My grandmother died the morning after Thanksgiving. She was 91.
Willie Myers was a vibrant, busy, generous person for all but the last four years of her life. She even helped raise her first great-granddaughter, the girl leaning on her shoulder in the above photo. She was the Fun Grandma. She used to come over to our house all the time when my brother and I were little.
You should've seen her dance at my wedding. She was shakin' it harder than people 30 years younger than she.
But she kind of gave up after my dad died in 2006. About a year later, I interviewed her about Daddy's childhood, and about her and my grandfather, and what a goldmine she was. Even though her memory was starting to fail by then.
Running errands with my brother helped me keep my sanity during the funeral preparations. Completely unexpected... it's been years since I thought of my brother as a haven from The Family Crazy, for many reasons.
I wish I had more time to tell you about Willie Myers, but this will have to do for now. Try to appreciate the relatives who don't drive you crazy, while you can.
