The most amazing woman

 Photo courtesy of Allison Bitner Haslam

The most amazing woman in the world passed away yesterday morning.  Viola Geertsen Packer.  Just shy of her 92nd birthday.   She was still living in her home that her husband built for her many many years ago. 

My grandmother is the most amazing woman.  Growing up I was always fiercely jealous of my cousins who lived near her and got to see her all the time.  (Okay still was as an adult. . .!) We would go up at least once every year to Kaysville to visit.  Both sets of grandparents lived there but we almost always stayed at Grandma Packer's house. I have the drive memorized backwards forwards and sideways.  It was always the best vacation and my favorite place.  It was heaven on earth.  Although I love grandma's house it was the people inside that made it heaven.  Grandma always made me feel safe and warm and at home. 

She grew apples and apricots and grapes in her yard and we always had the most interesting juice as she would throw together several of her bottled juices to make a "punch".  Sometimes it was really yummy and sometimes I just thought Grandma was crazy.  Her dried apricots and homemade, jams jellies and bottled fruit were so yummy.  Oh and my favorite, her pink applesauce.  It was the BEST.  We went camping alot with them.  They had a motor home that was always stocked with a container of jellybeans.  Since we usually came in the summer we often ate outside on picnic tables with beach towels for table cloths. 

Grandma never drove, as in she never learned how.  It was always fun to watch her order Grandpa around about either going to the store for her or taking her.  They teased each other but it was always so full of love and gratitude.  The adored each other and were such a fantastic example to me of what marriage should be like. 

They also came down in the winter and would bring their motor home or stay in my room. I am the only girl and I had my parents old bed so my room was the guest room.  Grandma always said she loved my bed because it was good for her back.  I always thought she was crazy because I didn't think it was that comfortable.  My friends all got to know my Grandma because they would stay for a month.  Even after Grandpa passed away she would come and stay with my mom most winters.  Everyone loved Grandma.  She was so kind and funny.

She taught me to work hard and and have a sense of humor about trials.  She taught me that being close to the Spirit was so important. 

When I went off to college I went to BYU which was only a 45 minute drive or 1 1/2 hour bus ride south.  I came up as often as I could.  I always came home with a box of food from the grocery outlet (Grandma had a thing for that store!).  She also gave me a bowl that I still use to this day.  It is simple and not fancy and doesn't match any of my things but it is my favorite. I remember one time I went up to visit them.  The bus dropped me off at 2nd and Main.  Grandma didn't live very far from there so I just walked up to their house.  Grandma was so mad at me that I didn't use the pay phone (this was years before everyone and their dog had cells) to have Grandpa come pick me up.  They spoiled us!

This is the last picture I have of Grandma. She absolutely adored my husband.

When I married Mike, Grandma was my rock.  At first I didn't have a lot of people who thought it was a good idea. They had very good legitimate reasons for feeling that way.  But I knew it was the right thing to do.  Grandma and Grandpa had met Mike when he came to Utah to visit me.  Grandma told me that her and Grandpa had prayed about it and that they knew that I was doing the right thing and that all would be well.  She said it with tears in her eyes and tremendous love in her heart.  And she followed it up with her actions.  I could never repay her for that.  Ever. 

Mike and I lived in Utah for the first two years of our marriage while I finished school.   We went to Grandma's for a weekend at least once a month.  They thought Mike was the greatest thing ever.  Grandma would often tell me with tears in her eyes how much it meant to her to watch Mike and Grandpa huddled around the computer working on family history books.  It meant the world to Mike as he had already lost both of his grandfathers.  He has always said that going to Grandma's was like going home.  Even if he wasn't sure at first how to accept the great generosity and boxes of food.  I remember the first time we got one after we were married.  They took us to the outlet to go shopping and Mike only put the bare necessities in the cart.  Grandma got after him right there in the store and told him he had to put fun stuff in too.  That he was not to deprive her and Grandpa of the joy and blessings of helping their loved ones.  That it was just money and wouldn't go with them when they died anyways. That was Grandma, kind sweet and gentle but she could get fiece when she needed to in this cute but serious tone.  You knew when she got that tone to do as Grandma said :)

They always took Gina out for hamburgers when she was up visiting us.  They trained her well and the first thing she would say to them is "go donalds papa go donalds?" They gave her a light up teddy bear that she thought was the coolest thing ever.  From the minute they first saw her (probably even before they saw her knowing them) she was their great granddaughter.  So full of unconditional love and support.  I hope I have brought that into my life.  I try so hard to emulate it.  It means the world to me that they loved my husband and my daughter so unconditionally from the start.

It was hard to move back to Phoenix and away from them.  Although we loved being near our parents for our children.   We wanted them to have the same close relationship with their grandparents that we had with ours. 

Every year my kids would ask when are we going to Utah.  And they would love it when Grandma came down here.  Grandma's house felt like home to them too.  Grandma would get upset because she couldn't do as much anymore and she felt like a bad hostess.  My kids would get upset because they wanted to do things for Grandma. They loved taking care of her.  We would tell her she got to do the dishes and cook the rest of the year that it was our turn to take care of her.  Payback for all the taking care of us she did.  I would threaten her that if she made us feel like company we wouldn't come as often because we wouldn't want to be a burden.  That part of what we liked about coming was that it was like being at home.  I also told her to please let me have the opportunity to teach my children to be just like her- to help and take care of others.  She would laugh, tell me I was a good mother.  And then she would order them around.  And they loved it.  My kids were always the most helpful and cheerful about chores there.  If I could only bottle that up and bring it home.  I always felt sorry for Grandma when we called because my kids would talk her ear off.  My guess though is that Grandma loved every minute of it!

It was so hard for her to get old. The pain and such she could handle.  But she hated not being able to serve.  I would tell her that she still served all the time.  Just in a different way.  She served me so well by loving me and my family.  By telling me how proud of me she was and what a good job I was doing as a mom (it was so nice hearing that from her). By being an example of patience and faith and testimony.  By teaching my children what a woman of God looks like, sounds like and acts like.  I will be a good woman if I am half the woman she is.  One day I hope to grow up to be just like her. 

Grandma we will miss you.