Grandma Redford

My Grandma Redford's funeral was last March.  It was a wonderful reunion spent with her three children, my mom and her brothers, Jeff and Jim, and their families.

Grandma lost her fourth child, Geraldine when she was 14, from kidney disease.  Of course, her feelings for Geraldine were very tender, as I can easily understand, having a 14 year old daughter, Anna, myself.  A happy coincidence is that Anna is the first grandchild and was born on Geraldine's birthday.

  

All of us enjoyed listening and telling stories about grandma's talents in home-making.  She worked hard to sew clothes for the family, can, garden, and serve healthful food, and she loved to bake.  We all have memories of her home-made pies and fruit leather, honey wheat berry toast, halved  grapefruit, scrambled eggs, with orange juice breakfast, and her Thanksgiving dinners, that always included olives on the table.

Grandma had some tough times.  I didn't know that she and her siblings were spread out to different homes for 6 years growing up, because her house was destroyed by fire, started from a candle.  She was both a mom and dad to her own kids, as she was a single mother and worked full time for 30 years, beginning when my mom was in high school and Jeff and Jim were still small.  I was really touched watching old movies of her hiking and fishing with her boys, with their two dogs, smiling and laughing and enjoying them out in nature.  She always found happiness in animals and children.

She loved music and loved listening to all of us practice piano, and paid for my mom to take lessons.  I in turn have taken lessons from my mom, and both of us have taught to help support our families.   I didn't know that she also paid for my cousin Spence's lessons and both he and Carson are incredibly talented at the piano and the violin. 

She was a scholar in the gospel and in her academic studies. She loved to learn and do well in school.  She also loved to study all the gospel lessons before church on Sunday, and her favorite calling was Primary President.  All of my mom's kids have served missions, and all the boys in Jim and Jeff's family  served and loved their missions.  As far as I know, we are all active in the church.  All of grandmas grandkids have gone to college and are business men, dentists, teachers, physical therapists, dental hygentist, orthodontists...Way to go grandma!

Anyway, grandma, we love you.  You made weak things into strengths.  We are so grateful for your sacrifices through tough and long days.  Thanks for your friendship, the year I lived with you after college, and all your love and support. 

Anyway it was a lovely funeral and reunion, and I can feel grandma still working for our benefit on the other side.  Thank you for everything Grandma!!!