Growing Up Greenwall: Grandma Irene's Funeral Weekend

The death of a loved one is such a conflicting event. We are all sad over our loss. The loss of a wonderful Grandmother. She was a strong woman of faith and love. She always made me feel as if her life didn't begin until I was born. My fondest memories of her are of staying the night at her apartment at the Beautitudes. She would read me my favorite stories, teach me of the history of Arizona, she moved here when Phoenix was still a small town. She even wrote books about the growth of Phoenix. The best part of these visits was bedtime. She would give me a pretty nightgown to sleep in, and we would share her queen size bed. She would tell me The Three Little Pigs, but not the normal story. Our pigs traveled the world. Every time it would be a different story. Then she would rub my back and sing to me as I fell asleep. She would always sing a song that she had made up, changing the names to everyone that I loved. The song goes:
Grandma Loves her dear little Rachel
Grandma Loves her dear little Rachel
Grandma Loves her dear little Rachel
Very, Very, Very, Very Much!

Grandma lived a long and blessed life. She died at the age of 92. She left our family a wonderful heritage of Faith, Love, and Giving. She always served the Lord. I am so thankful for the Heritage that she gave me.

The weekend of her funeral everyone in my family came to spend the weekend at my house. We had a wonderful time sharing our memories of her. We all went out to one of her favorite restaurants after the service. The Old Spaghetti Company. It was wonderful to spend time with Audrey, Bob, and Orin the cousins she joined when she came to Phoenix.