Davis, Grandma Wintle passed away Thursday August 13th. She is greatly missed on this earth, however, she had been praying to be released. She loved you dearly. I know that there is one more angel looking over you.
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| August 3, 2011 |
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| December 15, 2013 |
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| August 3, 2014 - Visit for Grandmas 94th birthday. |
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| January 21, 2015 - Goodbye visit to Grandma before leaving for the mission. |
My thought for this week is to highlight
Grandma Ruth. 95 years and 10 days of an amazing woman. I have always
felt she was an angel here on earth and I am tender at her now being an angel
from beyond. I cherish my memories of growing up with her gentle love.
With that being said, I have rarely known a woman that could work so
hard. She was truly talented in so many areas. I cherish the moments of
hugs and laughter. My love of gardening and all things growing were cultivated
in her yard, as we walked and talked, weeded and harvested together in her
garden in North Ogden. I have felt the same sense of accomplishment over the years
that she expressed to me as we walked the long isle of her storage room in the
basement...lined with jars and jars of every color and type of fruit and
vegetable on this earth. I loved listening to her tell stories in the middle
bedroom at grandma sleepover nights. The smell of "Baby Magic
lotion" as she animatedly tells the story of rocks in the belly of the
wolf and the smart mama sheep. I really couldn't recall the story in detail,
however, I do recall being highly entertained and entranced at many of her
stories. Among my favorites memories are; hanging laundry out on the
clothesline, playing spoons and games on the kitchen table with cousins,
watching her paint, in awe at the talent and reaching into the deep freeze with
feet in the air to find a twist-tied baggie full of gingerbread boys! Oh how
many thousands of those as well as her peanut brittle and rhubarb pies (with
the perfect crust of course) have we all enjoyed over the years.
You would think that loss
of eyesight and hearing would distract her from these activities; however, she
did not let that detour. I love the story of her going to the doctor at
92 and would have loved to have been there to hear her ask, " I just don't
understand why I can only spend 6 hours in the garden and then I just have to
rest, I am just so tired, something must be wrong!" To this the
doctor responded something like, “you do know you are 92 right!"
This instills in me my "forever young attitude." I love the
teaching of hard work, and self-sufficiency that she represents to me. I
value hard work and hope to pass that on to my children. I cherish her legacy
and love of family and the happiness that it gave her to talk of her amazing
children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I loved my recent visit
with her during her brief stay in the nursing home. I took her for a short,
slow and very careful walk to get some fresh air outside. As she tried to
take a deep breath of the outside air, it was a shallowed and labored
breath and I teared as I realized she was getting close to leaving this earth.
I held her hand as we sat outside and I commented on her soft hands.
I said, "they are softer than mine grandma", she smiled,
"Baby Magic!" I held her hands and commented that these hands have
done quite a lot in her almost 95 years. She was tender and reflective as
we talked of her excitement in seeing her mom that died when she was just 16.
She said she wasn't going to make it to 100 after all, but her comment,
"Don't you think 2 weeks shy of 95 is a good amount of life?" Yes,
grandma, especially your life. Even with her hearing being so limited, I found
just the right voice tone that allowed us to carry on a lengthy conversation.
I smile at her wit and humor. She wonders what I am doing holding the
phone up to take a selfie and patiently let me take a photo of our
hands together. We talked of having her come and live with us instead of being
in the nursing home, "that she was very verbal about not enjoying."
Emily quickly offered up her room and Ben commented, "that would be
so cool, he could hug her every day and he would bring his friends over all the
time to sit and listen to her and laugh at her jokes."
Our family cherished our
last visit with her just 4 days before she passed. She smiled as Ryan handed
her a small plate and said that we had brought her a treat with peanut butter
and chocolate! It was a moment suspended in time that she was lucid; she heard
and remembered each of us. She even added her familiar wit as she notices Ben
reach over and quietly try to take a piece of my gingerbread boy off my plate
as I am not looking. I turn to hear grandma blurt, with a mischievous
smile on her face, and one finger gently waving in the air, "I'm going to
tell on you!"
I love that she wanted to
make a difference in people's lives, and she did. She would whisper to me
what a sweet girl I have always been and that just meant the world. Grandma
would tell me each time she saw Jeff how blessed I was to have such a good man.
She would hold Ben's cheeks and nearly every single time comment on what
a good hugger he has been all his little life. Ryan had a choice time
with grandma making gingerbread boys for a school project. She thought all my
boys were just so handsome and loved hearing stories and seeing photos of all
my kids’ accomplishments. She loved Emily's sweet personality and would whisper
love to her as she sat on her lap and as she grew would tell her how sweet she
was. Grandma would always comment on Courtney's charm and beauty and was so
proud of her for serving a mission. In recent years, I loved her stories
to my children of anticipating all year long that one orange or a piece of
candy or chocolate as a present on Christmas morn. Reminding us all to be a
little more grateful and a lot more simple in our wants and needs in life.
Ahh the changes in the world she has seen in 95 years of life.
I will forever remember the moment as you visited grandma for the last
time before your mission just 6 months ago and she looked up at you and said,
" you know you are one of my heroes!" and you responded,
"you are one of mine too grandma."
I feel this way as well
when I reflect on Grandma. One of my heroes in life, for what she has been able
to do and be, often times with the toughest of circumstances. I truly have always felt such a connection
with grandma and her place in my life. My heart has been so tender as I think
of not having her loving smile around. The memories that she has created
for each one of her family members are different for sure, but the overwhelming
sense of love is a common thread and will forever remain in my heart and guide
the way I live my life.
"Surround yourself
with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies
are contagious."
All my love, mom
Mom,
Thank you so much for
those reflections mom. I am very bad at expressing emotion in words and
especially over email, but I laughed and cried as I read this email as I
remembered memories of Grandma's hard work, love, and sense of humor and wit
that she always had. She really is one of my greatest heroes and I feel so much
peace knowing that she is now watching over me. I remember the last time I saw
her and told her that I was going on a mission and I wasn't sure if she fully
heard me and knew that I would be leaving. But when she hugged me goodbye she
held onto me for just an extra few seconds and I knew that she knew that that
was going to be the last time I saw her here in this life.
Express my love to
everyone at home. I love you all and I love our family so much. And most of all
I know that families can be together forever and we have a great family to be
able to spend eternity with.
Love Elder Cox
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