Grandma Marian

On May 2, my great-grandmother, Marian Tande, would have been 97 years old. She passed away peacefully on Easter morning this year. She had been sick. She had been having trouble getting around, and she had been in pain. Grandma Marian began expressing her desire to be done with the pain of living about a week before she passed.

I was extremely fortunate to have her in my life for nearly 30 years. Many people aren't fortunate enough to have their grandmothers for that long, let alone their mother's grandmother. I had always imagined that Grandma Marian would get to see my first child, and maybe even live long enough that my children would remember her. I certainly thought she would live to be 100. She had been in good health up until a year ago or so. Last July, she moved into an assisted living facility and then into the attached nursing home in February. Until then, she had lived on her own. She was widowed when I was just a few months old.

Though I am really sad she is gone right now, I feel peaceful about her passing because I know she was ready - even if we weren't ready to see her go. I think the holidays will be the hardest because Grandma Marian was such a big part of Christmas. When we sent out our photo Christmas cards, she would always send us a thank you note for the "nice picture." I think those cards meant a lot more to her than I could ever understand. At the family holiday gatherings, she was always running the kitchen, and she was known to make amazing fudge that she sliced as though it were cake. When friends joined my family for Easter in college, they came back to school telling everyone about her amazing fudge.

I remember visiting her apartment in Minot one time with Mom and Dad. Grandma Marian took two desserts from her fridge and said, "First we'll have this dessert, and then we'll have this one." That's right. We ate two desserts that afternoon. I don't think anyone could ever deny that Grandma Marian had a sweet tooth!

Goodbye, Grandma Marian. We will miss you so much!