Grandma's Too... Grandma E.

Today I want to write about my paternal Grandma. She was probably the opposite of my maternal Grandma, but gee, I owe a lot of myself to her too. Grandma E. was a good 10 years or more older than Grandma G. who I wrote about yesterday. Grandma E. was my Dad’s Mother and she raised 7 children. Her youngest was only 10 years older than me. Her name was Della Marie. She never had a nickname, she went by
Della. She was the only one with that name that I ever knew, and since I've been in Minnesota, I've only come across two Della's in 36 years. (other than Della Street from Perry Mason, of course). Not common, but it is a pretty name. Old names are coming back, some day we may hear of a new baby named Della.

I know she loved having Grandchildren, but she didn’t dote on me like my other Grandma did. But, I figured early on, it wasn’t that she loved me less than Grandma G. did, but it was because she was a different kind of person, and also, after raising 7 children, she probably was pretty tired! It had been a much longer stretch of time between when Grandma G’s youngest left home, and when Grandma E’s left. (Does that make sense?). At least, that’s the way I figured it back then. I never knew what she looked like when she was younger, except for photos. She looked like one would think a Grandma should look. She really never changed her looks in all my growing up years and my adult years, she always looked the same, she never seemed to age. But Grandma G., I remember her looking young (remember she was younger than Grandma E.), and I watched her age through the years.

I didn’t stay at her house overnight near as often as I did my other Grandma, but when I did, it was very special. She always made it a special time for the two of us at her house. She didn’t drive, so she didn’t take me places, but she spent quality time with me. She, like Grandma G., also had a lot of reading materials around, especially books. She had a lot of old “school” books that I always found interesting. She subscribed to the weekly newspaper called “The Grit”, printed in upper Pennsylvania. Is that newspaper still around? It was a wealth of information and articles of varied subjects. I always enjoyed reading “The Grit”. One time she helped me to “sew” doll clothes, from a kit that I brought along to her house. Grandma drank a decaffeinated coffee
called “Postum”. She told me because it was decaffeinated, it was a coffee that kids could drink, so she would serve it to us grandchildren, and we thought we were really something, being able to drink “coffee”. Of course, she filled half the cup with milk. It was good though. She also had a drink, like Kool-aid, but made from tablets that you would put in a glass of water and it would “fizz”, us kids always thought that was fun, and something we didn’t have at home. I think they were called “Fizzy’s”, wonder if they are still on the market?

Grandma didn’t drive, so she only could come to the farm when Grandpa would bring her. I always remember how their visits were always on Grandpa’s time schedule, not Grandma’s. He would tell her “Time to go Della”. She would often protest that she wasn’t ready, but he was insistent…and off they would go. I always thought to myself “I will never be tied to someone else’s schedule like that….I will learn to drive!”

Grandma had wonderful meals at their house for the family. We often got together with all Dad’s family, and though I was the oldest grandchild, many came after me, so I had an abundance of cousins. Since we were such a big group, the grandchildren always had to sit at a separate table, the “kids table”. When we reached age 12 or so, we could move to the big table. Since I loved listening to the adults talk, and being with the adults, that time couldn’t come fast enough for me.

Grandma and Grandpa had moved off the farm and lived in a large house in a very small town, that was nicknamed “Braggtown”, it was only one street long. They said it was called that, because there was a store at the end of the street, and when my Mother was young, she said it was a hang out for many retired men, they would sit on the porch and most of them would “brag”. I never knew till I was a teenager, what the real name of that town was!

When Grandma’s health got bad, they moved into a very small ½ house in another town nearby. After that, the family would get together to eat and celebrate holidays at one of my Aunt’s houses, they would take turns. Grandma’s heart was very weak, and at one point in her life, she became very ill, and couldn’t keep house anymore. She moved into a nursing home, and Grandpa stayed at the house, until he joined her there many years later. From what I understand, she was not expected to live long due to her weak heart, but she lived in the home, I believe I have this right, 9 years. She always said it was because she was so well taken care of there. She was very content and happy being there, her children were devoted to her, and visited her often. We grandchildren did too. She and I corresponded with letters back and forth after I moved here. She wrote me great letters. When I would go home to PA and visit her, she was always talkative and great company. She kept a journal, wrote in it every day. Often she would ask her visitors to write an entry in it. She had lots of photos that we would always look at when we visited. She always told me that she was happy and contented. She told me it was a nice place to be, and that she was thankful to The Lord for all his blessings. Her family meant a lot to her, and she meant a lot to us.

One time, she was nominated for (this was in her younger day) and awarded the Mother of the Year Award for the county.

She also, like my Mother and Grandma G., would fit the Proverbs 31 description of the “good wife”. She was a wonderful person. She and Grandma G. were two women who were led by the Spirit of God, and Trusted in God’s guidance. They taught that faith and trust to their children and to their grandchildren. It’s because of them and my parents, that I have the faith that I have.

I believe she was 92 when she passed away. I was not able to go home for her funeral, and again, I felt bad. I guess I am to remember my Grandma’s as they were, and not remember them in the funeral home.

My Aunts gave me some of her journals, and I loved reading them. Some day I am going to do something with them, because she often wrote of her childhood days. At one time, before I worked full time, I started putting them together, but I got side-tracked. Now I am thinking of those journals again, and I think I will be getting them back out soon and reading them again, and I will do something with them!

I am the person I am, because of two wonderful Grandmothers, who were great role models, and two wonderful parents, raised by those role models. Thank you Grandma G. and Grandma E. for what you gave our parents and what you gave your granddaughter! I think of both of you so often! You live on in my heart.