Memories of Grandma

I thought I'd post what I wrote and read today at my Grandma's funeral. I didn't think I was going to be able to read it... I couldn't even read it sitting in my bedroom at home practicing the night before the funeral. And while I did have some tears and some pauses to regain control... I made it through and I'm very glad I did. It meant a lot to my Grandpa for me to say what I said and I know my Grandma was listening and was loving every minute of it, too. I could have gone on and on and on with awesome memories of my Grandma, but these were just a few highlights that came to mind first...

"My Grandma was such an awesome grandmother. Now, I’m sure that most of you sitting here have the same feeling about your grandmother, but I really do think, and I'm sure my cousins will all agree with me, that there was something extra special about this Grandma. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a friend to each of us here in this room. I know we all have our own special memories with her, but I wanted to just share a few things that I will remember most about Grandma.

When I think of Grandma, the first thing that comes to mind is food. Grandma was such a great cook! You definitely never left her house hungry! She was a believer that great food led to a great time and she thoroughly enjoyed watching us eat the delicious meals she made for us. I learned so much watching her and cooking with her in the kitchen growing up. She bestowed such a great gift in us through her cooking and I’ve realized that she is the reason I have developed such a passion for good quality, home made foods to feed my family. She taught us grandkids how to make some of her favorite, traditional German dishes that she ate as a child. She taught us how to make homemade noodles for chicken noodle soup. She taught me how to bake a pie. Most importantly, she taught us how to be creative and improvise – a great quality in and out of the kitchen. I’m going to miss being able to call her to ask her how to bake a ham, or how to make her cherry pie filling.

Some of my favorite memories as a child are from the camping trips that Grandma and Grandpa used to take us grandkids on. They had what always seemed like the coolest and biggest motor homes that were loaded with the newest technology. They’d pile us grandkids in and off we’d go for a week with them. We were their focus the entire time – they just wanted us to have fun. Grandpa would build a fire, we’d roast hot dogs and marshmallows, we’d go on bike rides and walks, we’d go swimming or sight-seeing, we’d do crafts. We even learned to country line dance on one of our trips. We had so much fun dancing that Grandma went out as soon as we got home and bought country line dance tapes for us to learn new routines at home. She always went into things 110%, especially if she knew we enjoyed it.

Another thing that I will remember about my Grandma is that she loved to laugh. She had such a great laugh. She was always the life of the party and we always have such fun and great laughs at our family parties. For anyone that has ever been to our family parties, you’ve experienced the extreme eruption of a very distinguished laugh that all of the women in our family seem to have, each in a slightly different tone and key. We got that laugh from Grandma and it will live on in each of us. That laughter and joy has kept our family close and strong. I know that Grandma would want us to continue to laugh and enjoy each other, to stay close, and to stay strong.

My Grandma was a very strong woman. She always put others before herself. She never liked asking for help, but she was always very ready to lend a helping hand to others. She would do anything for her grandchildren. For us, she had all the patience in the world. She took such joy in seeing us all succeed in our lives. She never missed a sporting event, performance, or special day. She was always there… our cheerleader… our rock… our Grandma.

I know we are all grieving today at our loss of such a wonderful person. But I know wherever she is now, she is happy and content with what she left us. We may no longer see her, but we’ll always have these special moments we shared with her. She will be missed dearly and loved always by each and every one of us. Let’s all be thankful that we knew such a special woman as my grandmother.

Grandma, we thank you for all of the great times and memories. We love you!"