On May 8, 2012 I received a text message no granddaughter ever wants to get “Gramma fell shes at south county fell on knee she had replaced”. The worst part about getting this text was that I was turning my phone off to fly home from a week-long vacation in Florida. The next 17 days would be lunch hours at the hospital, sometimes those lunch hours would be longer than an hour, late night phone calls and having to go to the hospital, a lot of time with family and finally saying goodbye to the best grandmother anyone could ask for.
I’m going to apologize now for this post as it is going to be ALL over the place.
Little me and Grammie Ruth
Growing up I was lucky enough to spend most of my time with my grandparents. Friday night dinners at Cathay Garden or The Kent Restaurant, popcorn and TV shows, coffee ice cream, countless meals and desserts, birthdays, family reunions and so on. My grandmother, Ruth Weindel, was the best. As I reflect on having lost her over a year ago I try to remember how lucky I was to spend so much time with her.
Things from those 17 days are still etched in my memory, so many hugs, laughs and tears. I think it was a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon and my mom called and said there would be a family meeting, the hospital only 5 or so minutes from my office I was torn…I decided after my boss went into a meeting that I was leaving, luckily he is family and understood.
When my gram fell she had broken her leg, went through surgery, a couple of days at a nursing rehab center and then other health issues came to light…PSA: do not take heartburn lightly as she did! Towards the end Gram wouldn’t eat and the day of the family meeting she and Gramp had decided that she was done fighting and would be put on hospice.
I don’t think I have ever hugged my Gram so tight or so long. I’ll never forget what I said “What am I going to do without you” and she said “Love Gramp”…even now over a year later it is hard to be around my Gramp too long…Luckily through all of this I had the most amazing person by my side, James. The poor guy always had a wet shoulder but he was given the greatest task of all the last day my Gram talked she told James “Take care of my girl.” Talk about guilt haha…(I’ve been crying the entire time while writing this and this one made me laugh…thank God!)
Crosby visiting Gram!
One year after losing the rock of our family we held the “Ruth Weindel Memorial Golf Tournament”. All proceeds to be donated to South Country Charities. May 25, 2013 was a nasty rotten rainy day…only one foursome dropped out.
A week or so later we presented the donation…We successfully raised $7,400 much to our surprise!
- Heidi (My Aunt), Susan (My Aunt), Nancy (Mom)
Timmy (South County Charities), Gramp (The Man!)
Working College Girlie 