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Both of my maternal grandparents, GrandmaJo and Maynard passed away this year. My grandmother died in February. Five months and two days later, my grandfather passed away this past Friday afternoon.
The day after my husband and I got married, my grandmother told me "I've been married for thirty-two years so don't you give up yet!" She'd been married over fifty years at that point. This side of my family is filled with love, joy, and enough humor to make up for a bit of fuzzy accuracy.
The above photo was from our last Great Lakes vacation, four years ago while I was pregnant with C whose middle name is the first name of both my consanguineal grandmothers.
We went out the following year for a dear cousin's baby shower. And now are making plans to go out for the memorial service and to celebrate their lives by doing things we loved to do together.
They were both cared for and deeply loved until the end and still.
Our once or twice yearly trips to see them and other family out in Michigan instilled me with a love for travel by train, sailing and all things boats, marinas, picking cherries and apricots, nighty-nights (meringue cookies), walking around the neighborhood, dark (preferably homemade) maple syrup (deemed "axel grease" by my grandfather), pounding nails and building things, bicycling for pleasure, picnics on the beach, and the ultimate pizza sunset cruises on their sailboat.
Sending so much love to my dear grandparents and glad for the ease of their passing.
"I love to walk, down the dock, with my grammygrammygrammy" -sung with accompanying a funny side by side walk that really only works if you're arm in arm.
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Maynard was an absolutely wonderful man. Heaven just became a better place. And the perpetual twinkle in Grandma Jo's eye was always a joy to everyone around her. Both are terrific people and, although they will surely be missed here, I'm sure they are both quite happy to be able to be together other again.
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