After eighteen days of tireless service, we said goodbye to Grandma Nancy today. She needed to get back to Corpus Christi where her students and community await. Taking such an extended time off to be with her daughter was quite a sacrifice, considering the workload that Nancy takes on in her professional and personal life. But it was one that she gave willingly, and I can’t think of another person who has made more of an amazing impact in the lives of two new parents and their daughter.
For more than two weeks, Nancy brought willing hands and forty years’ experience as a nurse and mom of three. Everything was done with love and concern, and I still remember fondly the late-night sessions between mother and daughter in the baby’s room that I would overhear. Through all of it, she tried hard to keep her impact on the household to a minimum – although her shouts of excitement during a good college football game were the stuff of legend!
In her days as a public health nurse in 1960’s Detroit, Nancy spent a lot of time working in the New Center Area along Woodward, taking care of the likes of Berry Gordy’s mother and Smokey Robinson’s girlfriend. After moving to Dayton, she was named Ohio Nurse of the Year in 1978; and many labor and delivery teams would consult with her on difficult cases. Over the years, she has built her skills to the point of making the transition to academia and the training of a new generation of caregivers. Even now, when most people her age are already retired, she is taking students on medical mission trips to the Dominican Republic.
The parting this morning was not without tears as Jocelyn and I consider facing the months before the surgery without Grandma; but we could not help but be grateful for the time we had together. We also look forward to Thanksgiving, where all of the family will be reuniting for the first time in years.
Thanks again, Nancy. You truly are one of a kind.
One Response
Nice one, Chris! You have to be the most beloved son-in-law in all of the world (no offense to Mike!) You captured the essence of our mom amazingly well. I’m glad she could be there for you three. Can’t wait to be with you all over the holidays…