A Time to Honor Granmda June

My beautiful, fun loving, and every other positive adjective you can think of recently passed away. She was nothing if not a wonderful example and strong matriarch. I can't possibly write everything I would like to about her, so I won't. This post would be too long, plus there are so many things that are just too personal for me to try and explain (I did a little in a previous post just after her death).

She spent the last few years of her life spending winters (and then even more) here where it was warm. I so thankful to have had this time with her.

She passed away on April 25, in the early morning hours. We held a memorial service down here on Thursday, April 28, then a funeral service up in Midway on April 30. I was blessed enough to go to both.

I didn't take too many pictures down here, but still, here are a few from the day.

Mariana and A

Kalais asleep

My Aunt Julee had some beautiful displays to honor Grandma and the things she loved.
(the portrait on the left of the lady with her head bowed is a painting of her mama)

After the service, the ward made a dinner for us. The once done eating, the kids had so much fun running around the stage.

Since we had the 3 little girls together, we had to take their picture

L, A, CK looking at flowers.

The next day, D, A, and I hitched a ride with my parents up to Utah. I stayed with Dave's brother's family (which was heaven to D, since their oldest is just a week younger than him.) We woke up the morning of the funeral to 8 inches of snow. Thankfully, my brother in law was willing to shovel us out of the driveway (I was borrowing my little sister's car at this point).

At the cemetery. The Pall bearers moving the casket.

Putting their boutonieres on the casket.

Aunt Jo, Uncle Don (who came home from Hawaii where they are serving a mission at the PCC) with Grandpa Pug

Terri, Brent, Jo, Don, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Pat, Marcee, Julee, Ron, Robyn
(the kids with their spouses)

This is a picture of all the grandkids who were present. It was pretty special for me to have been able to see each of my cousins with in just a few days of each other. While not everyone was able to be to both services, everyone was able to to make to 1 or the other.

Members of my dad's family who were there.

Me, my June Baby, and D

We had another family dinner after the internment. Here I am holding A, and my little niece Abney

Funny picture my sister took of the adults trying to get the babies to look for the pictures

After the dinner, some of us went back to my aunt and uncle's house for a nice long visit and talk with my cousins, uncle, aunt, parents, and grandpa. We were able to share stories and feelings about my grandma, as well as her mama, who, while I never was able to know in this life, was just such a part of Grandma, you just couldn't talk about her, without Mama. I truly am thankful for that time and I hope never to forget the stories and other things they shared.

Eventually, we left (much to D's relief--he was desperate to see his cousins too)
We did have a little bit of time when we got home for D to play with his cousins.

A. June's 1st birthday

Every year, we do a little Easter Egg hunt for the kids at my parents house the day before Easter. This year, Easter happend to fall on my darling little baby A's birthday which means that our Annual Easter Egg hunt fell on the lady Ava's birthday. Actually, April has become quite a month of birthday's in our family. Beth and I suggested having a big giant birthday party for anyone who wanted to come. In actuality, it ended up being mostly for the 2 little princesses turning 1. We didn't mind. :)

Beth's neighbor made this beautiful cake for the little girls. It was so amazingly cute!

I, too, tried my hand at a little decorating. I made these cupcakes. I had fun with them and the frosting turned out so much better than the first time I tried.

The little girls were excited by the presents from the very beginning.

They had so much fun once they figured out what was in the Easter Eggs too!

We had quick dinner after the Easter Egg hunt, then it was on to the cake.

We tried to light the candle, but it really didn't work out. It was too breezy, but that's ok.

A didn't need to be told what to do with the cake. The only struggle was keeping her out of it long enough to sing "Happy Birthday!"

Ava was a little bit more hesitant to jump into the cake.

After cake, the kids disappeared. Before we knew it, they had all climbed into the irrigation. Normally, this is a HUGE no-no. However, this impromptu water adventure was so much fun for all of them, that we just let it happen. They got so cold, but were having so much fun. ALL of the grandkids ended up in the water, as well as my little brothers. Erik went out and played football with the boys. They were all laughing so much that it really did make the party!

D and Sam

B broke away from the fun long enough to come and check in on his little girl.

KL had so much fun, that she fell asleep here as we were cleaning up.

Due to all the water fun, we never got around to opening presents. By the time they were done, everyone was pretty cold, tired and we as parents were ready to get them to bed. No regrets!


The actual big day:
Isn't a good looking birthday breakfast?

It was also Easter so each of the girls had a special new dress. Here they all are just before church. Unfortunately, I couldn't pull off 1 united picture. It just wasn't meant to be.

A, B and KL

L. I guess I never got CK to pose for me. Too bad. She looked awfully cute too!

After church, we had the family over for dinner then we had presents. it was beautiful evening and we could really enjoy being outside. Here is my little angel opening her presents.

She got to see what the candle looked like when it was lit. She was quite excited by it!

She still had fun digging into the cake (or cupcake) this day too.

When the evening was over, she especially loved sitting down and cuddling with her daddy and a bottle. He really enjoyed it too.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! You have really made this year so much fun for all of us. We love you!

