I know I’m not the only non-blood relative who called her Granny, but it still felt special to be included in her family. I met Jeff’s grandmother sometime during the early years of Jeff and I dating in college. Jeff’s grandfather, Papa Jack, died in 2002 and Granny made the move from Chicago out to the suburbs to be closer to her only daughter and her three grandchildren. She quickly immersed herself in retiree clubs, befriended her neighbors, and made herself at home in a new community.

Granny was from a small town in the mountains of West Virginia. Her and Papa moved to Chicago when Pat (Jeff’s mom) was a newborn in hopes of finding better jobs. (Papa became a truck mechanic and Jeff inherited his tools. You should see the size of some of these wrenches!) In 2010, Jeff and I said we wanted to see Granny’s hometown, so of course Granny, Pat, Jeff and I turned it into a vacation. Granny drove the entire time! We might not be blood related, but we have that in common. Sitting in the passenger seat instead of behind the wheel was hard for me! Haha! We visited with family and friends, drove through the mountains, saw the New River Gorge Bridge and had a great time together.

When Jeff and I had children, we knew our oldest would be named Jack, after Papa. When Jack was two years old we gave him a power wheels Jeep for Christmas. The first thing he did wasn’t sit in the seat, or honk the horn, or play the radio. The first thing little Jack did was open the hood to look at the engine. His Papa Jack would have been proud.

Granny was most happiest around her great grandchildren. While she didn’t often smile for pictures, if there’s a great grandchild on her lap, she was beaming. Granny would often come over to babysit the kids. When they were little, she would sit on the floor and play with them. She even crawled through the little play tunnels to chase them. As they grew, she would play games and talk to them about school and sports. It didn’t matter what they were doing, she was always happy to be with them, and likewise they were so happy to be with their Granny.

Food might have been Granny’s love language. Every July 4th we would eat fried chicken at her house and walk to the nearby park for fireworks. Every birthday she would make her famous “Granny cake” – a yellow cake with chocolate fudge frosting, a recipe that better be in the family still! At Christmas she would make pastas and appetizers. I was always a fan of her deviled eggs. Whenever we would visit, she would pull out snacks she had collected and saved for the kids.

Granny passed away on January 15, 2024, just a month shy of her 93rd birthday. Up until the last couple years, she lived a healthy, active life. She was kind, humble, and loving. She worked hard, she served her family, she cared for those around her. All of my grandparents had died by the time I was 16. But a few years later I met Granny and became one of her grandchildren. I am so thankful for having her in my life for more than 20 years, and immeasurably grateful my children were blessed to know the love of their great grandmother.

Now we hope to follow Granny’s example of loving those around us. We will always treasure the memories we have with our loving Granny.