I've been thinking about my sweet Paternal Grandma a lot lately. I miss her tons. She passed away two years ago this week from cancer. My sister and I were asked to speak at her funeral. Instead of a 'talk' we wrote this (kind of cheesey) poem to honor our wonderful grandmother.
(I'll try to explain the 'inside' stuff in parenthesis.)
There is a wonderful legacy of which we wish to tell
about a beautiful lady that we all love so well.
So let us take a moment to share with all of you,
our memories of Grandma, for we have quite a few.
Grandma with my #3. When her first grandchild was born she didn't want to be a grandma, she wanted her grandkids to call her Irene. She got over it, and we call her grandma. When her Great- grandkids came along, she had them call her GG (short for Great Grandma). After that everyone called her Geeja, or GG.
Jewelry and mickey mouse- she could never have enough
Grandma’d call you a pansy if she thought that you weren’t tough.
Her family and posterity she would always coddle.
Mentos, licorice, swedish fish and diet coke straight from the bottle.
(Grandma only ate these things, and occasionally a salad)
Grandma was always catching her aprons on fire standing too close to the wall heater.
Tabloid magazines and soap operas were her only sins.
When it came to arm wrestling grandma would always win.
(She love National Enquirer & General Hospital)
"There’s bones in the coal shed" and "watch that Wallsburg turn"
were some of grandma’s warnings that we have come to learn.
(Grandma lived in Midway, UT & we would always travel through Provo Canyon to visit her, on the way there is a deadly curve right before/after the turn to go to Wallsburg)
She rode her cow to town one day and that got people talking.
She got called "COW girl" . . . and since that day she could always be found walking.
Grandpa Dean and Grandma Irene Luke
Another childhood displeasure was her initials I. P. P.
Kids would taunt and tease her- that’s mean wouldn’t you agree?
(Irene Pearl Peterson)
Grandma worked hard all her life and taught us to do the same
She also said just be yourself and be proud of the family name.
(Grandma owned and ran a cafe in Heber with my Grandpa until the 1960's when they bought and ran the Timpfreeze (kind of a walk up and order hamburger place) in Midway.
In her coat pockets could always be found, mentos, kleenex, and money-
to be used on her Wednesday trips to Salt Lake to go shopping all day with her honey.
(Grandma and Grandpa took every Wednesday off to pick up supplies, etc in Salt Lake City)
Ice cream cones, fry sauce, and homemade onion rings, milkshakes, Tigerburgers, and other yummy things. That’s what a visit to Luke's Timpfreeze would bring.
(a Tigerburger was a double cheeseburger with either Cheddar or Swiss Cheese. Grandma thought this looked likeTiger stripes.)
When Grandma would say goodnight she would always say,
"Good Nite, Sleep Tight, Don’t let the bedbugs bite. . ."
(Yeah! How could anything bite through all those covers she’d pile on your bed!)
Grandma loved to pile a 100 blankets on your bed. She didn't want you to get cold.)
And when you’d awake, she’d greet you in song
"Good morning merry sunshine, how could you wake so soon. . ."
Moving on!
Snorting to the piggy song, smashing down the trash, running over grandpa, always paying cash.
(Grandma always sang some piggy song to the babies and toddlers, where she'd oink and oink, and then laugh and laugh at herself.
At the Timpfreeze there were huge garbage cans. At the end of the week when the garbage was getting full, Grandma would hop into these and smash the trash down with her feet.
Yes, Grandma did run over Grandpa (she didn't drive very often). Don't worry Grandpa was ok. )
She always let the missionaries come and eat for free
And on Christmas morning-so many gifts- you could hardly see.
(Any time the LDS Missionaries would come to eat at the Timpfreeze, Grandma never charged them one cent for their meal.)
Grandma with my Dad, her son
Yes, Grandma was a giver, she had a heart of gold.
And let us not forget to mention- Grandma’s always cold!!
(yep--ALWAYS!!! Even standing in front of a HOT Grill flipping hanburgers all day. When she wasn't working she always wore a coat, even in the summer.)
She loves her sons and daughters and all her grandkids too.
We loved the hugs and kisses she was always giving to you.
(Grandma had one son- my dad, and one daughter, one daughter-in-law, and one son-in-law. Each of her children had 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls. CRAZY!!!)
Her sweethearts name is Dean, she rarely left his side.
It was really hard for Grandma on the day that Grandpa died.
(He died in March 1999 of a Staff/Blood Infection, almost 9 years before Grandma)
Oh what a reunion it must have been
when Grandma and Grandpa were reunited again.
She fought a good battle, then gave up the fight
to rest in the arms of our Savior, what a beautiful sight.
(Grandma had Colon and Liver cancer for years before she died.)
In our hearts her memory will always stay,
nothing could ever take those memories away.