Grandma Lela's funeral talks

I want to start today with my first memory of Grandma. I was wearing a little yellow sleeper that snapped up the front. She was holding me like this and she whispered something in my ear that I didn’t completely understand. She was also telling my mom and dad how absolutely beautiful I was. I didn’t thank her or blush, I just smiled inside to myself and then burped. I can’t be for certain, but I think I was 6 or 7 days old when that happened. Okay, so I am joking. I don’t really remember that.
I can’t think of a first memory, Grandma was just ALWAYS there. Over the hill, at the end of the trail, was Grandma’s house and Grandma.

I can just see myself bending down the already bent wire fence to get from the trail on the hill to just above the fruit room. I would go on top of the roof of the fruit room and just like any other grandkid or great grand kid of Grandma’s, I would lay down on my belly and look over the edge and think about how far down the ground was and if I dared to jump today. Then I’d climb down the hill, by way of the stairs of course, or risk a scolding from Grandma for bringing the dirt down the hill and into her flower beds, and then I’d turn the corner to the kitchen door and touch the broom hanging on the 2 spools of thread. I’d open the screen door and let it slam behind me and see Grandma giving a good beating to some bread dough. I always felt kind of sorry for the dough getting slapped and punched, but we all knew Grandma made the best bread. Glen, James, and Diantha used to fight over it in college.

I have memories of Grandma- a lot of them. I remember Tori and I staying over night there while my mom and dad took Glen to the hospital a few times. Tori and I would sleep upstairs and I always thought it was a little exotic and a little crazy sleeping up there where my dad and all my aunts and uncles had slept. One time I stayed there overnight for another one of Glen’s emergency trips to the doctor and I had these pictures of different birds to color. I picked the page with the prettiest flowers and some unknown bird to color at the kitchen table while I was there that day. I remember trying to color my very best just to impress Grandma. I would ask her what color she thought I should color this flower or that flower and what kind of bird it was and what colors to use so I could color all the feathers the right color. I colored so good that day so Grandma would see what a good little girl I was.

Another time I remember asking Grandma where George had gone when he wasn’t around after a while. He had gone on his mission, but I didn’t remember that. I just knew that our buddy that tossed us in the air really high and let us stand on his shoulders was gone. Grandma got out a picture that I guess George had sent home and showed it to me. I didn’t know who the strange brown skinned people were, but I sure remember my buddy George. She probably explained the whole missionary thing to me, but I don’t remember that part.

I was talking with my dad just a couple of weeks ago about Grandma. He told me how she used to teach 4H sewing classes. My dad said that he stayed clear of the house as much as possible when fair time got close and rolled around or he would get stuck unpicking one of the girls’ mistakes. I guess Grandma wanted all of the girls’ projects to look perfect for the fair. My dad said the same thing about Christmas time. He remembers unpicking some of Grandma’s Christmas present projects.
I was looking for the little brown dress Grandma made for me to wear for Necha and Blaine’s wedding, but I couldn’t find it. I did find this though. She made these aprons for all of us girls to wear and serve refreshments at George and Linda’s wedding in 1984. I also remember a slip she made for me and the other girl cousins for Christmas one year. I sure wish I still had that!

I do have what my immediate family calls ‘The Woodies.’ The Woodies are the wood couch and chair my dad made about 27 years ago. Grandma made the cushions for them in her upholstery shop. They are in my front room right now and I have meant to make new cushions for them for 4 years, and I still haven’t done it yet. Maybe I won’t. Worn out, thread bare brown is alright with me I guess.

I enjoy gardening and yard work. It is my most favorite thing to do in the whole world. I am happy to have a couple of Grandma’s lilacs, honeysuckle, and irisis in my yard that she has given me. I would like to think that Grandma has given me the gardening gift too. Everyone knows how much she loved to tend her yard and her plants.

There are ways we can always keep Grandma in our hearts and thoughts, even though she is gone from us now. I won this picture of her, little Nellie, and little Audrey this past year at the reunion. Since Labor Day this picture has been in my kitchen, right on my countertop. I see it at least 20 times a day. I keep it there to help me remember how easy I have it in life. Grandma is a wonderful example of the rewards of hard work. That picture of her keeps me humble, grateful, and honest. A couple of weeks ago I was making some rolls. I had about 1/3 cup of flour left in my measuring cup that I hadn’t used when I was rolling the dough out. I was going to do the easy and lazy way of cleaning up by just throwing that 1/3 cup of flour in the garbage and be done with it. The picture of Grandma kept me honest and made me think that Grandma probably never threw away 1/3 cup of flour. So I dumped it back into the flour container. She has taught all of her posterity good lessons about life and the one that this flour experience made me think of was thrift. She used to go out and pick up the apples that had fallen on the grass and use them to make applesauce or something else. I’m sure her children and most of her grandchildren could tell us more stories of Grandma’s thriftiness. We have it so easy and convenient today in our world of wealth and prosperity, it would do us good once in awhile to remember Grandma and her life lesson of thrift and many other lessons she has left us with. Here are a couple of life lessons I can think of; hard work gets you results, stop and listen to the birds, turn on the humidifier, close the gate, plant an extra row of peas in your garden, get rid of the weeds in your life, start your tomatoes early, a little cry doesn’t fix things, bit it sure makes you feel better, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, gentle hands and soft words can calm a wild horse, everything always smells better when it gets hung out on the line to dry, and best of all, girls can run faster with their skirts up then boys can with their pants down.

We can keep Grandma in our thoughts and remember the great lady she was whenever we see or smell a geranium, hear a bird singing or see one eating at a birdfeeder, smell homemade bread baking, eat a tomato, feel a warm egg in our hand, or pet a long haired cat.

That is how I will keep her with me. It is sad that she is gone from us, but Mormon Doctrine tells us we will all see her again and that she is with her parents, her daughter, her sisters and, of course with Grandpa again. We know how madly in love Grandpa was with her. He told us in the interview video LeEllen made – he knew he was going to marry her the first time he saw her. Well, Grandma was just as much in love with him too, and now they are madly in love and together again. I know this is true and I hope it can comfort us all today.




This is Rachel’s talk on Feb 7th 2007
Grandma Lela’s funeral