A Goodbye that came too soon…

We are not leaving for Madrid, Spain until October 2010 – six months from now – but on March  9th we had to say our first goodbye and it was sooner than we would have liked…

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/idahostatesman/obituary.aspx?n=darlene-grant&pid=140655333

Anne was sitting at the kitchen counter on a normal Tuesday night when her dad called with news she never expected to hear.  “Grandma Darlene’s heart stopped and they’re taking her to St. Lukes.  This might not be good Annie.”  With this news we waited.  We waited in a state of shock because all prior evidence led us to believe that Grandma Darlene would live forever.  This amazing woman who baked pies by day, ‘cut a rug’ by night and who’s social calendar and abundance of dear friends and family was something to aspire to. That very morning she had been bowling with her friends.  Her heart stopped at a PEO (a women’s philanthropy organization) meeting where she was surrounded by friends she’d known and loved for over 50 years.  Two days later we drove the eight hours to Boise with Matt and Erin to see Grandma in a coma, still not knowing if she would ever wake up.  The waiting room of the ICU was filled with over 15 “Grant’s” at any given time. 

Back to Seattle we went, still waiting.  On March 8th we recieved more sad news.  Kyle’s Grandpa Manny had passed away in New Hampshire – a grandpa he’d only met a number of times over the course of his life but that had touched him through emails, phone calls and stories told by his mom, Sharon.  Kyle was full of emotion – he had lost a grandpa and was also facing the potential loss of a grandma that had become his own over 10 years of holidays and visits home to Boise.  We thought about Kyle’s mom, who had just lost her dad, and wished we could be there with her in New Hampshire while thinking about Anne’s family in a hospital waiting room in Boise.

On March 9th we recieved the news that Grandma Darlene had passed away.  She went quickly, was in no pain.  Her coma had given us time to say goodbye, even though we secretly wished she would have woken up.  We found ourselves in an emotional daze and hopped back in the car for Boise again the following weekend – the four of us, Erin, Matt, Anne, and Kyle, never more thankful to have our little piece of family together – for Grandma’s service.

Erin, Anne and their cousin, Alex, spoke at the service attended by hundreds of long time Boise families.  They tried to capture a Grandma that filled nearly every memory of thier childhood.  Anne said…

One thing that the Grant grandkids have always known is that we truly have the best grandma ever.  She was the grandma every kid dreams of.  As we’ve grown up, we’ve realized that our best grandma ever was also the best wife, mom, sister, mother-in-law, former mother-in-law, neighbor and especially friend.  I’m sure that each person in this room has a story about how her smile, laugh and hug made their life better.  So why do we think our Grandma Darlene wins this most coveted title, “The Best Grandma Ever?”  What other grandma hops in payette lake in a bright yellow and orange life jacket with a huge white zipper to play water ski instructor, no matter how many times it takes to get up?  What other grandma knows that huckleberries are the best thing that ever happened to pancakes?  And what other grandma can whip up the most perfect strawberry-rhubarb pie without glancing at a recipe.  We are forever grateful to have had the best grandma ever.

Goodbye Grandma Darlene…