Grandma Florence

Taken in 2010 - Zack, Great-Grandma Florence, Grandpa Jon, and Jeff

Jeff’s Grandma Florence died yesterday. She was 95.

If anyone had visited with her even a few days before that, they would have had no idea she was dying. She was as sharp as ever. But on June 1^st Grandma fell off her kitchen stool. Jeff got a call from his mom to go see how she was doing, but when he got there she had her things ready and told him to take her to the ER. She had cracked her hip.

A few days later Grandma was moved from the hospital to the nursing home. From there she just seemed to go downhill. Each time I’d go to see her she was a little paler, a little more slumped over, and a little more depressed. She didn’t like being in the nursing home, and hoped to go home. She also didn’t like how much being there was costing her. When I saw her last Sunday she said, “I hope I make it until the end of the month. My checks come then and I need the money.” I laughed a little and said, “I hope so too.”

Well, she made it to the end of the month, but went down quickly after that.

On Sunday she had visited with her daughter Janice for a remarkable 40 minutes…but that was her last lengthy conversation. On Monday her kidneys completely shut down. I saw her around 2:00 that day but I spent the entire time visiting with Janice. Grandma just rested. She did open her eyes when I spoke to her, but it’s hard to know if she heard me or not. I told her I had come to see her, and that it looked like she’d be with Jesus soon. I told her it would be wonderful and I would see her there! I told her I loved her, and I left. It was hard to say good-bye, it always is, but it feels good too.

I thought that would be the last time I’d see her, but at 4:30, while I was out running errands, Jeff called my cell phone. He wanted to go see her but didn’t know which room she was in. I told him I’d take him over.

So at about 4:30 last night we drove to the nursing home and I took him to Grandma’s room.  His parents were there, as well as all of Florence’s other kids…Jerry, Jill, and Janice. When I had last seen Grandma, just 2 hours before, she was mostly snoring. But this time she was rattling really bad, and moaning. A few minutes after we arrived the nurses, who were wonderful, said they would try to roll her on her side to help her breathe easier. So we left the room and went out into the hallway. A bit after that the nurses came back out, and said she’s only breathing once every 20 seconds or so now. One of them said (when we asked) she didn’t think she’d make it the night. They also said it was nice that so many of her loved ones could be here with her. Too often that’s not the case.

Jill had already gone back in the room at this point and we could hear that Grandma’s moaning had stopped. The nurses went back in then and a minute or so later they came out and told us she was gone. It happened that fast. We all went back in the room. While one of the nurses hugged me Jeff went over to Grandma’s side and silently said the Lord’s Prayer.

There were tears, of course, but we all said God was kind to take her so quickly and that she’s with Jesus now…and Ferdinand. She’d been a widow over 60 years. When her husband died she was pregnant with Janice. Grandma was about 35 at the time.

She was a tough lady, but she had to be. She was both mom and dad to 4 small children, and times were pretty hard on her. A few months back she was telling me about those years. She lived on Social Security. And her family helped out by giving her money when she needed it. But that’s when she learned to skimp and save. Grandma was an expert at skimping and saving.

Eventually (when the kids were all in school) she got a part-time job in the courthouse. An old classmate of hers remembered how well she had done in High School, and recommended her for the job. A few years later, when the house they had been renting was to be sold, she was able to get a loan with the help of one of her employers. She paid off the loan ahead of schedule.

When she was in her late 40’s or 50’s she still worried about money. She was making enough to get by, but hadn’t been able to save up much if anything for her retirement. She went in and talked to her boss about it. It just so happened that one of his clerks was retiring so he gave her the job. It was a big promotion and one she needed badly. She said she felt God had done this for her to make up for all the hard times she had had in her life up till then.

In addition to being a tough lady who worked hard at whatever she did, she also was very active in church and as a volunteer. She walked a lot and was in great shape. She was also very attractive. Although she admitted to me that she never thought so, and often worried about her looks, I told her that she worried for nothing. She was a beautiful lady, inside and out.

Grandma loved to read, and it was because of her I finally read “Gone with the Wind” last summer. It was one of her favorites. We often talked about books, and movies, and current events, even though she knew more about current events than I did most of the time. We also played a lot of Scrabble and a few other card games. I enjoyed our visits. I will miss her. What a great lady.
 

We’re still planning to go to Kentucky. We weren’t sure if we should, but everyone has told us to go and not worry about missing the funeral. So we will. But our thoughts will be here with everyone who is mourning our loss. I feel just like I did when Grandpa died 3 summers ago. Death stinks, but knowing we will see our loved ones again makes all the difference.

John 3:16