Sadly, I have another memoriam entry. Ben has lost an entire generation of his family in a matter of days, reminding us all how fragile life is.
This past Friday, while Ben was flying to Illinois for his paternal grandfather's funeral, his mom called to tell him that his maternal grandmother had passed away. Frances Shaw was 91, and a wonderful lady! We were so lucky to have her here for the babies' birthdays in June. She was so sprightly and had a great sense of humor, and the babies really enjoyed getting to know her. One of my favorite memories of the birthday week was when we had all the families over for dinner the first night. There were many of us, and we ate scattered thoughout the house. Eventually, everyone ended up eating dessert and talking in the living room...except Great-Grandpa Sheaffer and Great-Grandma Shaw. We found them sitting on the back patio, deep in conversation, and they stayed there for quite a while. We asked them later what they'd been talking about, and one of them said something to the effect of how nice it was to swap stories with someone who'd been around as long as they had, and lived through the same things. It reminded me of all they had seen, and how much they had in common. They had been born only days apart, and unknowingly would die only days apart later in the year. John (Ben's dad) commented that he hopes they are continuing their conversation now wherever they might be, and I think that's a beautiful thought.
We'll miss you, Great-Grandma!
This past Friday, while Ben was flying to Illinois for his paternal grandfather's funeral, his mom called to tell him that his maternal grandmother had passed away. Frances Shaw was 91, and a wonderful lady! We were so lucky to have her here for the babies' birthdays in June. She was so sprightly and had a great sense of humor, and the babies really enjoyed getting to know her. One of my favorite memories of the birthday week was when we had all the families over for dinner the first night. There were many of us, and we ate scattered thoughout the house. Eventually, everyone ended up eating dessert and talking in the living room...except Great-Grandpa Sheaffer and Great-Grandma Shaw. We found them sitting on the back patio, deep in conversation, and they stayed there for quite a while. We asked them later what they'd been talking about, and one of them said something to the effect of how nice it was to swap stories with someone who'd been around as long as they had, and lived through the same things. It reminded me of all they had seen, and how much they had in common. They had been born only days apart, and unknowingly would die only days apart later in the year. John (Ben's dad) commented that he hopes they are continuing their conversation now wherever they might be, and I think that's a beautiful thought.
We'll miss you, Great-Grandma!
Aimee, I am so sorry to hear about your losses! Two great-grand parents within days of each other. Oddly enough, we lost Grandma Schuck last Wednesday, Dec. 3rd, the day of your post. She was 92! We had a wonderful funeral for her, lots of tears and plenty of laughter too--as it should be when you're celebrating a life that long, right?
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