My Grandmother died a little over a week ago at 93.5 years of age. This picture was taken at her 93rd birthday party. She was the last of her family to die. Grandmother was 4'11" and 90 +/- pounds all her life....tiny thing with auburn hair and blue eyes. She had four children, the oldest being my Daddy.
Grandmother divorced in the late fifties which was a great embarrassment to her and society in general during those days. She started working in a garment factory and soon became a supervisor. The women talked trash and overall were rough. Grandmomma was not use to women like that..... She did so much with so little. She worked at the dime store for many years and then managed a little drop your laundry off business later on. After she retired, she spent about 20 years doing volunteer work at the nursing home and hospital.
In January, 2008, her children had to make a decision they had done their best to keep from happening. It was time to go to the nursing home....no longer was it safe for her to live alone. Grandmother had lived in the same house for over 40 years.....her house, with her little bit of money and putting her youngest son through college.....in a time when Southern women were totally dependant on men - she bought her own house and paid for it.
It was always so much fun to visit Grandmother as children.....dress up, bubbles, giggling, sitting on her screened in porch watching the neighbors, listening to her childhood stories.....The day after her funeral, we all met at her house to begin the process of cleaning and sorting. I cringed every time we decided something would go to Goodwill....One of my favorite pastimes is visiting Goodwill or Salvation Army hunting for treasures.....I will not be able to visit them for a long time as my heart hurts just knowing there are a dead loved one's household wares are what I am picking over.......I did bring home a few treasures......corningware casserole dishes, mixiing bowl, spoon, potato masher....a cornbread skillet, her sewing machine,.....tonight when I made dinner, I used her casserole dish, the mixing bowl and spoon.....it felt good, like holding a piece of her in my hand.
2 comments:
Judy that was such a great story about your grandmother. I have a lot of fond memories of my grandmothers also. So sorry about your loss. My grandmothers didn't live to be as old as yours though.
You could of left out the part about the goodwill and salvation Army. One of my favorite shopping places too. Never really thought of it being some dead person things. Oh well I'll still go.
You made me cry...Sounds very much like me and my grandmother..I miss her bad!
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