My brother Mark officiated the funeral service and he did such a wonderful job. Gramma would have been so proud of him. When we went to the cemetery for the burial there was a small herd of deer wandering through and just as almost everyone except for a few of us walked away from the burial plot the sun broke through and shone on her coffin. It was such a God thing and so evident that He was a part of it all.
I am posting here Gramma's obituary as well as something that I wrote and shared at the funeral service. There really are no words though to say how much I will miss her.
During the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 15, 2012 Mabel Petty passed away peacefully at the Westview Hospital in Stony Plain, AB at the age of 92. Mabel was born to John and Emma McCutcheon in Ardath, SK. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She was predeceased by her husband Bill in January 1976 and her son Ken in July 1996. She is survived by her son Jim and his wife Marilyn, Don and his wife Ester, Calvin and his partner Linda, and Lindon and his wife Marlane. She has 12 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. Mabel grew up on a farm near Ardath, SK and after marrying Bill in 1941, they moved to a farm near Conquest, SK. There she raised 5 boys and was very much a helping hand in the farming operation. In 1964 Bill and Mabel along with 3 of the boys moved to Cranbrook, BC. While living in Cranbrook, Mabel helped run the family business, Petty’s Supermarket. After the passing of Bill, she spent her time helping at the Alliance Church and meeting with her very good friends. She loved playing word games and Scrabble was her favourite. In 2004 Mabel moved to the Edmonton area where she lived until her passing. The family is grateful for the care she received while at the nursing home and in the hospital. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations, if desired maybe made in Mabel’s name to the Gideon Bible Society and the MS Society.
Gramma
How do you describe a woman who in her own quiet way touched so very many lives? There are the typical words we could use such as daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother. Or words to describe her personality such as loving, giving, thrifty, funny, stubborn, supportive, proud, beautiful and so many more and all so true. If you were to ask me though who Gramma was I would say she was faithful, a prayer warrior, a woman of God, my inspiration, my example, my friend. More than anything else in this life she loved her Lord and Saviour, depended on Him and was faithful to Him, and in that she was such a profound example to me of learning to trust in Jesus no matter what trials and hurts came her way. The road she walked wasn’t an easy one as she so often, it seemed, had to say goodbye to the ones she loved and as osteoporosis, emphysema and blindness stole her independence and crippled her body, but she knew to hold fast to that hand that would get her through. In the last 7 and a half years, as she went from being an independent woman to one who was dependent on a machine to help her breathe, there were days and moments when she struggled and felt useless and like a burden and just wanted to go home, but she still held fast to the Lord and trusted that she was here for a reason. She prayed, oh she prayed, she prayed for each of us all the time and there was nothing she wanted more than to see her family come to know the saving grace of the God she served. How her heart ached for that circle to be unbroken.
When I think of Gramma there are so many memories that come to mind - the time she and my other Grandma stayed with my brothers and me while my parents were away and they decided to make us pancakes only to realize after the batter was made that they had used my Mom’s plaster mix. Our whole family living with her in her little home while our house was finished being built and sharing a bedroom with her at that time. How excited even our dog Trooper would get when we asked him if he wanted to go to Gramma’s house. Going to her house on Monday nights to watch Little House on the Prairie or watching Wheel of Fortune and Gramma solving the puzzles before the contestants really even had a chance to ask for a letter . Oatmeal cookies, potato deluxe, cheese crackers and all the other food that I try to make now that just doesn’t turn out quite the same and I am almost convinced she left out a secret ingredient when she passed on the recipes. Seeing the pride in her eyes whenever she had her boys surrounding her. All those times when I stayed with her and getting up in the morning to see her doing her daily devotions and spending time with God and then as her eyesight grew worse reading those devotions for her and praying with her. How for as long as I can remember and as long as she could see she would stand at her window to wave goodbye as we left for home. I have so many memories, ones that fill my heart to overflowing and leave me so thankful that I knew her the way I did and that she didn’t just share her life with me she shared her heart.
I have discovered over the last few years especially just how alike Gramma and I were and how much she has passed down to me - her love of reading and walking and Scrabble and crossword puzzles and cinnamon raisin bread (toasted of course!). Then there are those similarities that Dad and I both share with her - stubbornness and a pride that keeps us from asking others for help (partly because we don’t want to burden anyone else with our problems), as well as a love for desserts and ice cream. In fact one of the last things Dad, Gramma and I did together was have ice cream, with Gramma savouring every last spoonful of her favourite, plain vanilla. But what I love and cling to most is the legacy of faith she passed down. When I would tell her what an example she was to me she would remind me in her own way that she was just a sinner saved by grace and that God was the one I needed to look to. True, and yet it was just that attitude that showed me even more who God was to her. I will always be thankful that we shared our faith and were able to pray together and love the Lord together and to know, when trials came my way, that Gramma was there praying for me and supporting me.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents. I watched as you gave of your time, love and finances selflessly and willingly so that Gramma would be comfortable the last 7 and a half years and know she was loved and cared for. Thank you for taking on that responsibility and essentially putting your own lives on hold. I know you felt that it wasn’t just what you had to do but that you wanted to do it to give back some of what she had given you and that you did it without a thought and with so much love in your hearts for her. Gramma said to me so many times that she didn’t know what she would have done without you and how thankful she was. You poured your lives into her especially in the last 5 or so months without a thought to your own cares or concerns and I know she appreciated that more than she would have ever been able to express. Thank you for being an example of what selfless giving and caring is. I pray that the Lord blesses you abundantly and that He fills the emptiness Gramma’s passing has left in your hearts with much peace and joy and the assurance that you have done well.
As I write this I can’t help but think how difficult it is to explain to someone how a woman like my Gramma impacted my life, how much I loved her and how desperately I will miss her. Gramma was truly a special woman, one who touched more hearts than any of us will probably ever know. I will always be so thankful for the amazing blessing and privilege of being not just her granddaughter but also her friend and sister in Christ. I am going to miss her and our times together but I am so thankful and filled with peace just knowing that she is free from pain, she can breathe and see, she is where her heart longed to be for so many years and I am sure that when she entered God’s presence she heard those words we all hope to hear “Well done thou good and faithful servant”.
Gramma is home, she is with her Lord, her journey on this earth is done and we are all the better for having known and loved her and having been loved by her.
And so now it is my turn to stand and wave goodbye.
