Janet posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
With a sad heart because we lost her but a smile because we knew her I'll say this:
Grandma Toots was loving, sympathetic, empethetic, funny, and had a heart bigger than most of us could wish to have. She would give you whatever she could that you needed and find a way to give even more. And while doing that she would feed you. She would feed you venison that she got with a bow while hunting with my grandpa. And because they were in the woods for months in the fall she would send us envelopes with letters and always sticks of gum. It seemed like they were gone for a year. For Halloween she mailed bigger envelopes with candy.
Grandma would drive to 3 different drive through windows to make sure everyone got what they liked. She always had a bowl of cut up cucumbers in the fridge from her garden. Mashed potatoes---oh ya! She must have peeled, boiled, and smashed 5 tons in my lifetime alone. She'd let all of the grandkids spend the night at once because she just couldn't say no. "Oh, let them stay" was said probably a million times when we'd ask to stay at Grandma's. I remember going to the laundry mat with her when I was too small to help and I'd sit on the big folding table and watch with the huge fan going in the corner. Then we go grocery shopping at Grubers in Carlton and sometimes I'd get to pick out a toy like a jump rope or bubbles.
I always slept her bed with her and she snored really loud but we didn't care-we were in heaven at Grandma's house. We could stay up as late as we wanted and had pudding from her grey Tupperware pudding cups. I wonder if those are still around. Of course the teenge driving years came around and then moving, marriage and kids and less time was spent with Grandma. Fortunately I realized how short time is and I've seen her a lot more the last couple months. My favorite day was driving her around to appointments, lunch, and getting her hair done. She was just as funny as ever. She loved her family dearly. All of them. Her last hours of life she repeated..."Thank you all for everything. Remember the good times. I love you. I am happy. I will be ok. Praise Lord. And have faith." She taught us how to be giving, how to love unconditionally without judgement, and how to be strong through the hardest times. She taught us by living it. With her we had such good times, loving moments to cherish, and faith that everything would be ok. My grandma was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, neighbor, friend, and an amazing woman. She will be missed dearly by all.
Love, Janet
