Saturday, November 23, 2024
On behalf of the grandchildren,
For me, when I think of Grandma, I think of how inseparable both her and Grandpa were, right up until he passed away. Most of my fondest memories were of them together, and mostly at the house on Shacker Crescent, just a few blocks from this very church.
The house was filled with Grandma’s crochet collection. In fact, every flat surface in the house had her handy work on it. As a kid I always worried about spilling on them, even if some of them were the coasters we were supposed to use. But I guess that’s what the plastic underneath was for – to catch all the messes that we made.
As kids we also benefited from her craftsmanship through receiving many of her crochet blankets, or Afghans as she called them. I had thought she made up that word all this time, until I was checking this week as found it was the real term for that style of blanket. We had the option to pick our favorite colours, and then she would carefully work away at them over the next number of months, only to surprise us the next time we visited, or as Christmas gifts. Those Afghans will be a reminder of her every day in our houses.
As kids we also loved to play in the basement – At one point i think you even had your choice of a pool table, shuffleboard and even a dartboard. And in the other room the TV would be on, and Grandpa would always look to put wrestling on for Kalvin – and then if he found it, they would both sit there and yell at the TV, as if it might actually change the outcome of the WWF or Stampede Wrestling match.
As kids we joined Grandma in the garden to help pick peas, or cucumbers, and dig carrots or harvest the dill. I was always impressed that you could pick and eat them right away, and then somehow, they magically appeared in a pickled form at the supper table later that night. It was truly magic!
I am sure for most of us, some of the best memories were around food. Whether it was a big family dinner, or just a couple of us who were out visiting for the day. There was always a fantastic meal to share, carefully prepared by Grandma. She made the best German cuisine, for me it was the strudels with the homemade green powder you sprinkled on. I am not really sure what that stuff actually was, but it was good. But you also can’t forget about the pigs ears, which were thankfully deep fried dough, and not actually the ear of a pig.
Cousin Jeanine said one of her memories was about grandma teaching her how to cook some of her favorite Geman dishes, like the strudel or her knöephla soup. She also remembers how Grandma would always play her organ in the afternoons. And then sure enough, when it was time to go, she would always send them home with a Kocha pie.
Those are just a few of the memories that as grandchildren and great grandchildren we had in our time with her.
Grandma – You are finally together with Grandpa, and probably again, yelling at him “oh, just you watch out!” or "oh, just you never mind" as Grandpa was telling some tall tale, or story from the past.
We will miss you always,
Your grandchildren and great grandchildren
