A Great, Great, Grandma goes home

As described in the previous post, today four generations of descendent's gathered around my Grandma Bea's bed to see her off.

Most of us trying to get there made it in time, about the only one who didn't was my older brother who drove all the way from Boulder CO to Beaver fighting a snow storm at rush hour and driving through wintery mountains to get there safely.

But that isn't the story I wish to relate. The story I wish to relate is how as we all gathered around her, her children and their spouses, most of her grand children and many of her great grand children and even her first great great grandchildren were there to see her off, to say goodbye, but most of all to say it was okay to go.

And a perfect day to return to our Father in Heaven, and to the long waiting arms of her Husband. Today was Grandpa Cec's birthday. He passed away 15 years ago and she's missed him every one of those days. And when she finally gets to join him, it's on his birthday. One of my uncles said it perfectly at what was almost exactly her time of passing when he said. "Happy Birthday Dad!"

About my Grandma Bea. First of all she was never anything so formal as grandmother, it was grandma simply grandma, and many people totally unrelated to her knew her as such. In my nearly 40 years I cannot recall a single time when she ever got upset at us grandchildren, now I'm sure she did, we were always a rambunctious energetic and noisy group with a love for the outdoors, and running in circles at full speed through her house in the winter months. My brother who spent a summer with Grandma and Grandpa remembers a few times during that summer when she got upset, but otherwise this was a Grandma who lived to love her grandchildren, and everyone else she ever encountered.

She was always happy, always smiling. She loved a good joke and a great prank. One of her favorite tricks to teach kids was how to shoot straw wrappers. Her small kitchen was always a source of both nummy treats, mostly overflowing ice-cream cones or bowls and never empty cookie jars, and of simple but healthy fare. Macaroni and Tomatoes, simple yet delicious and filling. Treats and snacks from the garden. But most of all Love. Her kitchen and indeed her entire home overflowed with love, and pigs. She loved everything to do with pigs. Her front room was overflowing with all the various stuffed pigs and pig themed knickknacks we would find and bring or send her from all over the world. Oh and Elvis, and blessed be the person who could find her an Elvis themed pig.

She loved her country, she sent her husband off to WWII, all five of her sons and her son-in-law served in the Army. And she supported her grandchildren who served as well. She loved Beaver Cities unique Memorial Day activities. Where every veteran has a flag pole over his grave, to fly the flag (often his burial flag). It was a full day activity for her, to visit with friends, neighbors and family in that small cemetery full of proudly waving flags, seven of them relatives. I know she loved the Fourth of July as well but we rarely spent that holiday in Beaver.

She was faith and charity personified. She loved the church and always served to her fullest.

She welcomed all new members of the family with open arms. I don't know of her ever not making it to a wedding, and she often made the hours long drive up to northern Utah to support other significant life events. HS graduations, mission farewells and homecomings and so on. The last several years these trips were not always the most comfortable or easy for her, but she'd coerce an uncle into driving her up so she could attend. Okay coerce is the wrong word because she taught her children to support one another, so they were always willing to bring her. And usually it was a group trip, but she was the instigator of the trip.

In the previous post I mentioned her tiny and crowded home. This brought yet another aspect to this farewell that fit so well. I don't think anyone bothered to count, but it was a good thing they moved her to the largest room in the facility for her last hours; as only the Willden clan with it's love of large crowded gatherings could pack so many people into a hospital room and not have it feel crowded, but rather missing those who couldn't make it there.

Cousins I hadn't seen for years, and spouses of cousins who knew my name far better than I knew theirs all greeted me and we all greeted each other with hugs and tears of sad joy. We know what we were losing but could not begrudge it one bit. We know what happens next, we know where we are going, and we knew the wonderful family members anxiously waiting for her on the other side. We cried but did so not only out of sadness but out of joy and happiness for what was really happening.

Goodbye Grandma Bea, I know you are celebrating in Heaven tonight. Back with your dearly missed husband, and many many others.

And thanks for taking the time to read about my Grandma Bea.