My grandmother passed away the day after Easter, 2017, almost exactly one year ago. Her backyard was always full of flowers, and the week of her funeral the irises and roses were in full glory. We spent most of last year emptying her possessions from her house and last winter I removed a few of the dormant iris bulbs to plant in my yard. Now that it's spring they're doing well, as this picture shows. It makes me happy to have them here as a reminder of her.
I think about her almost daily, reflecting on the role she played in so many people's lives and how she approached her own life. Mary spent most of her adult life looking after other people and took great pleasure in seeing them happy. Her own needs almost always came second, even at times when she should have looked out more for herself. I'm struck by how rare it is for a person to be that unselfish. If forced to criticize her I would say she was not a deep thinking person, rarely read anything, and only had the most basic of education. She was very face value and enjoyed simple pleasures like board games, cards, and gardening. Fellowship was also high on her list of interests, with both family and friends. She rarely discussed politics or abstract ideas like the meaning of life. If you tried to bring up such a topic she'd shake her head, laugh, and dismiss it as a waste of time. She enjoyed sharing memories, however, and she took pleasure in discussing whatever her family was up to. Her house was clean but cluttered, filled with a lifetime collection of small things that most people would not value but she kept "just in case I need it someday". She was just a genuinely good, uncomplicated person. I miss her terribly.
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| Mary Petersen, age 16. Taken in San Jose, 1941. |
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| Mary (Petersen) Evans, age 76. Taken in San Jose, 2000. |
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