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In this thread, we think about our Grandmothers (1 Viewer)

Sabertooth

Sabertooth

Footballguy
I'm not usually a very sappy person.  But this video really brought me back to my childhood and made me realize just how much I miss my grandmothers.  Both were awesome people.  My mother's mom was there my whole life, often living with my mom.  She had a wicked sense of humor, smoked like a chimney, made the best pancakes, and we played a lot of cribbage.  She is the person most responsible for steering me away from a life of misery as a Lions fan and making sure I was a Packers fan.  It's a 50/50 toss up where I live.  She passed away about 10 years ago.  

When she was in the nursing home, I worked somewhat near there.  And I was driving home one day and I thought, I want to go see Gram.  I turned the car around and drove out there.  She was 91 I think.  I went into her room and she was lying on the bed taking a nap.  I sat by her for a while until she woke.  We chatted for a while and then she got tired again.  She looked at me but instead of saying good bye she said "We had some good times didn't we?"  Then she rolled over and went back to sleep. And that was it.  She passed a few days later.

That's the last thing I ever heard her say.  It's probably my most vivid memory of her.  Such a beautiful memory.  It has stuck with me to this day.

She looked a lot like Macklemore's grandmother in this video.  This one's for you Gram

https://youtu.be/7OrLroFa0AI

Please share your favorite grandmother or grandfather stories in here.  

 
3/4 were dead before I was born.  The 4th lived with us a few years and died when I was 7. 

If yours are alive, spend some time with them. 

 
My last remaining Grandmother is 93 and an angry cuss now.   She watches every Phillies game, EVERY ONE!!!

That lady loves baseball

 
Because of divorce I had 3 sets of grandparents - by far the most influential of those 6 was my maternal grandmother - she's 95 now and still going.  Your post has motivated me to try and see her this weekend.  

 
belljr said:
My last remaining Grandmother is 93 and an angry cuss now.   She watches every Phillies game, EVERY ONE!!!

That lady loves baseball
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Pop in and catch a game with her.  Or better see if you can bring her to one.  

 
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All four grandparents gone now.

On one side, grandfather died before I was born.  Grandmother was amusingly frugal, keeping habits developed from surviving the Depression.  For example, when a soap bar shrank down, she collected it in an old pantyhose with other shrunk soap bars to get extra life out of those soaps.  My instinct to try to fix or repurpose stuff around the house when it breaks is her influence.

On other side, grandmother and grandfather were married 60 years when grandfather passed away.   They were both card sharks who knew how to play a wide variety of card games and took a deck with them everywhere.  They had a perpetual game of gin rummy they contested almost daily that ran for decades.  (Grandpa was about 2800 points behind when he died, but he had cut the deficit down from 3500 two years prior.)  When my aunts/uncles/cousins on that side of the family get together, the cards come out and keep us up deep into the night.  

 
belljr said:
My last remaining Grandmother is 93 and an angry cuss now.   She watches every Phillies game, EVERY ONE!!!

That lady loves baseball
Click to expand...
LOVE this.  I had a great aunt who watched/listened to every Royals game.  She lived close enough to the ballpark, you could sometimes hear the crowd cheer a double play or home run from her backyard.  

 
On another note - my grandfather passed away 15 years ago this month.

I miss him more than anything.  I saw him almost everyday until I was in my mid 20's.   At my wedding 15 years ago, I asked him if he was feeling ok he didn't look good. 1 month later he passed away in his 70's

It kills me he didn't get to meet my daughter.  She is named after him.  

DAMN IT MAN WHO'S CUTTING ONIONS!@#!@#!#@$

 
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Bruce Dickinson said:
All four grandparents gone now.

On one side, grandfather died before I was born.  Grandmother was amusingly frugal, keeping habits developed from surviving the Depression.  For example, when a soap bar shrank down, she collected it in an old pantyhose with other shrunk soap bars to get extra life out of those soaps.  My instinct to try to fix or repurpose stuff around the house when it breaks is her influence.

