A great Michigan woman was laid to rest today

Submitted by UMxWolverines on

Today my grandmother was laid to rest. She was an avid Michigan fan with many Michigan items hanging in her living room. She has been rooting for Michigan since the 1940s.

It has been very hard to take as only a little over a month ago she was delivering meals on wheels to people that were very sick or can't get around. At 85 years old she was still driving fine and had the ambition of a 45 year old. 

She was diagnosed with acute leukemia just over three weeks ago after she had some shortness of breath after first week of March. The doctor (who was kind of a dick by the way as he described what she had as a ''trainwreck'') only gave her a week to live at most. 

She was able to stick around with us for three weeks to visit family, play euchre, and teach us her ways of her unbeatable cooking. We also got to watch Michigan get to the elite 8. 

I'll always feel like she was taken from us too fast as besides a case of pneumonia a few years ago she had relatively little health problems, but she did go out the way she wanted to which was fast and painless in her sleep. I couldn't see her living in a nursing home. Many of her friends have been in much worse shape for a few years while she still cleaned her whole 2500 sf house by herself up until March. 

She was laid to rest in a beautiful blue casket with yellow roses (which we had to change from red at the last second). She was wearing a Michigan sweater and her 1998 Rose Bowl pin was on her collar and a ''I was a Detroit Tigers fan before it was cool'' shirt was placed in the casket with her. 

Who knows if it was a coincidence or not, but right when the service was over the clouds parted for a few minutes after it had been cloudy all morning. 

Many grandchildren have a special bond with their grandparents just because they're grandparents, but it's extra hard when you've only lived three miles from them your entire life. It will be hard not going to visit her anymore. She was the greatest person I know. 

LordGrantham

April 14th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^

Sorry for your loss. 85 is pretty damn good though, especially since she was able to fully enjoy everything right up until her last few days!  That's a rare blessing for someone her age.

Fire Up Blue

April 14th, 2014 at 3:06 PM ^

Hope she rests well, sounds like she was a good person with a good fanhood. With that being said... Really? I mean as big as this blog is, we could have people posting this stuff daily. What makes your family so important that you need to dilute the board with it? This is the kind of thing you console with close family about, not parade about on the internet to strangers.

Evil Empire

April 14th, 2014 at 3:12 PM ^

My maternal grandmother grew up in Topeka and graduated from the University of Missouri.  After a year of law school somewhere else, she transferred to the Michigan law school for her second year.  She met my grandfather while studying in the law library with a male friend over Thanksgiving weekend.  Grandpa passed the guy a note asking for an introduction.  When Granny went home over Christmas, a guy tried to propose to her but she said her heart belonged to another.  At some point she learned that Michigan wouldn't grant her a JD unless she took three years worth of classes, so she continued her Alex Legion-esque law studies at a third school, Washburn University in Topeka.

Granny and Grandpa were married in September 1940 and called Grand Rapids home for most of the following 61 years.  My grandfather had Alzheimer's and was barely able to converse by the time I graduated from UM in 1996.  But Granny was there, hositing a stein of Hacker Pschorr Dark at The Heidelberg with the best of them. 

I remember her writing me a note when I was in school, mentioning in passing how much she had enjoyed a Michigan basketball win recently, stating that "J. Rose even made some important free throws for a change!" 

She took a tumble in June 2003 while traveling, probably passing out when she couldn't get enough air.  Diagnosed with congestive heart failure, she got to see all of her descendants in the final three months.  I was there to celebrate her 88th birthday (one day after my 29th) in early September.  I bought a blue car that month, the same Chrysler hue as my brother's and parents'.  Granny, in a thin voice, said "someone needs to get a maize one."

She died in late September of that year, and I miss her a lot.  She was kind, generous, an excellent needlecrafter (she knew me well...I have a cross-stich she made that says "If it weren't for the last minute, a lot of things wouldn't get done), and a true blue Michigan fan. 

I enjoyed UTL 2 tremenously.  It was my birthday that evening, and in the aftermath of Gardner's #98 debut I realized it was my 98th Michigan game and that the next day would have been Granny's 98th birthday.

 

Sorry for your loss, but sounds like she lived a darn full life.  Go Blue.

NorthSideBlueFan

April 14th, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^

Best to you and your family at this difficult time.

Your relationship reminds me of my own with my maternal grandmother who lived in the next town over from us until I went to college and then moved away from Michigan.  She was the one person in my life that I could always count on and who would always give me the benefit of  the doubt, even when others wouldn't. 

LSAClassOf2000

April 14th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^

Very sorry for your loss and thoughts and condolences to your family in this time of loss. It sounds like she lived a very active and full life, which is an excellent thing, and it is even better that you lived so close and had the opportunity to be that close to her and connect through that fandom too. 

rob f

April 14th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^

UMxWolverines---it sounds like you were blessed with a very special Grandmother. 

You've been very fortunate to have lived within 3 miles of her for so very long; I can identify closely with that, as I lived just a mile from my maternal grandparents from the age of 2 until 20.  My siblings and I saw Grandma and Grandpa at least once a week and sometimes almost daily up until they both retired from farming and had time to travel and winter in Florida.  They were there for every major milestone of my life up until they passed away in '77 and '83---I am still fortunate enough to have very vivid memories of them (not to mention that they both show up--very vividly, too---occasionally in my dreams).

So count your blessings, there is nothing quite as special as a closer-than-usual bond with Grandparents.  Now I'm reliving that closeness with my 5-yr-old Granddaughter and I absolutely adore her.  Better yet, I think she feels the same towards me!  Not at all unlike the bond between you and your dear Grandma...

GoWings2008

April 14th, 2014 at 3:48 PM ^

to you and your whole family.  Last year at an age of 90, and a 1947 graduate of the University of Michigan, my dad also passed away in his sleep.  It was through him that I learned to love Michigan sports the way I have and I am hoping the two of them are sitting up in Football's Valhalla with Bob and Bo getting ready to watch this season's Michigan Wolverines take the field of battle.  God Bless!

MMB 82

April 14th, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^

but take some solace that to go quickly after living a full life is the best way to pass on to the next world. Celebrate her life!

XM - Mt 1822

April 14th, 2014 at 4:45 PM ^

and your family.   but i would mention two things that hopefully are of comfort.   first, your grandmother's wishes really were granted in that she was vital, loving, together right to her last days, undoubtedly surrounded by family as her last breath was taken.   lots of us mgo-bloggers have stories about how one loved one or another didn't get that ending, so in the big scheme of things, your grandmother passed in wonderful fashion and i'm sure we're all very glad for you in that context.

second, your grandmother isn't sick anymore.   she is healthy now, spiritually healthy, and that means no more suffering.

 

MGomaha

April 14th, 2014 at 7:03 PM ^

Prayers for you and your family.

And posts like these never fail to show how hard someone can be over the internet. Sheesh, show a little respect, will ya?

Mgodiscgolfer

April 17th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^

during his time of mourning. Wtf, do you go to funerals and laugh at the deseased and make jokes about them? I don.t get it why somebody can neg him for him even saying they don't make them like her anymore he's right. We all know the people of that time were raised different than the kids today. Hey UMX  all my condolences to you and yours and never forget her.