Yesterday I attended and Phil conducted farewell and celebration services for my Gran, who died last week at the age of 92.

I shared part of the eulogy on behalf of the grandchildren and began with the words “I loved, we loved, our Gran.  And she loved us.”  And there were a lot of us to love.  She had seven sons, so I grew up with plenty of cousins.  Family gatherings were a complex multi-staged affair all tirelessly catered by the person that was known to people inside and outside the family as “Gran”.  She was widowed before I was born and spent her life devoted to her kids, her grandkids, her great grandkids, her church and charities.

One of my uncles estimated yesterday that in the course of her life she raised literally hundreds of thousands of dollars for church and charity, largely through the prodigious production of lamingtons, preserves, jam tarts and the world famous pasties, all sold at rock bottom prices.  She became known in parts as “the Pastie Lady”, cooking hundreds at a time, several times a week.  They were given to friends and family or those in need, with the balance sold before it came out of the oven. 

A strong will meant that she didn’t find it easy to become ill and elderly, and she would never put her own health or comfort before the needs of others.  She regularly attended her local Church of Christ from her youth until she was prevented by ill health.  She supported the conference, women’s fellowship and what was then known as the College of the Bible generously through her fundraising activities.

As someone who had a hard life and who was never wealthy, she used what she had to express love and hospitality to others and to serve her church, her God and her community.

During her time as president of a local women’s fellowship, she wrote a devotional, With Him in the Garden which she reprinted many times and distributed for use in hospital visitation and similar ventures.  It consisted of meditations on flowers and plants found in the garden and their reflections in scripture.  Her booklet has winged its way interstate and internationally over decades.  It was a great achievement and ministry for someone with little formal education but a passion for God and gardening.

Gran has had a difficult life and a difficult old age.  In these days of advanced health care and increased life expectancy, it has become heartbreakingly common to participate in visiting beloved relatives who can’t quite place who you are.  In some ways, she had to wait too long to be reunited with her God.  But her life has exemplified commitment, sacrifice and love.

God speed Gran.  We are proud of our Gran.  We will miss her forever.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 22nd, 2006 at 4:33 pm by dan and is filed under us. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.