On other side, grandmother and grandfather were married 60 years when grandfather passed away.   They were both card sharks who knew how to play a wide variety of card games and took a deck with them everywhere.  They had a perpetual game of gin rummy they contested almost daily that ran for decades.  (Grandpa was about 2800 points behind when he died, but he had cut the deficit down from 3500 two years prior.)  When my aunts/uncles/cousins on that side of the family get together, the cards come out and keep us up deep into the night.  
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My Aunt placed a deck of cards in my grandmother's casket at her funeral.  My wife did the same for my other grandmother when she passed away.  We play a lot of cards to this day.  

 
Sabertooth said:
My Aunt placed a deck of cards in my grandmother's casket at her funeral.  My wife did the same for my other grandmother when she passed away.  We play a lot of cards to this day.  
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Yeah we were a card playing family for sure.  They always had  25 cent games going.  They taught me how to play blackjack and draw poker

 
Sabertooth said:
My Aunt placed a deck of cards in my grandmother's casket at her funeral.  My wife did the same for my other grandmother when she passed away.  We play a lot of cards to this day.  
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After Grandpa died, we knew Grandmama was going to be OK when she still wanted to play cards.  She participated in bridge clubs into her early 90s - loved teaching and coaching the game, would have a big smile on her face working around the room in the walker coming over to a raised hand asking her advice on how to bid a hand.

 
The wife was watching a TV show the other day and the person was watching a movie in the show and it was a Shirley Temple movie - that took me back.  My paternal grandmother lived by herself for almost 25 years after my grandfather died of a heart attack.  When I would go visit she would always have the TV on and it was turned up to 11 at all times - combination of bad hearing on her part and she would sit and do genealogy at her desk and have the TV on in the background.  Anyway, inevitable the TV was on one of two things - either a religious channel/preacher or a Shirley Temple movie. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLLSqpYyPD8

:cry:

 
I met my grandparents from both sides only once. I was probably 5 years old on a visit to Germany and met my mom's parents and was probably around 13 when my dad's parents came to visit. Not much more to add, all are long gone.

 
jamny said:
I met my grandparents from both sides only once. I was probably 5 years old on a visit to Germany and met my mom's parents and was probably around 13 when my dad's parents came to visit. Not much more to add, all are long gone.
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That's a shame.  I never really knew my grandfathers.  One passed when I was young, maybe 2.  The other was estranged (like most family) from my mom. We did get a few chances to meet but never really connected.  My grandmothers on the other hand....

One of my greatest memories of my other grandmother was at her 70th birthday.  Everyone was doing these sappy cards and what not.  Very serious affair, you know.  Not me.  Nope, mine was a dirty joke and she cracked right up.  My aunt threw me a dirty look that I still remember.  But I didn't care.  Still don't. 

 
Down to my final grandparent.  Shes 103 now.  Lived one heck of a life.  My other gma passed 1.5 years ago at 107.  I think my sister will be living forever.

My wife often wishes she had recorded some of the stories my gma told.  Her mind is going a bit now but she had a great life.  Lots of interesting things she was able to be a part of.

ETA so glad my daughter (she's 8 now) got to meet both her great grandmothers.

 
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My grandmother passed last year.  She was a staunch Democrat and I have memories of her yelling at her TV (which was always tuned to CNN) whenever a Republican said something. It was pretty amusing.  We got her a life size cardboard cutout of Bill Clinton which she always had up in her apartment, and when the dementia started setting in towards the end, she would cook dinner for him and talk to him like he was real.  You'd think that would be cute to see, but it was very sad.  That was when we knew it was time for the nursing home, and the last few years were very tough.  Dementia sucks.

 
B Maverick said:
Down to my final grandparent.  Shes 103 now.  Lived one heck of a life.  My other gma passed 1.5 years ago at 107.  I think my sister will be living forever.

