My Grandmothers

This week I'd like to talk about my memories of my grandmothers.  I've shared a little about both my grandmothers in my earlier posts and they are polar opposites in several ways, but similar in other ways.  First, I'll give you snapshots of their lives: 

Pansy Nadine Hubbell  - (Grandma King) Born March 1, 1920, Angola, Indiana.  The only girl of 8 children, whose father was a farmer.


Pansy - 1938

Met my grandfather, Thurston Clayborn in 1938/9.  Got pregnant with my father, and returned home. 

• My dad was born at the University of Kansas hospital in Kansas City, KS on May 11, 1940.  She got back together with my grandfather and got pregnant with my Uncle who was born on Sept. 14, 1942.  
• Her parents raised both boys and she went to work at Montgomery Ward in Kansas City, KS, and lived in an apartment in the city.   
• Married Burham Martin King (18 years her senior) in 1954. Had my Aunt on Oct. 13, 1955.  
• Died on Feb. 9, 1985 of an aneurysm, following hospitalization from a broken leg from falling on the ice.  This was the first time I saw my dad cry.  He said he "was just getting to know her." 

All I remember about Grandma King while she was alive was tied to the King homestead in Minneola, Missouri.  Grandma grew corn, beans, and other vegetables and had chickens and cats.  Her home had a potbelly furnace in the kitchen area and no hot water when I was a girl or air conditioning.  We used to visit in summers and Grandma would have me help her collect eggs, pick blackberries, and snap beans.  She used to butcher her own chickens and can vegetables and fruit.  To this day, her lime pickles were the best I ever tasted.  The last time I saw her was on my wedding day in March, 1984, and she surprised me with a jar of lime pickles that she "found" in her suitcase.  That was the only thing I ate that day.  She never shared much about her life growing up and I wish I would have asked.  I got to know her by doing things with her on the farm, like snapping beans.  I never knew her as well as I would have liked.  I remember when my Aunt shared photos like those above with me at how beautiful she was and what a contrast she was when I knew her compared to her younger days.  The woman I remember used to hide change and a billfold in her bra and didn't always wear her false teeth. 

When I verified that Thurston Clayborn was my grandfather in 2011, I realized how my adult life was similar and parallel to Pansy's.  It surprised me, in a way, to realize how we shared similar struggles.  I always knew I had my dad's personality, so maybe I am more like Grandma King than I ever thought.    

Charlotte - 1930

Charlotte Margaret Withycombe (Grandma Wood) Born Feb. 1, 1912, Winthrop, Massachusetts.  An only child.  Her father, a traveling salesman, died the following year of rectal cancer at the age of 28.  Her mother must have moved back home with her parents and did remarry two years later in 1915.  Her step-father was a firefighter.

• Had many suitors -- one out the front door as one came in the back door (or so she said).  Met my grandfather, who was in the Coast Guard and had relocated from Michigan.  They married in 1935. 
• Three generations of the family lived together.  Actually, her mother found the home they relocated to in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1946.  The family moved to Rockville, MD in the 1950s due to Coast Guard assignment.  
• Died on Jan. 4, 1992, after a long illness.  She had been resuscitated following a heart attack/stroke and spent the last 2 years of her life in a full-time care center not recognizing any of us.  God used this time to remind me of all she meant to me. 

Grandma Wood & King -  My wedding
1984

Since my father spent some much time away from us during Naval training and transfers, I spent more time with Grandma Wood than I did Grandma King.  I spent half of first grade and a third of fourth grade in her home.  We moved back to St. Pete in 1979, following Granddad Wood's death.  Grandma Wood was a traditional grandmother in every since of the word.  I learned to bake Nana's apple pie at her elbow and my grandmother had a skill for baking homemade brownies (never dry) to homemade baking power biscuits.  Hers was the original Boston Chicken.  She used to set the table for breakfast, complete with flowers and little juice glasses.  Fresh-squeezed orange juice was a special treat Grandma reserved for my visits, as she knew how much I loved it.  I still remember cuddling up next to her on the couch to hear her animated reading of "The Little Engine that Could," my favorite book.  Reminiscing was done after a home-baked meal on a weeknight, which was a special treat for Mom and me after working a long day at the office.  She told me how she walked herself to the hospital when she was in labor with my mom.  (When I visited Winthrop, I judged the distance, and let's just say that I was impressed.)

Both my grandmothers lived through the Great Depression and never wasted anything--especially food. They counted pennies, and were the first women to work outside the home and were both high school graduates.   Grandma King was a midwestern farmer's daughter, and had two children out-of-wedlock.  While Grandma Wood was a northeastern, suburban daughter, and had a more traditional marriage and family.  Both women played important roles in shaping me and forming my values and I was blessed to have both of them in my life.