Grandma June: March 21, 1923- April 25, 2011

Grandma June, Sr picture

1 week ago today, just a few hours after Easter and the 1st birthday of my baby who was named after her, my beautiful Grandma June passed away. I know I can never explain to someone who didn't know her just how amazing she was (is) but I'd still like to give it a try. The first thing I think of when I think of her is her laugh. It was absolutely infectious. She was constantly laughing and giggling. There were certainly times when she was serious, and even times of tears. Still, many times those tears were brought on by how hard she was laughing. You just couldn't be around and not join in the laughter. Even up to the very end, she loved to laugh.

Grandma June and Grandpa Pug at mine and Dave's wedding

She loved to play with us as kids. One of my favorite memories of her is coming home from school when I was 8 years old to be surprised to find her at my house (they lived in Kansas City at the time). My mom had gone into labor and so she was there to help and take care of us. She spent the entire afternoon playing with Jill and I upstairs. We were playing hospital. Jill was the doctor, I was the nurse, and part time patient. Grandma was the patient, and she played her part well. She rolled around moaning on the bed making up all sorts of ailments. The thing I remember the most was that she said she broke her thumb and she needed a cast. She had Jill and I wrap her thumb with an entire thing of masking tape before she said it was ok.

Grandpa and Grandma playing the role of Mary and Joseph in the family Nativity Scene play, Dec 1999

I remember Dave telling me how shocked he was the first time he met her. We had just started dating and we had gone snow tubing up in Midway where they lived. Since we were there, I insisted we go and see my grandparents. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to spend as much time with his grandparents growing up as I had with mine and so he wasn't really sure what to expect. I certainly wasn't what he got. He wasn't sure what to do when we walked in the front door and within seconds, Grandma and I gave each other a hug, which immediately turned into a bra-snapping/ bum kicking, then rolling on the floor in the foyer, wrestling match. You see, when ever she stood next to you, she would always have her arm around you, and it was a prime opportunity to kick your leg up sideways to smack that person you had your arm around in the toosh. For a lady in her 70's, she was surprisingly agile and could kick pretty high!

When Grandma made a friend, it was a friend for life. She didn't do "casual acquaintance". She would always talk about friends she had met as she had moved around from state to state with Grandpa's work, and then during their mission to Bermuda. People who knew her, loved her and never forgot her. In fact, when my brother and sister-in-law got married in Scotland, we were there. We traveled to the Preston England Temple for their sealing. While we were there, we stayed in the temple housing that is there for temple patrons. We got to talking to someone who was there for a temple trip. It turns out, he was from Bermuda. We mentioned our grandparents who had been there on their mission almost 20 years before. Of course he knew them and was so excited to have met us and found this connection to them. He was so sweet to us since we were related to such amazing people and ran back to his room to bring us back cookies and other snacks he had brought for himself. When we told my grandparents, they, of course, still knew him, as they never forgot any of the friends they had made.

Grandma and Grandpa with B and L on their blessing day

Grandma had such a strong testimony and amazing faith. It was as undeniable as her love of giggling. She suffered from Alzheimer's during the last few years of her life. However, despite the many things she couldn't remember, she never lost sight of this. It was last September that I sat next to her in the General Relief Society Broadcast. It had been a couple of years since she had known my name, and several others, yet as we sat there, she could sing every word of the hymns and she listened so intently to the speakers and we were able to talk about how great the meeting was after as she bore such a sweet testimony of the things that she heard during the meeting. I was so thankful then to see that her testimony was so strong and ingrained in her that despite all she lost, that would never leave her.

I took the kids over to see her the night she was moved to the care center. I knew this could be their last time to see her on this earth (which it was) and we were lucky enough to get a picture. She had been in so much pain at this point and couldn't move at all, despite this, she was still able to smile for a picture, and tell us that she loved us.

I was blessed to have been able to spend time with her on 4 different days during her last week on the earth. Each one was powerful and significant to me. 3 of those times she was still able to speak and she told me she loved me on each of those times. As I said, due to the Alzheimer's Disease, it had been some time since had recognized me, but during some of these visits, I truly felt that wasn't the case. She knew me, and was able to leave me with memories that I will cherish forever. I am so thankful to this wonderful person who has had such an impact on my life, and the life of so many others. I pray that I can live up to her example a little bit more.

This is a poem that a cousin of mine wrote and it really does say it all.

Her sparkling eyes,
Her witty way,
Her tender, open heart.
Her story telling,
Her love of dance,
her belief in you from the start.
Her gentle hand
Which would reach for yours
With a never ending smile.
Her positive outlook, her endless happiness
Would invite you to stay for awhile.
Her love of family
Her sweetheart, her children
Each granddaughter and grandson
Through each generation
She made us feel
As if each was the only one.
Her faithful soul, her great example
Her generosity that never ceased
Carried her through the times
When she felt lost
And could not be released.
She taught us all
How we should live
And we are blessed to say
That we were loved
By our Grandma June
In the most perfect way.
Now we know she is safe
She has returned home
She is not in pain anymore
She no longer feels lost,
No longer afraid
Her peace is made sure.