But laundry is just the tip of the iceberg for what Grandma did for her grandchildren. She's one of those very special grandmas who just can't be explained in words. She loved her kids and her grandkids more than anything in the world. They were her heart. She did everything for them. I'm told she spent countless hours with them when they were little. She watched them. She gave them rides to practices. Josh particularly remembers her rubbing his feet and legs for hours when he was having growing pains (and he is now returning that favor to our daughter as she is going through the same thing).
When I started attending Josh's sporting events in high school, I was amazed to realize that Grandma never missed a single one! She was at every tennis meet and every baseball game. She thought he was the best. I remember her getting so nervous at Josh's tennis meets that she would have to walk away! The funny thing is that she didn't understand the scoring, so she wasn't even always sure if he was ahead or behind. She just wanted him to win. After Josh and I got married, Josh joined an adult slow-pitch softball team, and even then, she came to all of his games! One night, Josh hit 3 homeruns-in slow-pitch softball, and she was sure that the newspaper should be there, covering his achievements. She was such a proud Grandma!
When Josh and I were in college, Grandma would send care packages with homemade goodies to our dorm rooms. It was always exciting to get mail at college! She would even include extra bags for us to give to our friends! She has a way of making everyone feel special. But there was one family tradition that I didn't know about until Josh and I got married. That year, on my birthday, the phone rang at about 7:30 on Saturday morning, and it was Grandma, singing "Happy Birthday" to me. It was so sweet. She did that every year, for every person's birthday. Even thinking back to high school, I remember her hanging banners and streamers on Josh's front porch for his birthday. And you always know that your birthday card will have a bunch of coins taped inside, matching the age that you are becoming.
I remember when our first daughter, Hannah, was born, Grandma was just head over heels for her. She was just sure that she had never seen a cuter baby. She loved to come over and hold her whenever she had the chance. Once Jacob came along, she loved him so much too. She just loved talking to the babies.
Grandma had lots of funny little things about her that I don't want to forget. Like she always wore short sleeves, even when it was below zero, she loved to dance to the YMCA at weddings, she never missed bingo night, she rooted for the Cubs for 91 years and never saw them win. And a few weeks ago, when Hannah asked Grandma her favorite color, she said, "well, it's not red" (due to her strong dislike for the Cardinals and the Hoosiers).
The last time we saw Grandma, we didn't know it would be our last. But it was a perfect "last day." She was able to talk to Josh and I. Josh was able to hold her hand and tell her that he loves her. The kids were able to lay in bed with her and cuddle. They both gave her lots of kisses. It really was a special day for us, and I think it was for her too.
Out of all of the wonderful things I could say about Grandma, the most important is that she has left a legacy of love. She loved with every ounce of her being. She gave her life caring for her kids. Her kids reciprocated this love beautifully, caring for her so selflessly in her final days. She loved, and she was surrounded by love. We will miss you Grandma, but we will never forget you.
Hannah is including her favorite memories of Grandma Downing:
-Riding on her wheelchair with her
-Going out to eat at the pizza place with her (we did this all the time)
-Going Trick or Treating at her house
-Getting M&Ms from her
-Cuddling with her in her bed
-Praying for her when she was sick
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