Shirley Sez

My grandmother passed away in the early morning today. I got the call from Amy as I was already at school.

I had just arrived at school. In fact, I wasn't even in the building yet. A pickup driver fell asleep at the wheel right in front of the high school and smashed into a telephone pole. The airbag deployed. The driver was okay but the guy that was sleeping in the backseat hurt his face and upper lip, saying he thought his teeth went through his lip. So I was out if front helping out a bit.

I feel terrible. I know we weren't the closest but I still feel horrible about the whole thing. She always sent the kids birthday cards, Christmas cards, Easter cards, Halloween cards, that she made with a computer program. The kids loved seeing them. When I was much younger, she always sent me books. I had one of the best summers of my life back in 1984 at their house in California when the Olympics were in Los Angeles. I feel really bad for my grandpa. He is moving back to Illinois and she is being interred here. Something was said about services being around Thanksgiving so everyone can be here.

It was sudden but not sudden. She was just up here, what, last month or so? It was almost as if she knew and wanted to see everyone one last time.

She wrote a column for local newspapers called Shirley Sez, a column about household tips and recipes.

She is survived by her husband of over fifty years. She leaves behind a daughter and three sons. She leaves behind nine grandchildren. She leaves behind four great-grandchildren, so far.

Goodbye, Grandma.