December 18, 1920 – August 20, 2013
I lost my grandma yesterday. She was my last living grandparent and although we all knew that it was coming, it definitely doesn’t make it any easier.
Grandma was always up for an adventure and she continued road tripping in her red minivan for as long as the rest of the family would allow! And she had the best stories. She would tell us tales from the Depression era and from her time as a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) in World War II that would intrigue us grandchildren for hours. My sister and I used to love visiting Grandma’s house in Ohio because she had the best games—and even Atari! I remember sitting in that little room upstairs for hours, playing Frogger with my sister and laughing every time we got run over by a car. We’d finally venture downstairs only to find her in the kitchen, baking dozens upon dozens of cookies. To this day, her sugar cookie recipe is the best I’ve ever had and I’m hoping I can fill the void this Christmas by sending Santa-shaped cookies to all of our family across the country.
Grandma was on a 50-state conquest that she finished a decade ago when my mom, sister and I took her up to Alaska.
She was so excited to explore Denali (by bus) and was even more ecstatic when we took her up to Barrow. She finally got to put her fingers in the Arctic Ocean, and I remember her giggling with this happy little smile on her face. She was so content to be with her daughter and grandchildren and couldn’t get over the experience. She told her friends about it for years!
I’m headed back to Alaska in three days, and it will be my first time in the state since that trip with Grandma nearly ten years ago. Instead of saying my goodbyes at her funeral on Saturday, I’m going to venture into a completely wild section of the country, knowing that Grandma would’ve wanted it that way. In fact, I’m going to pretend that she is along for the ride in her little red van, laughing and giggling as we explore the Alaskan wilderness.
Love you, Grandma.
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