I haven’t been around much on this board the past week for this reason.
Last Saturday we received a phone call telling us that Mrs Thirdson’s grandmother was close to death and that we should get over to the residential care facility if we wanted to say our goodbyes. Most of the family had arrived and were keeping vigil. We spent much of the weekend at the home and grandmother died on Monday. It was not unexpected as she had cancer in addition to Alzheimer’s . In the end death came swift. One day she was able to get around by herself, the next hardly conscious of what was happening to her.
The memorial service was held yesterday (Saturday). It was a small family event, with perhaps 40 people attending. The service was conducted by three pastors, (one retired) from grandmother’s church. She had been a long time member of the church and still attended each Sunday until a few months ago when she moved out of her assisted living facility. Up until she died, she had received a least a weekly visit from one of the pastor’s of the church.
The service was a celebration of her life, about what she had achieved and the legacy she leaves. The pastors spoke warmly about grandmother, read scriptures and prayed. We sang several hymns including “Amazing Grace.”
I never knew grandmother. When I met Mrs Thirdson a little under 4 years ago Grandmother’s Alzheimer’s was already having a noticeable affect. The grandmother we buried yesterday had left a good while back. Perhaps because of this death was not seen as such a great enemy but more of a release and it softened the sadness of losing her.
We leave her in God’s care now.
Thirdson