Granny

Jasey with Granny Oct 4th.....Looking pretty darn good for a 99-yo if I must say so!
5 Generations: Granny Maxine, Jasey, Me, Grandpa Dale & My dad, Brian

Granny holding Jasey for the first time at 11 days


Granny and Daddy admiring our girl !

Me, Granny, Dad & Jasey


Losing a family member is hard...no matter how you're related or how old they are. This past Saturday the world lost a very special woman, Lillian Maxine Atha. She was a strong Christian woman who was very wise, caring, smart and sweet. This was a woman who saw things change through out many decades and generations. There's wasn't a thing this woman didn't know how to do. She made every piece of clothing in her closet, she planted a garden that would compare to some farmer's fields, she had a huge backyard full of chickens, flowers in every color and cooked a feast at every meal. She made my sister and I's dresses for every occasion. I remember the joy that it brought for Brandi and I to go pick out the pattern and material for Granny to make it. We had the coolest dresses ever! She made us patchwork quilts that were so soft and fluffy. She had one of the 1st ever Monopoly games made and I remember sitting at her beautiful dining room table rolling the die out of that little felt cup. She taught us how to play Tiddliewinks and marbles. But my favorite memory that makes me smile about Granny is when my dad or any of the boys would walk in with a beer in their hand little 'ole Granny would ask for just the last sip. Now the rest of the world would say Yuck, I don't want the spit left in the bottom--but Granny would say she only needed one little drink to help with her arthrits.....


She was a very strong/stubborn lady.....depending on who you ask :) My dad always told her she was as stubborn as a mule; I say she was the strongest woman I ever met. You'd never tell by looking at her because she was a tiny frail woman who always wore a homemade dress with her apron over it, hose (as she called them) and a little pair of white tennis shoes. In her 99 years of life she witnessed her eldest son die of a heart attack more than 25 years ago, her youngest son die of cancer 12 years ago and approximately 15 years ago watched her middle son (my Grandpa) suffer from a brain aneurysm and stroke that left him in the hospitals for months and now has a limited vocabulary to about 5 words :( That was just her kids--14 years ago lost her grandson to a tragic bulldozer accident and then a granddaughter who was found murdered and a great grandson who died at birth. Now read all that and tell me she wasn't a strong lady? She grieved in her way and would tell us she'd see them again someday...she was right---she's in heaven right now with all of them laughing and catching up!


I have many many memories of Granny; I could go on for days and days. I wish I had the time and the talent to tell you how amazing this woman was! I can tell you that there wasn't a soul out there that didn't LOVE Maxine! I know that her visitation and funeral will show how many lives she touched. I will miss her each and every day but I know she went home and I'll be with her again someday! I'm so proud to call her Granny!