(I have pirated a big portion of this from my sister Mary's blog. She said many things better than I could, so I just copied it and tweaked it to fit me. Thanks Mary.)
Last night at 5:30 my Grandma Olsen quietly slipped from her hospital bed at the home of my Aunt Marilyn, her caregiver, and slipped into the arms of the One she served so faithfully all of her life. She has talked of going home to heaven for years, she couldn't wait once she felt that she had done all she could here on earth, and I'm sure she is rejoicing tonight. When my Mom called to tell me the news, my first thought and one I voiced to several people is, that one of the first things I could see Grandma saying to Jesus after she bowed at His feet is "what in the world took you so long". Grandma was quite the speedy driver, even in her old age, and I have this picture of her sometime in the near future having a chariot race with Jehu - I hope he's up for the challenge!
Grandma was the perfect example of someone with a servant's heart. She was always doing for others. I don't ever remember seeing my Grandma just sitting, until her health declined, but she was constantly in motion. She was always doing something for others, either for her family or for someone in need. I doubt if there is any role in a church that she hasn't filled, except preaching, and I wouldn't be surprised if she has also done that. She played the piano and organ, taught Sunday School, taught Junior Church, organized things, baked, cooked, visited, called, prayed, ran errands, cleaned campgrounds, hosted many a preacher, singing group, etc. If there was something that needed to be done, she was the one to see that the job would not only get done, but it would get done right. She often visited the less fortunate and those others might not even think of, taking them shopping, cooking for them and doing anything she could to meet their needs. She would find an elderly person that no one visited or had family that had neglected them and take them under her wing. I watched her do this over and over and over again.
Grandma was a school teacher when she was younger, and a very good one. I loved to hear her tell a story - she had great expression and was not the least bit embarrassed about doing the voices, motions, etc. She was a hoot! The various ages that she taught never complained about being bored with her teaching, she was animated and good at what she did. She taught Sunday School and Junior Church up into her years, even when her health was to the point where she should have long ago retired she kept at it. She was amazing!
I wish I remembered all of the details of the story but there was a family in her community that Grandma started calling on and inviting them to church, I believe she called on them pretty much every week for a few years. Sometimes they wouldn't even answer the door - but she kept at it. She wasn't obnoxious or rude, she was kind and sweet to them and prayed faithfully. Finally someone agreed to go with her to church...and I believe there are now three generations of that family that are serving the Lord because she wouldn't give up inviting them to church and praying for them.
Grandma grew up in a large family on a farm. You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl. When she married my Grandpa and they lived in Binghamton, even though they lived in a house with a small yard and surrounded by houses she had an amazing garden - two of them in fact! The front yard and one side yard was just for looks, she had a green thumb and loved growing beautiful flowers and plants and those two sections were for just that very thing. But the back half of the back yard and the entire other side of the yard were her gardens and she grew all kinds of fresh veggies and several kinds of berries. She spent hours out there, tending those gardens, and when we would spend our summers up there we often helped her. I wish so badly I had spent more time learning from her and less time trying to get out of pulling weeds! She bought us girls a pellet gun and had us practice by shooting at the squirrels that would get in her garden. Every summer she would buy us a little plastic swimming pool and never complained when every year it would leave a large brown spot in her nice, green lawn. She had a tire swing hung for us in one of her big, beautiful trees and we spent many hours swinging on that thing. She was an amazing cook and I can still smell the different smells that seemed to permeate her house and it always smelled amazing! She cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner and our family stayed there for most of the summer, half of the time at their house and the other half at my Mom's parents - I don't know how she did it all. Even with my Mom helping her. My Grandpa came home almost every day for lunch and there would be a yummy, hot lunch waiting for him - I think pretty much all of his married life and he didn't retire until he was in his early 80's. She was an excellent homemaker and housekeeper. I can still picture her, in her cellar, leaning over her famous deep freeze - half in and half out as she cleaned that thing out - what a site! For most of her life the laundry room was in the basement, she could go lickety split up and down those stairs as she ran loads of laundry up and down them. She never did anything slowly but at breakneck speed! She was big on vitamins and at a young age I learned to choke down some horse pills, as we called them, as she touted the virtues of vitamins and eating healthy....even as she would stock her dessert cupboard, freezer and deep freeze with some of our favorites cookies, frozen desserts and Ring Ding Juniors! To this day I can't eat one of those unless they're straight from the freezer - it was a treat we would enjoy all summer long but only at her house. If my sisters and cousins read those last sentences I know they will all nod their heads knowingly.
