Grandmom

This morning my grandmother, Ruth Conquest, or "Grandmom," as her grandchildren call her, passed away. We have known she would be leaving this life soon for about a week. I am glad she can be free of this world and her body that was old and painful for her.

Unlike some of my younger siblings, I was able to know Grandmom when she was still full of energy. I want them to know, she was a "cool" grandma. I always looked forward to going to her house to visit. I knew she would have Ruffles potato chips and white powdered doughnuts to eat. For breakfast she always had Fruit Loops, which I looked forward to eating in her little China bowls.

Grandmom was one of the most selfless people I have known. Her life was dedicated to helping others, and it came naturally to her. I don't think seh ever thought twice about helping someone in need--even if it meant sacrificing her own comfort. She became a nurse after her husband died, and when she wasn't working, she was taking care of her 8 children. She continued to be there for them to the end. She didn't like to be in the spotlight, and eschewed being videoed or having her picture taken. But she wanted to make everyone else feel special.

Even with her numerous children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she always had individual gifts for us at Christmas for as long as she had the health to shop. I knew she cared about me as an individual, not just as one of her grandkids.

My senior year of high school, my parents and family moved to Nebraska, but I chose to stay in TN to graduate with my class. Since my parents weren't there, Grandmom drove to Cookeville from Nashville to attend my senior awards banquet with me. I remember that night I followed her back to Nashville, driving the big, old Suburban my parents had left for me. Being an inexperienced driver, I didn't realize until we had arrived in Nashville that I had had my brights on during the entire 90 minute trip down 1-40--and I had followed behind Grandmom CLOSELY. When I mentioned to her my mistake, rather than say anything negative about how annoying and distracting I'm sure it was to have high-beams shining into her car that drive, Grandmom just smiled and said, "Well, I knew you were right there behind me the whole time!" That weekend Grandmom took me to dinner, and we shopped for clothes for me to take to BYU in the fall. This was one of my fondest memories of time spent individually with Grandmom. Only a year later she suffered a stroke, which changed her life so much.

Grandmom kept her spunk, despite her aging body. We visited at Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, and during a conversation when someone commented about feeling old because of the quickly growing children, someone asked Grandmom who old she felt. Immediately, she said, with a low "hmphh, Ancient!"

I will miss Grandmom. I feel blessed to have had such a wonderful example in my life. Though she wont be with us physically, her joyful, selfless legacy will be here for us to pass on to generations to come.