Sweet Virginia

Grandma, #5, and I in April; my last visit with her.

Yesterday, my Grandma Ginger (Virginia) died and went to heaven to be with Jesus.  She would have turned 92 in October, so she lived a very long and full life.  At the very end, Grandma had pancreatic cancer and had suffered from dementia for a little more than a decade, so God in His mercy saw fit to let her pass quickly and not stay and suffer unnecessarily.  If one characteristic sticks out in my mind about Grandmas from her later years as she aged, it would have to be her sweetness.  It is such a common complaint that older people get grumpier and more set in their ways as they age, but such was not the case with Grandma.  As the dementia set in and she got older, she only got sweeter over time.  It think this is a neat reflection of her true character because the dementia strips an individual of many of their faculties which leaves them more exposed and vulnerable; this is the time when someone’s true nature will be shown, and in my Grandma’s case we saw more than ever what a sweet and dear woman that she was. 

Grandma meeting Little D for the first time.

Having grown-up in Panama during my formative years as a child, I wasn't in very close contact with my grandparents.  It wasn't from any animosity or dislike, but merely a matter of distance and lack of time spent together (very much in contrast to my children now with both sets of grandparents).  My connection with her might not be very strong emotionally, but I'm thankful for the relationship that did have.  Even so, my Grandma was very good to us whenever we came back to the United States; she also made several trips down to Panama to visit us, as well.  During those years, Grandma lived on a very tight budget, but somehow managed to save up for gifts for her kids and  grandkids (and even international plane tickets); that was one of her gifts - making the most of what she had.  

Some of the adventures that Grandma had that stick out in my mind are:

-Wiring General Eisenhower’s plane in WWII

-Riding horse and hunting

-Raising her first couple of children far north in North Dakota without a washing machine.  She had to wash clothes by hand and hang them out to dry, even in the middle of the winter.

-Raising 6 children and defying the housewife conventions of the time by being more involved with what her kids were doing (be it fishing, hunting, camping, swimming at the city pool, softball, etc.) than joining the neighborhood “social club”. 

-More towards retirement age, working at K-mart and loving her job.  She had a great work ethic and took pride in her work. 

4 Generations of Ladies in our family - My Grandma, my Mom, me,and my youngest daughter.

I will be going to a memorial service for my Grandma later in the week.  As much as we all may be sad for our loss and will miss her, I hope that we, as a family, will more than anything take time to remember the wonderful lady that my grandma was and the strong example that she set for us all.  She will be greatly missed, but all the stories and adventures from her life will live on with us.