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Remembering my Grandmother

Yesterday, October 24, 2013, at 4:39 pm, my grandmother passed away. I wanted to do a small blog post in her honor, as she had such an impact on my life.

Barbara Jane Budner (maiden name Maultsby) was born on August 9, 1934 in North Carolina. She was the oldest of five, all girls. She grew up very poor with no electricity or running water, and often times the girls were left alone. Since she was the oldest, she practically raised the others. When she got old enough to go out on her own, she moved to Chicago to get a job. That's where she met my grandfather. After they married, she went on to have five children of her own.

She was the strongest woman I've ever known. She had a great sense of humor, and she was always so giving. I have so many memories of going over to her house, where she always kept candy for the grand kids. When I was younger, I would pack my overnight bag and sneak it into the car for surprise sleepovers. We would stay up late into the night talking when I got older. She was always there for me as a friend and a mother figure. She was the best grandmother I could have hoped for. She meant so much to me, and I will always carry her in my heart.

For the past six months, my grandmother bravely fought pancreatic cancer, which eventually spread to other areas.  She will be missed, and I will never let anyone forget her.




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Comments

  1. LydianOctober 25, 2013 at 5:07 PM

    What a lovely tribute to your grandmother! She was lucky to have such a caring granddaughter. I lost my great-grandmother this past spring, to lung cancer, so I feel for you.

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    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutOctober 25, 2013 at 5:48 PM

      Thank you, and I'm sorry for your loss as well.

      Delete
  2. Marie-ChristineOctober 26, 2013 at 8:59 AM

    Knowing nothing of electricity, then moving to Chicago to find a job - bravery indeed. Gray wrote, "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air", but because of you, it doesn't seem your grandmother will be one of them. Shout her from the rooftops, Katie.
    That's what I'm doing with a new blog I'm starting, about making found-art sculpture from things we find in the attics and basements and closets and drawers of those we love when we have to clean out their houses, saying goodbye to an era.
    My grandmother was a poor Cajun girl (b.1905) who moved to the big city of New Orleans to study music only because the town got together and paid her tuition and board, and that's where she met a wealthy Spanish creole who would worship her until the day he died. She could flirt with a stick of furniture; died 2004, may as well have been last week.
    I'm so so sorry for what I know you're feeling now, and I'm sure you'll pop into my mind every day for weeks.
    Shout her from the rooftops, Katie, and talk to her every day as though she were with you, cuz she is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutOctober 26, 2013 at 11:08 AM

      Thank you so much. I will shout her from the roof tops, as you say. Your grandmother sounds like she had an interesting life as well.

      Delete
  3. CherishOctober 31, 2013 at 2:13 AM

    That was a beautiful tribute, I'm sorry for your loss :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutOctober 31, 2013 at 10:49 AM

      Thank you. Things will certainly be different without her, but I'm a better person for having her in my life.

      Delete
  4. UnknownNovember 29, 2013 at 4:38 AM

    If only your grandmother can read this, surely, she'll be in tears as well. Glad to hear that you were able to spend time with her while she's still alive. You should know that your presence meant a lot to her. With all of you around, your grandmother never felt alone, only loved and cared for, until the end.

    -Demetrius Flenaugh @ HomeCareSugarLand

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    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutNovember 29, 2013 at 3:36 PM

      Thank you. She will always be with us in our hearts, and she was and always will be loved.

      Delete

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