Grandma Linda's Funeral

Richie's Grandma Linda passed away a couple of weeks ago. It was expected, and then it wasn't. She was only 74, but her health had not been great the last year or so. She had worked so hard taking care of her aging parents until they passed away within the last couple of years. She had worked so hard helping her children through extremely tough times, especially within the recent past. And I'm sure she just really missed her sweetheart, Grandpa Kenneth, who passed away about 20 years ago. So while we are happy that she is with her sweetheart, we are going to really miss having Grandma Linda with us here on earth.

I'm so glad my kids knew her enough to have specific memories and connections with her. What they specifically remember is that Grandma Linda ALWAYS sent a birthday card with some cash, ALWAYS remembered a Christmas present for them (or cash), ALWAYS had Oreos in the middle kitchen drawer, and had the best toys in her basement. Most of my memories of her include her extreme generosity, although one of my first memories of her was when Makenna was getting married, about a month before Richie and I got married. We were all at the house preparing for the reception that night, and Christy said something to the effect that Makenna should be out here working on the refreshments with everyone, not napping. And Grandma Linda said, "Well she better take that nap now, cause she's not gonna sleep tonight!" :)

After Richie and I got married, we spent some of our honeymoon up at her cabin in Cascade, Idaho. When we arrived, she had a whole new set of plastic dishes, all cutely wrapped, ready for us on the counter. That was in addition to the beautiful quilt she made us, and the new folding table and chairs she got us for a bridal shower. (All of those things, we still use and love on a daily basis!)

We had been married almost a year when we moved to Nampa, Idaho for the summer for Richie to do an internship with his Uncle Joe's company, American Construction Supply, which he had been working at in Rexburg. That summer, he'd be working in the main offices and working more closely with Joe. We lived with Joe and Jolene for part of that summer, but then Grandma Linda insisted we come live with her for the rest of the time. That summer was special for many reasons, one being that I really got to know a lot of that side of Richie's family-especially Grandma Linda. She had trouble sleeping at night, so you could often find her laying in her recliner in the TV room watching a Hallmark movie, or the QVC channel. She wouldn't remember ordering things from the shopping network, so a few times, random things would show up at the door and she'd wonder where it came from. :) She willingly shared sacred experiences that she had after Grandpa Kenneth died. She cooked and shopped, really spoiling my newly pregnant self. We played lots and lots of Canasta, and watched lots of TV together. :) At one point during that summer, Richie had to go stay up at the cabin for a week or so, to do some work at one of the stores nearby. I missed him and drove up to spend some time with him. When I got there, Grandma Linda had a baby sized quilt all set up for me, ready to tie. I think she was looking forward to her first great-grandbaby: Miles. We went up to the cabin at least once with Grandma Linda and her Dad, Grandpa Ewing, so they could go get more firewood. One of my very favorite memories was Grandpa Ewing getting really tired after taking some medication. He started getting loopy, so Grandma Linda was trying to help him get into bed. She was trying to undress him, and said, "Dad, I'm just gonna take off your shirt ok?" and he said, "What? In front of God and country? No!" So then Grandma Linda said, "Ok, then how about your pants?" And he said, "Yeah, you can take those off." :)

They are going to sell the house and the cabin, as well as a bunch of property she and Grandpa Kenneth owned. It was a little sad leaving the house, and walking around the duck pond before we left, knowing that it was probably the last time. It was a beautiful service and we were so glad we were able to make it. As an added bonus, we got to have dinner with some of our friends from Idaho, the Fogles. A quick, and tiring, but wonderful trip.