Grandma Donnie

August 14th, 1924 - October 28th, 2006
I kissed her cheek & said goodnight on Friday evening. And she slipped away peacefully in her sleep early Saturday morning. She told us how she could hear music & she was seeing & talking to people that weren't in the room, including some who had already died. In those last hours, she was somewhere between earth & heaven, giving us the chance to say goodbye before she went home.

It's so strange & sad to think that this woman, one half of the couple that brought us all together, is gone. Grandpa Ed & Grandma Donnie built this family that now includes more than 30 of us. They are the founders, the cornerstones. And now Grandma is gone. I won't come down the long driveway & find her working in the garden, or walk into the house & see her bustling around the kitchen. One of our cornerstones is gone, but she built a strong, enduring foundation for her family & we continue on. It is one of my greatest blessings.

This afternoon I sat writing & remembering & looking forward to the company of our family:

It just started raining--fat drops that shake the leaves & ping off the roof. The sky is mourning for Grandma. We all will do this together soon. As our family has always done, we will gather together, with food & love & laughter. To remember Donnie- wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt. We will gather & tell stories, eat food & laugh & cry, & love.
In memory of her.