My Grandma wasn't perfect, but she was a wonderful and Godly woman who loved her kids and grandkids. I loved to hear her pray - it was truly something awesome to listen to. More than once I have called Grandma to ask her to pray for something and I knew she would very faithfully. I know that every day that she was able, probably since the day I was born, my name was lifted to the throne of heaven. I feel an empty spot knowing that she won't be doing that anymore. While I'm so glad she is in heaven - I will miss her prayers.
Once my Grandpa had his stroke and had to be put into a nursing home due to the medical care he required, Grandma got to the point where she could no longer live alone. She moved into the assisted living section of the same nursing home he was in and was very happy there. As her health began to decline my Dad and his siblings hired my Mom's sister - Marilyn Trueblood - to care for both of my grandparents in her home. She was very qualified and took excellent care of both of them. It was so wonderful to see them in a nice, clean home being cared for by someone who loved them. I know all of our family will always be grateful to her and my Uncle Bob, who often helped her, for the excellent care that was provided.
While I have several pictures of my Grandma, I thought I'd share just a few from the last few years. While we see all of my Dad's side of the family often, most of us live here, the last time every one of us were together at the same time was Christmas of 2005. It happened that my Dad's two siblings, who live down here, had all of their kids and grandkids visiting at the same time so we were able to make it an Olsen reunion. We spent the day at the Huff's house, and while there are a few others, most of the pictures below are from that day.
Grandma watching her entire family having fun together in our backyard through our dining room window.....
This was taken the day my Grandpa passed away. She was too frail to attend the funeral but we all came by to see her together and sing to her - these are all of her grandkids (minus my older sister Brenda who had gone home before we had decided to do this and she didn't know) and three of our spouses, Jen's husband Paul is on the far left, Mary's and my husbands on the far right with seven of her eight grandkids in the middle...
I just love this picture - we were singing some hymns to her and she started crying and raising her hand to praise the Lord....
My grandparents with all of their Great-Grandchildren - for only having three children I'd say they did pretty well! "-)
And then adding in the spouses, grandkids and their families, there has been one more added to the family since then by Philip and Margaret Estes. This is the four generations of the Francis and Mary Olsen family...
With their three children - my Dad, Aunt Susan and Uncle Phil
The last time the entire Olsen family was together we took the time to do pictures and I'm so glad we did. My grandparents....
Last night at 5:30 my Grandma Olsen quietly slipped from her hospital bed at the home of my Aunt Marilyn, her caregiver, and slipped into the arms of the One she served so faithfully all of her life. She has talked of going home to heaven for years, she couldn't wait once she felt that she had done all she could here on earth, and I'm sure she is rejoicing tonight. When my Mom called to tell me the news, my first thought and one I voiced to several people is, that one of the first things I could see Grandma saying to Jesus after she bowed at His feet is "what in the world took you so long". Grandma was quite the speedy driver, even in her old age, and I have this picture of her sometime in the near future having a chariot race with Jehu - I hope he's up for the challenge!
Grandma was the perfect example of someone with a servant's heart. She was always doing for others. I don't ever remember seeing my Grandma just sitting, until her health declined, but she was constantly in motion. She was always doing something for others, either for her family or for someone in need. I doubt if there is any role in a church that she hasn't filled, except preaching, and I wouldn't be surprised if she has also done that. She played the piano and organ, taught Sunday School, taught Junior Church, organized things, baked, cooked, visited, called, prayed, ran errands, cleaned campgrounds, hosted many a preacher, singing group, etc. If there was something that needed to be done, she was the one to see that the job would not only get done, but it would get done right. She often visited the less fortunate and those others might not even think of, taking them shopping, cooking for them and doing anything she could to meet their needs. She would find an elderly person that no one visited or had family that had neglected them and take them under her wing. I watched her do this over and over and over again.
Grandma was a school teacher when she was younger, and a very good one. I loved to hear her tell a story - she had great expression and was not the least bit embarrassed about doing the voices, motions, etc. She was a hoot! The various ages that she taught never complained about being bored with her teaching, she was animated and good at what she did. She taught Sunday School and Junior Church up into her years, even when her health was to the point where she should have long ago retired she kept at it. She was amazing!
I wish I remembered all of the details of the story but there was a family in her community that Grandma started calling on and inviting them to church, I believe she called on them pretty much every week for a few years. Sometimes they wouldn't even answer the door - but she kept at it. She wasn't obnoxious or rude, she was kind and sweet to them and prayed faithfully. Finally someone agreed to go with her to church...and I believe there are now three generations of that family that are serving the Lord because she wouldn't give up inviting them to church and praying for them.
