Remembering and Missing My Grandmother

Doris Andrea Visitation June 2011
Doris Andrea Visitation June 2010

The first anniversary of my Grandmother’s passing is tomorrow, which also would have been her eighty-ninth birthday.  I preserved an electronic copy of her obituary and my memories (compiled a couple of days before she died).  I still have not had the courage to view the video I recorded of her memorial service held last June at Foxwood Springs chapel.  I at least backed the raw video files up to a DVD though (something I should have done months and months ago).

All of Doris’ children are gathering in Ohio to attend her youngest granddaughter’s wedding this weekend.  I shall miss them, as I miss her, and wish Katy and her groom abundant joy and prosperity in their new life together.

I went back through my photo albums, looking for pictures of Grandma and my daughter Rachelle, whose birthdays were only separate by one day – June 11 – but many years (1922 and 1989).  Here’s what I gleaned, in reverse chronological order:

Grandma and Rachelle (May 2007)
Grandma and Rachelle (May 2007)
Birthday Girls June 2000
Birthday Girls June 2000
Grandma Holding Rachelle (1990)
Grandma Holding Rachelle (1990)

And then there’s me, the granddaughter (Rachelle is my daughter, so she is a great-granddaughter in the photos above), from when I was less than four years old:

(left to right) Jon (me), Grandma Doris, Danny (my younger brother), Grandpa Ralph (Arlington, Virginia - June 1968)
(left to right) Jon (me), Grandma Doris, Danny (my younger brother), Grandpa Ralph (Arlington, Virginia – June 1968)

And finally, from the year she graduated from Leavenworth High School:

Doris Hodge 1938
Doris Hodge 1938

God be with you till we meet again;
Keep love’s banner floating o’er you,
Strike death’s threatening wave before you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

12 thoughts on “Remembering and Missing My Grandmother”

  1. Awww…this is a great tribute. My grandmother died in 1982, and I still miss her all the time. Thank you for sharing your heart.
    Judy

  2. I found your blogsite while researching the history of our house. I believe we purchased our home from your grandmother Doris. Please let me know ! THe home is in South Maplewood MN.

      1. Thats us!!! We love the house and have no plans to sell it. Would your family happen to have any pictures of the home? I would love to see it in its original state! We are planning to restore the exterior to its original 1950s paint colors this summer. Your grandmother made a lovely poster with pics of the lawn and noted all her favorite things about the house. I still have it.
        Heidi

        1. Oh, yes, there are plenty of photos. All the ones I have are from the 70s and 80s. I’ll check with my dad and uncle to see if they have any earlier ones. I don’t think grandma lived there in the 60s, though, since my aunt graduated from high school in 1968 while they were living in Virginia.

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