My wife often wishes she had recorded some of the stories my gma told.  Her mind is going a bit now but she had a great life.  Lots of interesting things she was able to be a part of.

ETA so glad my daughter (she's 8 now) got to meet both her great grandmothers.
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That's awesome.  

 
Scoresman said:
My grandmother passed last year.  She was a staunch Democrat and I have memories of her yelling at her TV (which was always tuned to CNN) whenever a Republican said something. It was pretty amusing.  We got her a life size cardboard cutout of Bill Clinton which she always had up in her apartment, and when the dementia started setting in towards the end, she would cook dinner for him and talk to him like he was real.  You'd think that would be cute to see, but it was very sad.  That was when we knew it was time for the nursing home, and the last few years were very tough.  Dementia sucks.
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A happy and sad story rolled into one.  I hope she got to see your avatar.  Because it's by far the best one on the board.  

 
When I was born, my grandparents lived across the street from us. It was great having them so close and my uncles were 10 years older than my sister and I and we loved to hang out with them.

My grandmother was the best you could ask for - loved to spoil the kids, told great stories about her many travels, and never complained about anything.

Many years later, she lived in a Board and Care and eventually died there at age 102.

And it was across the street from where I live now.

 
My grandparents met after the war. My grandfather had his left leg blown off by a mortar shell in Italy and almost died, so my grandmother was signing up for a rough deal from the start. They had 6 kids. She was the toughest broad I've ever known, but a loving and caring mom & grandma, amazing cook and very devout Catholic. The whole "greatest generation" thing makes sense when I think of what they endured and how hard they worked just to have a modest middle class life. 

 
My grandmother on my Mom's side was the absolute rock of the family.  She had a very tough life and a dysfunctional family with drugs/alcohol around her.  She took to me early when she realized I was "a good kid" that seemed to be on a straighter path with work, school, sports, etc.  I lived with her a few different times in my life, including high school (my parents kept moving and I didn't want to move anymore).  She did it all.  She was totally self made.  A nurse who worked the swing shift. Before she left she would do umpteen loads of laundry the old fashioned way (no dryer), cook breakfast, lunch and then dinner on the stove, clean the house, etc.  She took me to Vegas with her starting when I was 17.  She didn't have much but she loved her occasional trips to Vegas to get steak and lobster, go to a show, or play low limit slots.  Some of my greatest memories were around taking her to Vegas after I had "made it" and making sure she had a fantastic time.  Still don't think she knows how she kept getting so many credits on her slot.  

She was very protective of me.  I became the first one in our family to go to college, and now all 3 of my kids have graduated, are great people, getting married to equally great partners, etc.  I think she was pivotal to helping our family break the cycle, starting with 1 kid.  That was me.  And I'll forever be in her debt.

 
Judge Smails said:
My grandmother on my Mom's side was the absolute rock of the family.  She had a very tough life and a dysfunctional family with drugs/alcohol around her.  She took to me early when she realized I was "a good kid" that seemed to be on a straighter path with work, school, sports, etc.  I lived with her a few different times in my life, including high school (my parents kept moving and I didn't want to move anymore).  She did it all.  She was totally self made.  A nurse who worked the swing shift. Before she left she would do umpteen loads of laundry the old fashioned way (no dryer), cook breakfast, lunch and then dinner on the stove, clean the house, etc.  She took me to Vegas with her starting when I was 17.  She didn't have much but she loved her occasional trips to Vegas to get steak and lobster, go to a show, or play low limit slots.  Some of my greatest memories were around taking her to Vegas after I had "made it" and making sure she had a fantastic time.  Still don't think she knows how she kept getting so many credits on her slot.  

She was very protective of me.  I became the first one in our family to go to college, and now all 3 of my kids have graduated, are great people, getting married to equally great partners, etc.  I think she was pivotal to helping our family break the cycle, starting with 1 kid.  That was me.  And I'll forever be in her debt.
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Sounds like she was a huge pivot point for your family.  That's awesome.  Your kids graduated college in large part because of her work ethic and heart.  

