Grandma Poderzay

When we were little, we’d go up to Tower a lot of Sundays. I remember running around outside while the adults sat in the shade of the big tree in my grandparent’s yard. Grandma always had a big tub of peppermint bon bon ice cream, and we’d work week after week to empty those tubs out. She’d save all those empty containers and fill them each Christmas with more cookies than any family could possibly eat – and we’d EACH get a bucket!

I grew up knowing that Grandma was from Germany – that she and Grandpa met there, my mom was born there, and that every few years her siblings would fly over and talk and laugh with the same thick accent that my grandma never lost. We  didn’t often hear stories of her childhood – probably because she grew up during World War II in Germany and was in the middle of great sadness. During college, I chose to do a video project and recoreded my grandma telling stories of that time. Maybe it was then that I truly began to understand why her house was always immaculate, her belongings always well kept, and the fact that she was still going to work each day well into her 70s – and she loved it!

Everybody I ever met that knew my grandma would tell me how kind she was. She was always quick with a smart remark… a very sassy lady. We could count on witnessing some playful banter between she and Grandpa on any of our visits. There’s no doubt that they loved each other, their children, and grandkids deeply. My final memory of my Grandma is seeing the way her face lit up when Sawyer smiled at her just before we left. I am so glad she was able to meet her first great-grandkids.

I am really having a tough time coming up with the words I need to do my grandma justice. Perhaps it’s enough to say that I loved her very much, and I will miss her.