My grandma is being laid to rest today. My last grandparent, it really seems like a chapter in my life has closed. So strange to have no grandparents living. But while I am sad and will miss her, I'm glad she is no longer suffering and can be at peace.
I wanted to do a blog post to help me and just have a spot to put some of my memories. My grandma is from South Caroliae. And I can remember the very first time I saw her. I had to have been about four (I definitely met her before then just don't remember). She came to visit us in Germany and I can kinda remember us picking her up from somewhere and I was struck by her, she had the deepest skin tone I had ever seen up until that point (until then I had the deepest skin tone of anyone I had known so I think that's why her skin was so striking to me). Her skintone was really beautiful and all that melanin kept her wrinkle free until basically her 80's. And I don't think she ever used anything on it except possibly Dove. She had really gorgeous skin.
Through the years and as I got older we visited her from time to time. At first in New York and then in South Carolina where she retired. She owned her own large brick home, had a BMW, and later on a Hummer. She was extremely proud of the things she had and was able to accomplish. And she had reason to be. She was given away as a baby (we don't even know her actual birthday) and never finished school. I don't think she got past 6th grade. Supposedly she could not read. But I'm not too sure about that, I think my grandpa taught her a little bit and some of it was pretending not to be able to read because once when I visited her I noticed she was telling me about things in the newspaper. That still baffles me to this day.
She had a very interesting accent..a few years ago I found out about Geechee/Gullah people and that's is her accent. Although I don't think was Geechee/Gullah.
Whenever you would call her she would spend the first few minutes of the call talking about the "peaan" (pain) in her knees.)
She had a room filling laugh. She loved being the center of attention and could make anyone laugh.
Her favorite phrase was "HOT DOG!!"
She loved to mimic me whenever I would say "Hi Grandma". She always seem to think it was hilarious. Maybe it was the way I said it.
She loved her dogs- she always kept at least one.
She always hollered into the phone, it was hilarious. I think maybe she thought you couldn't hear her unless she was shouting. Another thing that cracked me up about her.
My mom always goes on and on about how great a cook she was but I don't really remember her making much food or me getting to try much of it. I tried to ask her for her recipes a few years ago but by that time her Alzheimers had progressed too far. She only really told me she always adds onions and a little garlic to stuff.
She loved her soaps.
She was a sharp dresser and had the most beautiful handmade hat collection. She truly went to church every Sunday in the best outfits, looking sharp head to toe.
She loved sweets (I must get that from her 😂). When I was in college, most holiday breaks I would go to my grandpa's house and we would bake a poundcake. He taught me how to make the BEST pound cakes- although I haven't been able to make one without crying into the batter since he passed away). But we always made her a poundcake, we would keep his and he would mail the one I made to her. I remember one time she tried to say it wasn't that good- just so she could get another...She tried it 😋
She was a fighter. She fought and lived through Colon Cancer.
And she made the long, uncomfortable road trip to come to my college graduation. Her huge smile and joy when I graduated college is something I will never ever forget.
There's so much more I could say but I am going to stop now..
May she Rest in Peace.
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