Greg's grandmother passed away this week, I truly did not think that I was going to be sad about it but, I am. She was a very interesting person and NOT your typical grandma. No baking cookies, no loving ways...very direct, stubborn, a little selfish...and more. But, she knew how to have fun. When I met her, Greg and I had just gotten married and were living in Connecticut, she was in her 80's and she was hard to keep up with. Right about 5 o'clock she would tell Greg, "Gregory, its cocktail time, fix me a stiff drink" , with a still strong German accent, she would travel with a bottle of Canadian Whisky, unbelievable, as I am writing this, I am just laughing with Greg.... I don't think either of my grandmothers ever had an alcoholic drink so to me, that was SHOCKING!
She was born in Berlin, Germany to a jewish dad and a "gentile" mom, grew up spoiled until the II World War began. As the war began, her parents sent her to London, where she was supposed to live with a family who would take care of her but, instead they treated her as their maid. She met who would be grandpa Kurt and she had Evelyn (Greg's mom) during the war. The stories she told were amazing...her dad and brother had been taken to concentration camps and her mom bought their way out paying the guards. Then, her parents fled to Belgium where her mom worked (as she was not jewish) and her husband hid from the German army. Granny got on a ship with Evelyn and Grandpa Kurt and came to the US.
I think her life was hard starting out and I those events made her who she became. Although I was never close to her, I will miss her, I have Greg and my boys because of her and I will forever be thankful. We saw her in Iowa a few weeks ago and she told me..."I can't believe it...your boys are adopted, they are too big and blonde and could not be yours, you are too small" . :) I just smiled and said to her well, they got your blue eyes and she didn't say anything else...I am so glad that she got to meet my two boys, she was thrilled.
We spoke to her 2 weeks ago and she said goodbye, that was sooo said but, she was ok with it. She said "I'm done this is no way to live, I have had a good life" she was 90. I began to cry and I thanked her for everything she did for us, I told her I loved her although I hesitated but then I realized I was being honest...I do love her. I had Bennett get on the phone and tell her "I love you granny" and then he went on telling her about the whales and the sharks.
I will miss her, she was special, in a different kind of way but, still special. Rest in peace Granny, we will miss you.
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