My Grandma lived a great life! She lived until she was 93. She died peacefully on August 6th with her daughters by her side. On August 9th, we said goodbye to her with a very sweet funeral.
I spoke at a memorial service in her honor at the Villa Asuncion in Princeton, where she lived. I also spoke at her funeral. These were pretty much the words I said in her honor.
Good afternoon, my name is Donna Fortenberry. I have the distinct honor and pleasure of
being Christine Taylor Swanson’s granddaughter.
I was so proud of that title that I named my first born Jessica Taylor
after her great-grandmother. I find that
both of these ladies are a great combination of sweet and sassy – with an extra
dose of sassy. And, who doesn’t like a
little bit of sassy, right?
I am so thankful that families are a part of Heavenly
Father’s plan for us. I am especially
grateful that he included grandmothers in that plan. My grandma was perfectly perfect for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better grandma. She was just the one that I needed.
My mom is a wonderful grandmother. She makes her home very inviting for her
grandkids providing them with special toys, activities and books. Her entire house has been transformed just for
them. I hope that someday I can do the
same for my grandkids. However, Grandma
didn’t really transform her house for us. When we came to visit, our Grandma WAS the party. I loved spending the night with my Grandma,
especially when I was about 14. We would
take her dog and go to TCBY and get some frozen yogurt and then come back and
watch Dallas and Falcon Crest. We’d eat
our yogurt and talk about Sue Ellen and J.R.
Often times, on Saturday afternoon she would drop us off at the mall or
let us walk to the mall, which was a huge treat. Mom would never have let us walk to the
mall. Which, by the way, we all kept a
secret until a couple of years ago.
Grandma and I got along famously even though we were very
different. I am a rule follower. I play it safe and cautious. If I can’t figure something out, I tend to
wait, so that I don’t make a mistake. Grandma
was an improviser. She used the tools
she had at hand, and moved forward no matter what. When I was a teenager, I received a brand new
pretty pink camera for Christmas. She
asked to borrow it. She couldn’t figure
out how to get the film out, so she used a screwdriver and pried the back of my
camera open to free the used film. After
that, my camera always had to have a strip of tape on the back. If it were me, I would have thought to
myself, “I don’t know what to do here, I better wait and find someone to help
me.” Not Grandma. She just thought to herself, “It won’t
open. What can I find to MAKE it
open!” Which is one of the things that I loved most
about her.
Around that same time, Grandma decided she wanted to teach
me to cook… from a recipe! She knew I
was taking Home Economics and wanted to do her part to further my
education. We prepared everything we
needed to bake a cobbler. This will be
the best cobbler you’ve ever tasted, she told me. I remember being skeptical, because Grandma
wasn’t a bad cook, but she wasn’t my most favorite cook. As we started getting ready to bake I would
ask her questions like, “Grandma, where are your measuring cups.” It quickly became apparent that my improviser
Grandma improvised in the kitchen, as well.
She didn’t own a single measuring cup or measuring spoon. The rule follower in me almost died and was hoping
that my Home Economics teacher, Miss Kerby, never got wind of this cooking
demonstration that was taking place. Grandma told me just to grab a glass from
the cupboard. Which one, I would ask
her. It doesn’t matter would be her
reply. Who knows if we were even close
in our measurements that day. However, we
had a lot of fun enjoying one another.
In life, I’ve learned that I like to surround myself with
people like my grandma. People that know
how to improvise a little bit, if needed.
They help balance me out and make life more fun. And, that is what Grandma did for me. She made life more fun. She taught me that our time on this earth is
short. We need to relax, enjoy
it and sometimes improvise a little.
I have a blog that I try to keep up-to-date with family
stories and my thoughts on life. On January
21, 2009 I posted a poem for Grandma.
The author is unknown. This poem
describes how I feel about my Grandma.
A grandma is a remarkable
woman.
She's a wonderful
combination of
warmth and kindness,
laughter and love.
She overlooks our faults,
encourages our dreams,
and praises our every
success.
A grandma has the wisdom of a teacher,
the sincerity of a true
friend,
and the tenderness of a
mother.
She's someone we admire,
respect and
love very much.
A grandma will always have a cherished
place in our memories and
in our hearts.
She's someone for whom we
want every happiness
in return for the joy she
always brings.
A grandma is all the dear and precious
things in life...
When she's a grandma like
you.
-author unknown-
My grandma is definitely
all those things and more! I am thankful
for the joy that she has brought to my life and to the lives of my children. I am thankful that my kids had the opportunity know her and love her as much as I did.
The day of the funeral, I added a section. It was unscripted, but it went something like this.
My Auntie Jan and I were talking and decided to give everyone a note card at dinner last night and have them write one word that described Grandma. This sounded like a great idea until I started reading all the cards. I thought to myself 'what have we done?' But, then I decided that Grandma would have proudly owned every single one of these words. (At this point, I could see Auntie Jan laughing and clapping out of the corner of my eye.)
I am going to read these words to you today:
- Mischievous
- Strong-willed
- Tenacious
- Sassy
- Chocoholic
- Proud
- Cheater (with White Elephant gifts at Christmas)
- Stealer (I am assuming this one also applies to White Elephant gifts, as well)
- ornery
- Sneaky
- Fun
- Caring
And, my word is Elite. As in the choicest part or best in class. Both of those definitions fit my Grandma. She will always be best in class to me and she is by far the choicest part of our family.
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