My grandma was one of the most loving, giving, gentle people I know, so it's easy to see where my dad gets those traits. As I've grown older, I've heard more and more stories about the extraordinary life she lived. As a grandchild, sometimes you have a tendency to forgot that your grandparents had a long, full, often adventurous life before they ever met you. My grandma grew up on a farm doing a man's work. She married her first husband, a race car driver, and lost him 11 days later when he died during a race. Later she married my grandpa, who was in the Air Force, and during the Korean War, was told his plane was shot down and he was presumed to be dead. When she found this out she left to serve a mission for the LDS church. During her mission she found out he was actually a POW, and he stayed that way for 3 more whole years. Eventually he got to come home, and they were reunited. She had 3 sons, my dad being the youngest.
I was one of those lucky kids who, when their parents are both working, get to be watched by the grandparents every day, not normal childcare. And Grandma and Grandpa Millward babysat me, all day, from the time I was six weeks old til I was two and a half. My grandpa suffered cardiac arrest, and passed away while only in his sixties.
Even after my grandpa's death, my grandma and her sister Shirley watched me and Sloan and Garrett all the time. I can't ever remember having a babysitter. It was always Grandma who watched us. I used to love going over to her house for sleepovers, or just going over for a couple hours while my parents went on a date. I can still remember the imaginary games we'd all play together, and the adventures we'd have in my grandma's backyard. I remember her showing me around her garden, telling me what everything was, and how you could tell when it was time to pick it. Grandma and Shirley were always ready to play whatever our imaginations came up with.
Eventually Grandma and Shirley moved in to a small apartment together, unable to keep up with house and yard work anymore. After several years, Shirley unexpectedly passed away, and my grandma had to move to an assisted living center so she could have help with cooking and cleaning.
Her last two years of life were spent in Barton Creek. It was apparent that she really missed her sister, and it was hard for me to see her frustrated by her declining health. It got harder for her to walk on her own, and harder for her to remember things. The highlight of her day was a phone call from a child, or a note or visit from a grandchild. I took her to lunch each year on her birthday, and she would tell me all about the past on the farm, or about living in Germany, or about what was going on with this or that grandchild.
I think the hardest thing about her passing is that she's always been there, such a big part of my life. She was always at birthday parties and holiday get-togethers. And now, that's over.
I miss her, but at the same time I am happy for her. She has been separated from my grandpa for 22 years now, and after that much time, I think she was ready to see him again. Til the day she died, she wore her wedding ring, and that is such a powerful reminder to me of true love. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that her spirit lives on, and I will see her again someday.
I love and miss you, Grandma. Can't wait to see you again.
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