Remembering Granny

My Grandmother, or "Granny" as we have always called her, was born December 16th, 1918. The photo on the left with my Mom was taken on her 89th birthday just this last December. The photo with my brother was taken just a couple of weeks ago at her nursing home a couple weeks prior to her death. Gretchen Mae Shelton died July 4th, 2008. She is preceded in death by my Grandfather, Carol Shelton, her loving husband of 63 years, and 12 brothers and sisters. She leaves behind 2 daughters, Carolyn (Mom) and Sandra, 6 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great grandchildren.

Growing up, my brothers and I spent a lot of time at Granny and Pappa's. I remember the smell of coffee brewing in the morning and their brownies and peaches that they liked to eat for breakfast...she was always fond of sweets (much to Mom's dismay)! My cousins and I would run circles around their West Side house (where they lived in excess of 50 years), dressing up in her dresses and playing make believe in the backyard. She and Pappa loved to play card games and cribbage and I just remember Greg spending hours and late nights playing game after game with them. In fact, he brought with him a Bible with her handwriting from 1983 saying "To the Greatest Cribbage Player in the world. - Love Granny and Pappa."

She was probably one of the silliest people I know (aside from my own silly mother) who was always full of laughs and giggles and silly faces. And even in the end, when my brother and I sat by her bedside, she woke up giggling for a good straight 5 minutes one day. It was the funniest things to see out of the clear blue sky and it made us laugh too - it's like she was dreaming of good memories or just simply hamming it up for us to make us feel better. She loved to read, and in her earlier years before her memory started to fail her, she would complete a crossword puzzle every morning. She and Pappa loved to make doll houses and doll furniture and for a little girl, that truly made Christmas extra special - especially when they would rattle the bells and tell us that Rudolph was on the roof and we had to hurry and go to bed or Santa wouldn't leave us anything!

Mom was great about taking her on car rides up to the mountains and through Garden of the Gods where she and Pappa used to take their morning walks, and would often treat her to her favorite restaurant and strawberry shortcake at The Mason Jar!

And in true "Granny style and care" even when I lay next to her this past month with tears streaming down my face, it was Granny patting my back and saying "shhh shhh" don't cry like she did so many times when I was a child to comfort me, when it was me that should have been comforting her at this time. I was so thankful that my brother was there to make us all laugh and to make her smile (see photos below).

She will be laid to rest next to Pappa at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs this Saturday, June 12th, 2008. She will be truly missed. Rest in peace, Granny, and know that we all love you now and always......
- Melanie