My Granny Clody passed away last night. She's about 86 or 87 (we've seen two years reported for her d.o.b., so I'm not real sure--wonder what the death cert. will list?). Granny was one tough broad. She was a spitfire of a redhead; she always told you exactly what she thought and exactly where to go. My brother and I used to call her our "Vicious Grandma". She revelled in the title.
Granny's been sick for many years. She's had several stokes and emphysema--although she was a heavy smoker to the end (even while on oxygen!). We first thought she was about to pass about seven years ago. Her health got really bad, and we prepared for it. Mary was just a baby, and I took her with me on a flight to visit Granny in Oklahoma City. But I got back and nothing happened. Stubborn Granny held on.
Almost exactly three years ago, I got on a plane again. Granny wasn't doing too well then, either. I didn't take any kids with me (Or so I thought. A couple weeks after I got back was when I discovered that I was pregnant with Izzy). Stubborn Granny held on some more.
There have been a few more times my aunt has called and said Granny wasn't doing well. My Mom would usually go, put up with Granny's verbal abuse, then stubborn Granny would pull through. We all used to say she was just too mean to die!
My mother last saw Granny a month ago. My mother's brother Bobby had passed--sad, sad life that guy. Mom went to Oklahoma City for the funeral. She wasn't there five minutes, and she and Granny were having it out. When she called me later, I told her, "Ma, you know she's never going to change! All you can do is laugh about it!" And we did. Good ol' Granny. Still staying stubborn and vicious even after all these years.
It was probably the death of her son--not the youngest (my mother has that title), but definitely her "baby"--that finally wore Granny down. She'd already lost a son 10 years ago, and I think losing this precious one was just too much for her.
I'll miss her. I didn't get to see her a lot in the last several years since I live so far away now (in fact, I probably won't get to go to the funeral since air fare is so astronomical and unbelievable, and it's just NOT FAIR). But I'll always remember sitting there in her tiny house--and later in the nursing home--while she sat and smoked and told us all exactly what she thought--and exactly where to go.
Wherever you are now Granny, I'm sure you're giving 'em hell!
3 comments:
Over the years of troubleshooting, I'll occasionally run into someone like that. They'll be abrasive, and I'll attempt to remind them I'm there to HELP THEM, but if they continue to push it by blaming everyone and everything but themselves, I'll inevitably tell it like it is, without any patronizing, in their language. "You screwed it up when you deleted what you THOUGHT was a shortcut, and it was actually the main executable file, what was the computer supposed to do about that?" And then after that initial clash, they say what they mean, you say what you mean, and although you never compliment each other or hang out or even really shoot the breeze that much, you just appreciate being in an unfiltered environment without pretense. Sounds like Granny was keepin' it real. People like her are not for the fainthearted and easily offended, but for the rest of us with medium to thick skin, appreciation abounds. God speed, Granny.
Sorry to hear about your grandma. She sounds like a real, uh, nice person? Good luck dealing with all the "other" stuff when you go out there....
Are you sure you want to go?
Hi- I've seen you posting at Ben and Birdy, so i came for a visit. I live near Buffalo!
Sorry to hear about your grandma. It's hard to lose someone, even when your personalities have clashed.
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