 
My gramma was born in a grape field, a mail-order bride & died on the toilet. I'd fill this out but i aint much for stories.

 
Last time I saw my grandmother before she died was a random sighting in Julian, California.   She was speeding through town in an old station wagon and saw my brother and me crossing a street.  She swerved to try to run him over, hit the curb and fishtailed without stopping.  Never saw her again.

 
my Grandma on my Dads side was a cold fish. My Grandma on my Moms side was the complete opposite. She was an immigrant that came to this country with her husband from Austria. They had 7 kids together and her husband left her when the youngest was just out of diapers. She had to support her family, so she worked at some tough jobs like at a meat packing plant, cement plant,etc. 

she used to come stay with us all Summer when I was a kid. We played card games, checkers and other board games. She also cooked the best food. My Dad used to lose his cool with us kids when he thought we were too loud or fighting too much and would take off his belt and hit us with it. The buckle or the belt could hit you anywhere, he didnt care. One day my Dad took off his belt and headed towards us. My Grandma stepped between him and us and said "No! They are good boys!". My Dad stared her down and Grandma stared right back. My Dad backed down and went out to the garage. Don't mess with Grandma! Lol

 
3/4 of my grandparents are gone now - I miss them a ton.  Each of them were incredible in their own unique ways.  I don't know what kind of lotto ticket I cashed to get into this gene pool, but I'm thankful for them all.

My maternal grandfather is still alive and well at 91.  He's an animal... He's been a cyclist for as long as I can remember, taking 500mi biking trips (week long - camping out each night with whatever he could carry) when he was in his 70s.  4 years ago  (I think) he had a TIA (mini stroke) and lost some of his coordination.  He was pissed off about that, but determined to get his balance back so he can get back on the bike.  He's now riding anywhere from 10-25mi with a bike club in his retirement community.  He runs a water volley ball league, a bowling league, has a personal trainer, etc.  When asked what keeps him so fit, though? It's his gardening.  He practically lives in the dirt during the spring/summer. 

His retirement community had a summer camp for grand children 2 weeks ago - so we sent our 2 boys and my cousin's son (is that their 2nd cousin once removed? :confused:  ) for a week with him.  The thought of sending a group of 10, 8, and 8 yrs old boys to stay with just my 91yr old grandfather was something that most would consider a little crazy.  They ended up being the only great-grands among the 76 campers there.  They stayed at his place and he took care of them all on his own for the week.  

We were apprehensive at first and stayed the first day with him helping him get their stuff settled in.  At dinner, he mentioned he wished he had a bugle so he could play reveille and taps every morning/night (he's a very proud Navy man).  I told him that's easily found on youtube, so he bookmarked both songs on his smart phone and played them for the boys every day. :lol:  

As we left that first night, I told him to call me if he needed anything and that our 8yr old is going to be the challenge (endless energy).  His look of disgust at me for even considering that he'd be worn out cracked me up.  

He's my hero. :wub:  

 
Wow, you guys are lucky.

My mom's parents died when she was young. I met my grandpa on my dad's side a couple times as a kid but he died 40 years ago. My other grandma died 20 years ago.

Both of my wife's parents are gone. Her dad died when she was 10, and her mom when she was 25. My dad died when I was 15, and my mom is still alive.

So between my wife and I, we have no grandparents and only one parent left. Sucks for our kids.

 
when I was born, both my GFs were dead, leaving me with 2 old Jewish witch GMs.  nastiest women ever.  both are dead now, 1 for sure.  the other is either dead or 100.....last time I spoke to her was 1990s.  asked me why I married a Puerto Rican, told me a son's children are not as important as a daughter's and told me I wasn't in her will when I didn't really know she had anything or cared if she did.  no wonder my GF died young.  I may have said that to her.  lol

 
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