On the morning she passed, Mem called me to let me know, and it felt deeply, infinitely sad, but also there was a sense of it being a blessing that she was free from the body that was no longer able to do anything independent.
A student came by with a birthday treat, about 5 minutes after I got off the phone with my mom. It was a little wrapped powdered sugar donut. Powdered sugar donuts were my Papa's favorite. We had donuts at his funeral. A part of me felt like it was a sign from him... I know it seems a bit silly, but the timing just seemed ironic.
Her funeral was the following Sunday, with a service at Fort Custer National Cemetery on Monday.
I helped mom get some of the pictures ready for the picture boards on display at the funeral. G Betty was a really beautiful person.
And I love this picture of her and Grandpa Bob!
After the funeral... was a lot of girl snuggling that happened in cozy PJ's.
Before the service at Fort Custer, we went to Cracker Barrel together for breakfast.
They removed Grandpa Bob's stone, and then placed G Betty in the ground next to him. Out of respect, we stayed in our cars during this.
I spoke at the funeral, and this is at least an outline of what I shared about my Grandma Betty.
Hello.
I am Kelly Slagh, and I am Grandma Betty’s one and only granddaughter.
This
is not my typical Kindergarten audience! I am used to talking in front of
little people that are only “this” tall, and who need to interrupt me to go to the
bathroom or want to tattle on their friend who is picking their nose or
something. ;-)
I
just have to say, that seeing all the people who are here to remember and honor
my grandma, makes me feel so happy. It makes me smile. She had a positive
impact on so many and it feels like part of her spirit is here in this room
with us today.
On
Grandma Betty’s 90th birthday, I wrote out a few memories and thoughts
for her as part of her birthday gift.
I
wanted to share a few of those memories with you, just to give you a
perspective of Betty Weideman...through a granddaughter’s eyes.
Before
I start, you should know that my brother and I would actually affectionately
and regularly call her “G Betty”. Somehow it just came to be that we shortened
her name, to a name that sounded a little “cooler”, which fit the kind of
grandma we thought she was. So if
you hear me reference “G Betty” or “G Bob”, that is just my reference for my
grandma and grandpa.
My
first memories of G Betty really start when she and Grandpa Bob “G Bob” lived
in Keowee Key. She and G Bob had this AMAZING house on stilts, that overlooked
Lake Keowee.
I
can remember the smell of the red dirt the house was built on, the sound the
front door would make when it would open and close. It had a screened-in porch
where we would almost always eat lunch. Lunch always included potato chips. G
Betty really liked potato chips. J
There
were a number of times that we were with G Betty and G Bob when it was my
birthday. G Betty would print off a birthday menu for me for breakfast. I loved
that. And she would make this amazing cake that had a rich chocolate drizzle
all over the top for my birthday cake. G Betty knew how to make me feel
special. J
A
vivid memory in that home is the sound of G Betty’s piano playing. Grandpa Bob
would be sitting and reading his newspaper, and G Betty would be practicing for
different performances that might be coming up. The baby grand piano was a
centerpiece of the living room. Sometimes I would sit and play something simple
that I would have learned in my piano lessons, and she could always accompany
the tune with amazing ease.
A
few months ago, her baby grand was delivered to my house. I have sat by the
piano a few times this past week, and thought about her.
Christmas
was my favorite time to share that bench with her.
I
love Christmas music, and she could make it come to life. Speaking of Christmas
– it reminds me of a very special shoe box. Each Christmas we would get a shoe
box lined with wax paper and filled with a variety of Christmas cookies. That
was the best. Her almond crescents and thumbprint cookies. ...you gotta love
grandma cookies.
Fast
forward a bit, and I remember when G Betty came to visit after my daughter
Taylor was born. Her first GREAT granddaughter. I can remember the smile and
joy on her face when she got to hold her in her lap. A few years later, Camryn
was born – another great granddaughter! I remember feeling proud, and also
happy that my daughters would get to know their great grandmother a bit.
When I ask what Tay and Cam loved or
remember about G Betty, they talk about her piano playing. They remember
singing along with her playing, or hearing her play.
Taylor and Camryn were a key part of helping create a very
special Christmas gift for G Betty the last two years. We wanted the spirit of
Christmas to last a little longer for her, and we came up with a gift that
would last for 30 days. Grandma Betty would either open a gift, or have a card
or note to read, along with a new joke each day that Taylor would type up for
her herself.
I
am so thankful that both Taylor and Camryn had the chance to know their great
grandma.
I
was very blessed to have a grandma like G Betty. To put it simply – she was a
grandma to brag about. She was an incredibly smart, talented, capable person. Easy
to talk to.
I
loved that she liked to watch Jeopardy, and she could keep up with presidential
trivia with the best of them.
My
husband, Ryan, loves sports, and it was fun for him to have a connection and
common interest in the Tigers!
Anytime
I see the game of Scrabble, I will think of G Betty. Her vocabulary was
impressive, and I think that there were very few games that my score even came
close to hers. Her musical abilities and talents were remarkable.
And,
a few years ago, I became a teacher, so we enjoyed comparing teaching notes. I
wish my students could have had her as a music teacher. I imagine that her love
of music would have made her classroom a wonderful place to learn.
In
losing G Betty there
is a combination of joy and heartbreak. Heartbreak that I won't see her smile
or hear her music, again, but joy in the fact that she is whole, again! That is
a blessing. I have to believe the heavens became full of joyful music on the
day she died.
I will
miss G Betty. She left a positive impact on so many, and I am so incredibly
proud to have known her, and to be able to call her my grandma.
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