrilled to be with him again.