Until We Meet Again

My dear sweet Grandma Stum passed away last week on Friday. She was almost 93 years old. It is very bitter-sweet. Of course we are happy that she is finally with my grandpa again after 9 years but we are also sad that she is no longer with us.

Playing scrabble at the cabin this summer.


The worst part is that my mom is so far away in Hong Kong and can't be here with her siblings during this time. Grandma had a very fast decline which is all anyone could ask for. Just 5 months ago she was living on her own, driving a car, working in the temple, attending water aerobics every day, and about a million other things. She was always so active and healthy. She never stopped learning and was a perfect example for all of us on every level.

Me and Grandma at the cabin last summer.


There isn't enough good you can say about Grandma Stum. She was a big part of every one of her grandchildren's lives. My grandpa built this cabin over 30 years ago and all of us spent our childhood summers taking trips to the cabin. We also used to have sleepovers at Grandma's house all the time. And she was always planning outings and camping trips and other things for us to do.

Grandma playing Uno with Heidi and Brandon.


I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a lot of time with Grandma over the last few weeks of her life. We had her over for our family dinner just 3 Sundays ago. She was hospitalized for a few days over Thanksgiving so on Thanksgiving Day I went and stayed in her hospital room with her to help her eat her Thanksgiving dinner from the hospital.

After that she moved to a different facility for the last week of her life and I was able to visit her there a few times although she was mostly sleeping during my visits. On Friday I went to visit her again and I was with her as she took her last breath. It was a very sweet experience. Her funeral is this Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it. We will miss you Grandma.