Priscilla "Pat" Ramsey

My grandmother's obituary is in the newspaper today. I told you a little about her on her 90th birthday back in May, but I wanted to expand upon that.

Several years ago now, my uncle had taken her engagement photo from the newspaper and framed it. She had placed that photo on her dresser in a place of honor and I wish I had it to show you. She was beautiful. The above image is a photo of a photo of her with my uncle in the 1940s and it doesn't do her justice.  

My grandmother was an incredibly strong woman. She was a 1950s housewife who was left with three children, the youngest only a few months old, when my grandfather died at the age of 35. My grandmother, at 34, was left to deal with everything, from taking care of the house and kids to the finances. She had worked during World War II - she always told great stories of riding the streetcar to GE - but now had to take on the sole responsibility of caregiver and breadwinner. I don't know how she did it. She never remarried and always said that she loved my grandfather too much. This is something I think about whenever Alan travels.

She loved plants and could make anything grow. When I was little she had a "jungle" in a spare bedroom, complete with a coffee tree she grew from a coffee bean! She also loved music, and was an accomplished violinist in her younger years. These are a few traits I like to say I inherited from her :-)

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a wreck right now. A few nights ago, we went to a Chinese buffet and Ewan did something that was classic Grandma Pat. Alan made the comment that what he did was a tribute to Grandma Pat and it was all I could do not to burst into tears. While I am very happy for her that she's finally reunited with my grandfather after 56 years, it's still so hard to believe that she's gone, that I'm not going to see her doing frog dives the next time I go to the lake, that she won't be trying to chase Ewan around and that she won't be trying to steal Alan away. I am so thankful I got to spend almost 32 years with her and that my children got to meet her, even if they likely won't remember her.

The last photo I have with her - at her 90th birthday party.

I miss you grandma!