Grandma grew up in a large family on a farm. You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl. When she married my Grandpa and they lived in Binghamton, even though they lived in a house with a small yard and surrounded by houses she had an amazing garden - two of them in fact! The front yard and one side yard was just for looks, she had a green thumb and loved growing beautiful flowers and plants and those two sections were for just that very thing. But the back half of the back yard and the entire other side of the yard were her gardens and she grew all kinds of fresh veggies and several kinds of berries. She spent hours out there, tending those gardens, and when we would spend our summers up there we often helped her. I wish so badly I had spent more time learning from her and less time trying to get out of pulling weeds! She bought us girls a pellet gun and had us practice by shooting at the squirrels that would get in her garden. Every summer she would buy us a little plastic swimming pool and never complained when every year it would leave a large brown spot in her nice, green lawn. She had a tire swing hung for us in one of her big, beautiful trees and we spent many hours swinging on that thing. She was an amazing cook and I can still smell the different smells that seemed to permeate her house and it always smelled amazing! She cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner and our family stayed there for most of the summer, half of the time at their house and the other half at my Mom's parents - I don't know how she did it all. Even with my Mom helping her. My Grandpa came home almost every day for lunch and there would be a yummy, hot lunch waiting for him - I think pretty much all of his married life and he didn't retire until he was in his early 80's. She was an excellent homemaker and housekeeper. I can still picture her, in her cellar, leaning over her famous deep freeze - half in and half out as she cleaned that thing out - what a site! For most of her life the laundry room was in the basement, she could go lickety split up and down those stairs as she ran loads of laundry up and down them. She never did anything slowly but at breakneck speed! She was big on vitamins and at a young age I learned to choke down some horse pills, as we called them, as she touted the virtues of vitamins and eating healthy....even as she would stock her dessert cupboard, freezer and deep freeze with some of our favorites cookies, frozen desserts and Ring Ding Juniors! To this day I can't eat one of those unless they're straight from the freezer - it was a treat we would enjoy all summer long but only at her house. If my sisters and cousins read those last sentences I know they will all nod their heads knowingly.
My Grandma wasn't perfect, but she was a wonderful and Godly woman who loved her kids and grandkids. I loved to hear her pray - it was truly something awesome to listen to. More than once I have called Grandma to ask her to pray for something and I knew she would very faithfully. I know that every day that she was able, probably since the day I was born, my name was lifted to the throne of heaven. I feel an empty spot knowing that she won't be doing that anymore. While I'm so glad she is in heaven - I will miss her prayers.
Once my Grandpa had his stroke and had to be put into a nursing home due to the medical care he required, Grandma got to the point where she could no longer live alone. She moved into the assisted living section of the same nursing home he was in and was very happy there. As her health began to decline my Dad and his siblings hired my Mom's sister - Marilyn Trueblood - to care for both of my grandparents in her home. She was very qualified and took excellent care of both of them. It was so wonderful to see them in a nice, clean home being cared for by someone who loved them. I know all of our family will always be grateful to her and my Uncle Bob, who often helped her, for the excellent care that was provided.
While I have several pictures of my Grandma, I thought I'd share just a few from the last few years. While we see all of my Dad's side of the family often, most of us live here, the last time every one of us were together at the same time was Christmas of 2005. It happened that my Dad's two siblings, who live down here, had all of their kids and grandkids visiting at the same time so we were able to make it an Olsen reunion. We spent the day at the Huff's house, and while there are a few others, most of the pictures below are from that day.
Grandma watching her entire family having fun together in our backyard through our dining room window.....
This was taken the day my Grandpa passed away. She was too frail to attend the funeral but we all came by to see her together and sing to her - these are all of her grandkids (minus my older sister Brenda who had gone home before we had decided to do this and she didn't know) and three of our spouses, Jen's husband Paul is on the far left, Mary's and my husbands on the far right with seven of her eight grandkids in the middle...
I just love this picture - we were singing some hymns to her and she started crying and raising her hand to praise the Lord....
My grandparents with all of their Great-Grandchildren - for only having three children I'd say they did pretty well! "-)
And then adding in the spouses, grandkids and their families, there has been one more added to the family since then by Philip and Margaret Estes. This is the four generations of the Francis and Mary Olsen family... With their three children - my Dad, Aunt Susan and Uncle Phil
The last time the entire Olsen family was together we took the time to do pictures and I'm so glad we did. My grandparents.... Good-bye Grandma! Even though I am so happy that you are where you have wanted to be a long time, you will still be missed by those that knew you here on earth. I love you!.jpg)
2 comments:
So very sorry for your loss, my friend. I know that your grandmother was quite a lady. Many people are better for having known her. I'm sure that the thought of heaven is now just a bit sweeter to you. Much love to you and your family.
So sorry for your loss...have been reading Mary's blog also. I never knew your grandmother personally but I am sure she was every bit of the sweet, Christian example that I have always heard that she was.
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