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I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye to my grandmother, Gladys Andersen. I hope she won’t mind my asking you to read this for me.
Growing up
during the
60's
in
Saugerties,NY
and then
Kingston,NY
, the grandparents I knew better were my
mother
’s parents in
Pennsylvania
. They visited often, until my
maternal grandmother
was taken from us over 30 years ago. Throughout my childhood,
Pop Pop
was the
grandparent I knew well.
Far off
on the west coast
, though, I had another pair of grandparents. They seemed mysterious, even exotic to me. They were known to show up on our doorstep, with little advance notice, having driven clear across the country.
Grandpa
was as tall as a tree and
Grandma
was a gypsy with bright red hair and a warm throaty laugh, which came with ease.
They spoke of holistic healing with herbs and Native American lore. I thought they looked and acted like hippies
and were
very bohemian
. Wearing matching
handmade shirts of tiger
stripes
or ancient American-Indian
intaglio
designs carefully reproduced from linoleum blocks and stamped onto cloth,
they would show us their
stationery
and other handmade things.
Grandpa’s
large fingers dangled heavily under what seemed an
enormous amount of chunky turquoise and his collar sported a bolo tie instead of the thin black tie I was used to seeing on the IBMers of the era like my
Dad
. Back to Top
In the summer of 1971, we took the
camping
vacation of a lifetime driving all the way to Washington state to visit with the
"west-coast Andersens". Grandpa and Grandma owned a little storefront shop called
Gems Etc.
Inside it was
filled with the magical beauty of the earth: Jasper, Turquoise, Garnets, Silver, Jade and stones with exotic names I couldn’t begin to pronounce. The walls were covered with carvings of Indian masks and
macramé belts
and purses. Display cases overflowed with
their designs and creations
. A
miniature circus of wooden clowns, dolls
and
painted silk
kept my eyes as wide as saucers. Grandma told us to pick out any stone and setting we wanted and she would make us a piece of
jewelry
to keep. I chose Picture Jasper and still have
the brooch
they made out of it as well as handmade
Peridot jewelry
, my birthstone.
Throughout the years we wrote back and forth and always Grandma would tell of their adventures.
They lived in towns with strange names to a young girl, like Truth or Consequences, Mesa and Yuma
and drove into Mexico for affordable medicines; something unheard of in the 70's
but common now. Always the stories included people befriended along the way. I was mesmerized
and my passion for travel
and the arts were solidified.
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I graduated from college
in
May 1980.
April
from
Boston and
Robin
from
Washington, surprised us with a visit and I felt so special having my
Pop Pop, Grandpa and Grandma
there. When I moved to California I was able to drive to the little house in
Globe, Arizona. Even though they were getting on in years, Grandma always spent
long hours talking about the people she'd met. She could recall every person she'd ever met in her life. Everyone held a special place in her heart.
In
1992 when I married
they took a Greyhound to
be there
.
Grandpa gave a toast
during the reception and showing us what true love is, told how he met Grandma. He fell in love with her in that first moment. They walked home together from an event at the local armory and 2 days
later Grandpa proposed. Claiming she didn’t want to seem too eager, Grandma said
she waited 2 weeks to say Yes, and he called her his bride for
over 60 years
. How beautiful is that?Back to Top
The last time we were together was for
Christmas 2003
, in
North Carolina
. Grandpa had passed away and Grandma, now suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, lived in a comfortable rest home nearby. I had stopped by on my way home from
Africa
and Vicki's daughter,
Kimberly
, and grandson lived close enough to make it a multigenerational family reunion of sorts. It was also
Dad and Mom's 50th
Wedding Anniversary. All the people were laughing and talking in
Susan's
living room which overwhelmed
Grandma
and she nervously asked,
"Who are all these people?"
"This is your family, Grandma."
"How is that possible?" We explained that there was her son,
Jerry
and his wife
Shirley
. Then there were
two of her granddaughters,
Susan
and
Shelley
, and
six of her
many
,
many
great grandchildren. Then we held up the baby,
"This is your great-great grandson,
Aaviel
!" She sat back looking at all of us for a minute and then smiled and proclaimed happily,
"
What a lovely family!
"
There is so much more I remember, too much to tell here. My grandmother Gladys was a flame of inspiration to me. I’ve inherited her free spirit, her love of people, her flair for artistry and her laugh. I am sad that she is gone from us on earth. But when I consider that she is reunited with her true love, I am happy for all of us. God bless you Grandma,
I love you always,Shelley
email me your comments on this story of Gladys Andersen
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