I have been in the routine lately of posting on Thursdays. However, we'll be gone all day tomorrow, so I will just post the most important thing today, and then hopefully I can catch up on Friday. We had such a fun time celebrating Sammy's 9th birthday on Saturday, and I WILL post pictures about that next time.
But for today Grandma Mary takes center stage. I woke up Sunday morning to a text message from my step brother Roy that she had passed away peacefully at 2:45 am. Her son Carl was there with her. So this week has been filled with lots of communications and memories. Tomorrow we'll be going to Lebanon County for the funeral service. We feel apprehensive about a public service and will be deciding tomorrow what we feel safe and comfortable participating in. Losing a loved one during COVID restrictions is really, really hard. This is our second round.
Did I ever tell you how she and my dad met? My mother had passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1981. There was a young pastor named Lester Zimmerman that my dad had become acquainted with through ministry in Baltimore. Lester's dad had passed away a few years prior, also from pancreatic cancer. At some point Lester thought that his mom might enjoy meeting Paul Witmer. So he arranged a chance for them to meet each other. Of course interest was sparked! They began "dating."
About a month later Dick's dad and Arlene (who had been married less than a year) invited us and my dad and Mary to come to their place for dinner. Afterward my dad showed slides of his recent trip to Israel. Our Jeremy was three years old and a very friendly, affectionate little guy. During the slides he wanted to sit next to Mary. At some point he moved closer to her, looked up into her face and asked quietly, "Are you our new grandma?" We have laughed over that memory so many times through the years!
So here is her obituary. According to this there are 173 "Zimwits." As most of you know, that is the name my hubby came up with after my dad died for the combined Zimmerman and Witmer families.
I have gone through so many pictures of happy times with her this week, but I don't have time today to post them. I'd love to make a slide show at some point. But here's one of my favorites from a few years ago. Feeding people, especially her yummy cookies and pies, was her love language!
3 comments:
That photo of you two is perfect! Thanks for sharing the obituary too. What a huge family left to remember her and what a legacy!
I love that photo of you two and can see the love in both of your faces! My sincere condolences to all of the Zimwits. Her legacy is amazing and she lives on in each heart who loved her. Thanks for sharing her with us, Jean. I feel like I knew her (and loved her too).
finally getting to blog reading.
It's been so long since I've read or thought about how they met. What sweethearts they were and what an incredible blessing they were to us!!
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