Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Happy Birthday Gramma T

I'm hoping to find some photos to scan and add to this post before it goes live.

Today Gramma T would have been 94.  Mary Templeton, my dear, darling Mother in Law.  She was an amazing woman, who at times made me crazy!!  Just as a MIL should, right?

She was born and raised in a large strict Roman Catholic family near Boston.  A child of some wealth for the time.  She married and moved to the Pacific Northwest where she lived the rest of her days.  She birthed her two boys there, divorced her husband of decades and went to work at Boeing.  I think she worked everyday, every single day for almost 3 years, during the strike back in the 60's.  She had two children to raise and could not be off work.

When she retired, she took about two days off and then took herself down to the local senior center to volunteer and "take care of the old people".  She ended up being a paid employee and worked there right up until her cancer diagnosis in January of 2003.  She passed away peacefully in her own bed, refusing to go to a hospital, on October 31, 2003.  Her own mother had died on October 31st as well.

She weighed about 95 pounds, dripping wet. at her healthiest!  Her cupboard contained just enough dishes to feed herself and Brian, and the 5 of us when we would visit.  But that was it.  She cooked with salt, pepper and italian seasoning.  Oh, and I think she had some cinnamon.  She lived her life very simply.  And didn't regret it.

The clothes she had in her possession when she died were the same as when I had met her in 1972.  And they were immaculate.  She took great pride in her work, her world, her children, her grandchildren.

I miss her almost everyday.

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