The Eulogy I gave today for my Grandmother

A Eulogy is supposed to surmise someone’s life. For my grandmother how can you do that in one small speech? She lived a long, full adventurous life. She was born when William Taft was president! Like All of us she had some fears, one was death, mostly because she didn’t want to miss any of the new things that the world was going to invent. Blessedly her passing was brief and peaceful. One we all hope for. She feared living in a nursing home, because of my mother that was a fear she never had to face either. I want to concentrate on the extensive list of things that in her long life amazed her.

Automobiles, Radio, TV, telephones, man walked on the moon, computers, IPod’s… The list is endless. She was born the year the Titanic sank. She saw 17 presidents and even voted for our new president before she died. To put it into perspective she was a young girl when women got the right to vote. She took the right to vote very seriously. I went to vote Tuesday before I drove here from Virginia. I figured if my now deceased 95 yr old grandmother could vote I sure as heck would go.

Ann Elizabeth was the oldest child of Peter and Elizabeth . She was born in Wisconsin. Her father was a farmer. She was an anticipated child. In my diggings I saw an old postcard from one relative to another that discussed the arrival of a beautiful round baby girl born to Peter and Elizabeth.

She is the older sister of Fronie and Norman. She talked of watching her father studying a blue book deciding Norman’s name. Watching the two sisters never grew old. They spoke German to each other if they didn’t want anyone to know what they were talking about. They called each other daily at 9am. Ann and Fronie were as connected as two sisters could be. It was a constant battle of who was right. Ann would say the worst thing about growing old was losing your sight, Fronie would counter with it was not being able to walk well. They were always there for each other through thick and thin. Seeing them, made me miss not having a sister of my own to share my life with.

She remembered going to the tavern in Nabob and seeing her first ever radio. The men were passing around a large headset listening to the Dempsey vs. Tunney fight. She saw the movie Snow White at a medicine show that came through the area. Transportation by horse and sleigh in the winter. Christmas lights that were candles. Running outside to see a bi-wing plane that happened to go by. She wasn’t any less impressed and amazed at the gps my mother bought or when my children showed her an IPod. Technology also got her busted not long ago. For safety reasons we all asked her to stay in the house and not do stairs; if no one was home. She swore up and down she abided by that. Well, one day David went on Google maps and looked up the home address; and there plain as day is a picture of her walking towards the trash cans to remove them from the street, she still swears, not’s not her, must be someone that looks like me!

Ann Holz was taking care of her grandmother when a young man was doing some work next door. She was interested. He was slightly younger but she didn’t care. She set her eye and married him. Ann and John Lubner got married Nov. 25, 1939. It was the time of FDR and WWII. Ann and John had two children, a son Lyle and a daughter Arlene.
Ann always worked; her work ethic was second to none. She worked during WWII making pants for the Army. When I was growing up she worked at Doerr electric winding motors. She literally wound wire into motors 5 days a week. The work was really secondary to the friends she had there. It was really all about crochet patterns, recipes for sweets and catching up on the news of the community.

When Ann “retired” she starting working as a home health aide. She took care of inbound patients. She volunteered in the church kitchen for funerals making countless cakes and so many pound s of German potato salad I can’t even begin to quantify the amount.
Ann was always busy. She thrived on activity. she stayed out until 10:30 pm every Thursday, she loved to play cards and felt blessed by her card friends who over the years picked her up and took her along to play, Her last card club date was Thursday where she very proudly came home and told everyone she won 45 cents. She was now finally a rich woman. She loved to crochet and do ceramics. Cynthia Brehm, her neighbor was always there to take her to ceramic classes, shopping, and help her figure out a new crochet pattern. Putting eyes in a ceramic fox or taking her to senior citizens. (Thank you, Mrs. Brehm and all those that helped her continue to do the things she enjoyed )

Ann loved to travel, to see new places. Don’t look for many pictures of these adventures however. Grandma had a rare talent in photography; she could behead any human, donkey or camel with a click. My grandmother loved to go on family trips. We would stop at a campground and before the camper was set up she would know more details about every resident of the campground than their mothers. She had a way with people. She loved going to the senior citizens center, she got to see friends and get the news of the town. She was a compassionate listener and would help anyone she could. When Lisa and Chuck lived in the house behind, their dog Tucker and our dog Blazer just didn’t get along. Grandma one day after a dog brawl told Chuck that she just didn’t understand it, they both loved her why didn’t they like each other?
On one of her trips she came to Germany to see me around the time I was due to give birth. And as only God could arrange it. She was there in Germany on her birthday, which then became the birthday of my daughter Jennifer. To top that off, it’s also the day the Berlin wall fell. So on her birthday, in Germany she got a new great granddaughter and was witness to the fall of the Berlin wall.

As a grandmother you could have not asked for more. She played catch with the boys, and baked cakes and cookies with the girls. She knew what each family member’s favorite sweet treat was. Most liked chocolate chip cookies but my favorite were the peanut butter ones. She made poppy seed cake for Lyle on and on. Growing up she was everyone’s grandmother. All the children in the neighborhood called her grandma. For many years I just thought that was her name. Her great grandchildren will miss her to. She made sure that a trip to Wayne’s restaurant was on the agenda. You can’t come to Wisconsin and not get a real burger and maltshake at the drive in was her motto.

When her husband died so many years ago they put her name and 19 on their shared head stone. She outlived that by a number of years. It will have to be changed to 2008. We will all miss her; she leaves behind a sister, a son, a daughter, 6 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, family and friends. When you live almost 96 years you leave a mark on the world. If you wish to honor her, keep family close if not in person in heart. Have fun, look at the world with amazement and continue to find things you feel passionately about. Express yourself, hug tightly with meaning and know that growing old of body doesn’t have to mean growing old of heart or mind.