My grandmother passed away last week, two weeks shy of her 94th birthday and 100 days after her husband died. This marks the last of my grandparents to die, so it feels like the end of a generation.
Family Remembrance
Here’s the piece I read at the funeral:
I did this a few months back for my Grandpa, and I told funny stories. I don’t have any funny stories today. Not because Grandma wasn’t funny or didn’t enjoy a good laugh—she did. I can picture her face crinkled up in laughter as she finishes a story, ending with ‘Well, I never.’ But Grandma wasn’t a character, cracking jokes that sought to be the center of attention. Instead, Grandma was a quiet rock. She held the home together. She was humble, devoted, forgiving, loving, curious. Those are the memories I have of my Grandma.
They’re simple and mundane memories—coloring at the kitchen table while Grandma cleaned the kitchen or made supper, taking us to WalMart or the bookstore, running errands to deliver Meals on Wheels, or visiting Great-Grandma Scheufler.
Continue reading Wanda Madden 1931-2025