Saying Good-bye to Grandma

Sadly, my wonderful Grandma Hadley passed away on May 8th. She had been sick and we had time to prepare but I'm not sure if that made it any easier. To understand you have to know a little background.

When I was four years old by parents bought a little piece of land in Shelley, ID. When we moved in, my grandma also moved her little trailer there. For the next fourteen years I grew up with my grandma living next door. If we needed something we ran to her house to borrow it, if I needed to earn some money I asked her if I could do chores. We spent the night at her house and went to town with her to run errands. She drove us to Driver's Ed and taught us to play cards. Grandma was a constant.

For as long as I have been alive, Grandma worked hard and provided for herself. She was fiesty and independent. She was Grandma.

Even after I moved out on my own and moved to Boise, Grandma was there for me. Though she hated the thought of making the long drive by herself she did it for me. Not once but twice, first when I was pregnant with CJ and was put on bedrest and again when I was pregnant with Caleb and the same thing happened. When I told her I needed help she packed her bags. She stayed as long as I needed.

Eventually Grandma moved to Boise and moved into my house. It was supposed to be temporary but due to her health it turned into a permanent situation. In that close of quarters we had our differences. In truth, we fought like an old married couple. Despite that, Grandma was still there. If I needed something she wouldn't hesistate. She helped wherever she could and always wanted to do more.

We had her funeral in Idaho Falls on Thursday May 15th. We had a get together with all the family afterward. It was nice to see so many family members that we had not seen for years. We all stayed at Grandma Turnage's house, it was crazy and loud and fun! We also had a barbeque there on Friday. It was so great that we were all together. It felt more like a party than a death in the family and though it is cliche it is what Grandma would have wanted. She also wanted to be cremated and have her ashes scattered at Medicine Lodge, a place where we spent a lot of time camping in the summer. We all drove up there on Saturday. We had lunch and let the kids play before placing her ashes around the fire pit. It is a place where Grandma spent a lot of time visiting with family and we feel that when we go camping there next we can sit around the camp fire and be with Grandma.

Grandma will be easy to remember, first as the little eccentric lady who lived next door, second as the crazy lady who lived in the bonus room, and finally as the grandma who was always there.

We love you Grandma.