Grandma Jo

My Granny passed away on June 5th. It was bitter-sweet. She had been miserable for sometime and we were glad she could be released from her physical body, but it is always hard to watch someone special leave.

Granny & I were close. She loved all the things I fancied. She used to tell me when I grew up I she would take me to get fake nails. She showed me how to file my nails so they looked longer & then she would paint them. She let me wear her make-up and she let me iron her rags. She took me shopping & let me stay over night. I loved staying with her and Grandpa even when I was in high school.

Granny's birthday was on the 10th of June, mine is on the 8th. I could have been born on her birthdate, but my mother thought it best if we each have our own day. I don't think it mattered, we still enjoyed being so much the same. She loved anything with polk-a-dots and a cute pair of boots. She loved jewelry, a good outing, visits with friends & treats. We both love to make crafts & lists. We love the same things. Are personalities are a lot alike as well. We love being right & think we have pretty good ideas... and we do.

Granny never let you leave her house without something. Once when I was in college she didn't have anything marvelous so she wrote me a check for $100.00 and gave me a couple of cans of tuna.

When she passed, my mom (serving a mission in Africa) asked me to read her talk. I was honored and felt like I deserved this privilege, after all, Granny & I are so much alike.

My mom emailed me her talk. I called Mike to see if it had come. When I got home he asked me not to read it because he was afraid it would make me sad before going to bed.

A bit later he asked me what I was laughing at. I had been reading the talk and giggling because I could see myself in so many aspects of her.

I am grateful that in her last months she moved closer to me. Gretchen and I were able to go and visit at least every Tuesday, but usually more. It was fun to watch her and Gretsie make friends. Gretchen still talks about our visits & the memories are sweet.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE MEMORIES

When I was about eight she took me to get a new dress for my birthday. We called it the watermelon dress because of the color. She bought me a fluffy slip and new shoes. I looked like one of her fancy dolls.

About that same time I stayed over night at her house in Kaysville. I swam & swam so I was very sunburned. She took me to get my hair cut like "Laurel down the street". Turns our Laurel's hair cut was not cute & worse if you were bright red. The only thing I felt cute in was that dress she had bought me. She bought me a new comb to soften the blow.

When my mom was having a baby, she sent us to stay with Grandma & Grandpa. I don't remember where we were going, but we stayed in a hotel. Granny had promised to paint our nails and then we ran out of time. She had Grandpa do it. He was doing a fine job. Granny was getting dressed and her hind-end poked out between the curtain room-divider. Grandpa & I laughed out loud for a long time. I thought that was so funny.

Once she and Grandpa took me to a casino in Las Vegas on a Sunday. We had cajun blackened chicken sandwiches. They were delicious.

She called me to come down and stay over. She had sent Grandpa to the store to buy the supplies and then she had me make a craft for her that she had "dreamed up in the night". When I was done she proclaimed that they were just what she had pictured.

Granny loved dolls & so do I. She had a collection of porcelain dolls that she kept in a cabinet. But my favorite part was that in that same cabinet she had 3 big dolls to play with. She loved to get them out and hold them. She would iron their clothes and put their binkis back in and then tuck them in their bassinets. Gretchen has one of these babies & Gracie has a beautiful porcelain doll.