Recent News - Mary Arth
This past Sunday, Grandma Arth passed away in her sleep. Grandma had just turned 97(!) a few weeks earlier and had her gall bladder removed on Friday.
Karina and I attended her birthday last month and found her in good form and spirits, although she did acknowledge then that she "had to shake this thing" that had been bothering her the previous weeks.
Grandma's was an interesting life. Her family emigrated from Croatia in the early part of last century and settled along the Missouri in a farming community. Although she could still speak Croatian, her story was that once the family came to America, "that was it" and they never spoke their native tongue again.
My brothers and I were probably too soft for Grandma, who would tell stories of how she and her brother as children would go down to the well to get the family's cooking and bath water. I can't imagine the labour and hardship that she and Grandpa undertook to ensure that their family had a better life.
It's amazing to think about the changes that Grandma would have seen and experienced in her lifetime - from the universal adoption of the automobile and the modern utility infrastructure to the development of the global commodity and foods market.
From this perspective, the next several days will be remarkable as the family returns to Kansas, flying in from across the continent. My correspondence and arrangements have been entirely made with technologies that probably seemed otherworldly when Grandma was at my age - cell phones, email and web-based business services.
I always loved visiting Grandma and Grandpa as their love was always so honest and abundant. Although she probably found my studies and occupation to be unusual, Grandma was always interested and supportive. She had a great and at times mischevious sense of humour - and there was no fooling her. But the trait I will most remember about Grandma will be her sharing - sharing her memories, her opinions, her table and her heart.
We'll miss you Grandma.
Karina and I attended her birthday last month and found her in good form and spirits, although she did acknowledge then that she "had to shake this thing" that had been bothering her the previous weeks.
Grandma's was an interesting life. Her family emigrated from Croatia in the early part of last century and settled along the Missouri in a farming community. Although she could still speak Croatian, her story was that once the family came to America, "that was it" and they never spoke their native tongue again.
My brothers and I were probably too soft for Grandma, who would tell stories of how she and her brother as children would go down to the well to get the family's cooking and bath water. I can't imagine the labour and hardship that she and Grandpa undertook to ensure that their family had a better life.
It's amazing to think about the changes that Grandma would have seen and experienced in her lifetime - from the universal adoption of the automobile and the modern utility infrastructure to the development of the global commodity and foods market.
From this perspective, the next several days will be remarkable as the family returns to Kansas, flying in from across the continent. My correspondence and arrangements have been entirely made with technologies that probably seemed otherworldly when Grandma was at my age - cell phones, email and web-based business services.
I always loved visiting Grandma and Grandpa as their love was always so honest and abundant. Although she probably found my studies and occupation to be unusual, Grandma was always interested and supportive. She had a great and at times mischevious sense of humour - and there was no fooling her. But the trait I will most remember about Grandma will be her sharing - sharing her memories, her opinions, her table and her heart.
We'll miss you Grandma.
2 Comments:
ben,
i'm so sorry to hear about your grandma's passing. it's nice to hear of all the wonderful moments you had with her and the history of her life in the states. best wishes in your travels to kansas, amanda.
By Anonymous, At 10:49 PM
Ben - so sorry to hear the news. Please pass on my thoughts to Matthew, Neal and your Mum (and Dad).
I'll try to call you this week.
By Andrew Cashin, At 11:40 AM
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