Dearest Grammy

Grace Winifred Coleman Elliott

Sept 19, 1917-March 4 2012

Wasn't she beautiful?  She wasn't just beautiful on the outside, but had great inner beauty as well.   This last weekend Bob and I were able to fly out to Kansas for the funeral of my Grammy.  It was such a sweet weekend of spending time with family as we celebrated her life.  Memories were shared and many letters were read.  That is one thing that Grammy was known for...letterwriting on her cursive typewriter.

I remember when my older siblings went off to college they began getting letters from Grammy called Grandaway letters.  In our family it was a sort of right of passage when you began to recieve these letters.  When I went away to college one of the first letters I recieved was from Grammy...my first Grandaway letter.  These letters were written to each of her grandkids who were away at college on each of their birthdays.  Since my birthday was a few days after I had gotten to Geneva, it was one of my first pieces of mail there.  Throughout the year, then I recieved a letter on each of my cousin's birthdays. 

There are so many things I could write about Grammy...the special things she did for us when we would spend a few weeks in Kansas each summer, or her many "Grammyisms" that made us laugh, but the thing that I will mostly remember her for is the way she passed the legacy of being a Godly woman down to her girls who then passed that same legacy down to all of us grandchildren.  After being at her funeral, I came away with the feeling of how blessed I am as a result of her faithfulness and love for her King.

She and my Grandad had 5 girls who gave them 18 grandkids.  She is now up to 37 great grandchildren!

Her gravestone, shared with my grandad

My mom's gravestone is next to Grammy and Grandad's.  I wonder what that reunion was like!

I had to add this picture in just because it's so sweet!

The pall bearers were her grandsons.

The Elliott clan (although many were missing)

Later that evening, we gathered around a bonfire to share memories of Grammy, which was led by her three girls.  It was as if the matriarch role was being passed down to the next generation.  What a sweet time!

I can only imagine what Grammy might be experiencing now in the presence of her King and Savior!!!