Another Grandma shout-out

Since I can't be at my Grandma's service today, here's the eulogy I wrote for the pastor to read. Dad put me in charge of writing it on behalf of the family:

Throughout Mary's life, she evolved into each new phase with enthusiasm. From her childhood days in Egypt, going to college in Ohio, becoming a mother, and finally moving to Alaska with her husband Jim and their children. She continued to change with life because she loved being a part of it, and her family's lives. When Mary's daughter Carol was young, and she tried to help her daughter zip up her coat, Carol would stop her and say "my do myself."

That became Mary's mantra.

She jumped into grandmotherhood with all her "my do myself" zeal. Lending her helpful hand as her grandchildren's babysitter. In her rookie year she took her granddaughter Sara to watch Carol compete in a triathlon in Wasilla. While making a quick trip to the car to restock on toys and diapers, Mary had given Sara the car keys to play with. After she set her grandchild down in the car seat, she shut the car door for just a moment. When she went to open the door again, she discovered she accidentally locked the car, and Sara still had the keys in her hands — smiling and giggling with her new toy. Mary quickly went into a building to call a locksmith, and when she returned to the car, the smiling baby now had started screaming and crying. To cheer up her granddaughter until the locksmith arrived, Mary danced and sang like a "batty old woman" in the parking lot to make her Sara happy.

She embraced her battiness by following her grandchildren through all their make-believe adventures. If they needed to travel like Fivel to America, she'd ready the sails; if Pinocchio needed to escape from Pleasure Island, she helped map the way out. When plans were being made for a treehouse, Mary wanted to make sure she could climb up to the tree tops too. Rick had to take over the treehouse blueprints in order to ensure the structures integrity.

For a short while, Mary lived in Anchor Point at Rick and Sharon's home. In order for Sharon to complete her teaching certification, she needed to finish her last semester in Anchorage. So Mary came to help Rick with the kids, packing their lunches and sending the young ones off to school in the morning. She'd walk down to the bus stop to greet Sara and Zack in the afternoon, and then they'd wander home and cook dinner together. One night, Zack tried to help clean up by putting ketchup — his favorite condiment — back in the fridge. A 6-year-old boy can only pay so much attention to detail, so a precariously balanced Heinz ketchup can look the same as a well-placed bottle. Mary went to put the rest of the leftovers away, but found a falling condiment container instead. The ketchup explosion became legendary with her grandchildren — some tales told of a the whole kitchen being painted red that evening. After Sharon returned home, and was doing a little spring cleaning, she even found ketchup splatter on top of the kitchen cupboards.

Mary always made sure her family felt welcome in her home. Pop-ins were not just welcomed, but encouraged. Zack would stop in after basketball practice with a gallon of milk and a box of cereal, then fill up a bowl and start chatting about his day. If she wasn't there, he'd eat and leave the bowl in the sink to let her know he stopped by. When Carol would come for a visit, Mary would direct either Zack or Sara to wrestle the spare twin mattress up from storage to be set up in her apartment. And in her mouse house at assisted living, she insisted on owning a love seat with a twin sleeper sofa tucked away inside — always ready to accommodate those stopping by.

And she felt at home wherever her family was. Whether it was here, Anchor Point, Palmer, Seattle, or Bellingham. At her granddaughter's wedding, Mary enjoyed all of the festivities —zooming around on her walker and talking with all the friends and family that were there. The mornings were filled with food, conversation and talk about activities for the day. She fit right in, even though she thought she was stealthy at moving from room to room. In preparation for the big day, she tailored her own dress for the occasion. She didn't move as fast as she used to, but she still could give the younger generation a run for their money.

Toward the end, life had changed a lot for her. Carol said it best in a letter to her mother: "I'm glad you have chosen to go on with life and change with it, and not just crawl in a hole and hide." Until the very end, Mary continued to change and adapt to her surroundings, never satisfied if she could make it better for her and her family.