Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me... Let me be singing when the evening comes!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Unfading Roses

Nanny, PopPop, Mom, and Me; 4 generations!

My great-grandmother, Katie Rice Syphard Shantz, was born September 17, 1918. Early this morning, Feburary 21, 2013, she passed away.  Being her first great-grandchild I realize how incredibly blessed I was to have known her so well and to have so many wonderful memories.

Nanny, Mom, and Great-PopPop (He passed away before I was born)

Just a few things that come to mind when I think of Nanny:

✥ She was my great-grandmother/babysitter/friend.
✥ She was the one who came closest to spoiling us. 
✥ She enjoyed taking us shopping and giving gifts.
✥ You had to be careful what you said you liked because she would buy it for you!
✥ I remember taking summer naps on the carpeted floor of her air conditioned appartment.
✥ My first sleep-over (all by myself, just for fun) was with her.
✥ As a little girl I was facinated by the fact that she had false teeth and would take them out at night.
✥ Her favorite color was red. 
✥ She used to tell me about a red coat she had when she was a girl.
✥ She loved seeing cardinals and butterflies.
✥ A box of crayons and coloring book would keep us entertained for hours.
✥ I blame my love of Peanut M&Ms and York Peppermint Patties on her. She always had them in the pantry.
✥ She liked taking long walks and pretty flowers
✥ She liked good eating:
homemade cookies & veggie soup/chicken nuggets/hot dogs/French fries 
✥ Ice cream was a staple:
butter pecan/peach/black cherry/whipped cream in a can and marachino cherries.
✥ She would find the biggest potato chips in the bag and give them to us.
✥ We watched TV at her house since we didn't have cable: 
Waltons/Flinstons/Jetsons/Scooby-Doo/Dr. Quinn/
Lawrence Welk Show
✥ She loved animals, especially baby animals, chicken, and geese.
✥ She made scrap books for her great-grandchildren. 
✥She would page through magazines looking for cute things to cut out.
✥ She loved babies; holding and playing with them.
✥ She thought a dog licking your face was just horrible.
✥ She taught us the saying: "Beans, beans the musical fruit…" and thought "tooting" was hilarious!
✥ She loved her family.


A picture from mom's photo album of a very young Katie Shantz

She struggled with Altzhiemers for more than a decade and it was hard knowing she didn't remember any of us. She was so loved and we will miss her so much, but I am glad that she no longer has to deal with physical ailments. It makes me happy to think that she is able to enjoy things again, that she is with Jesus, and there will never again be pain in her life.

I LOVE YOU, NANNY! ❤

She probably would have liked to hear the Cathedrals sing this song:

"I am going to a city,
Where the streets with gold are laid,
Where the tree of life is blooming,
And the roses never fade.

Here they bloom but for a season;
Soon their beauty is decayed.
I am going to a city,
Where the roses never fade."

Written by Elsie Osborn, Jack Osborn, Jim Miller

2 comments:

  1. This picture was taken at MY mom's house - did you know that Michelle ? I THINK I was there that day too ?

    Andrea

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    1. The first one with the 4 of us? No, I didn't know that was at your house. Too bad we didn't get you in the picture too (there's a space right beside Nanny)! But then maybe YOU were the one BEHIND the camera??? <3

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