Friday, January 04, 2008

Grandmother Iva ~ 104


Grandmother Iva was born on a December day in 1903. The youngest of eleven siblings, she grew up with six brothers and four sisters. Her father was a farmer in northern Pennsylvania where Iva grew up and lived her entire life. That is, until retirement in Arizona some thirty-five years ago! I love this picture of her: exotic eyes, beautiful crimped hair, and sculpted features. It was about the time of this photo that she met and fell in love with Gramps. . .an adventurous young man who had dreams of ranching and of far off places like California. One family story tells of courtship in a horse-drawn sled that somehow overturned on a snowy night. Quiet and gentle, small and sweet --- grandma was also adventurous and could be tough as nails if need be!


During her child-rearing years Grandmother was a pretty traditional farm wife. A terrific cook, she always had tasty meals prepared for the family and farm hands. But Grandmother didn't leave all the farming to the men! She was known to drive cattle truck to cities far away, making deliveries of stock and such. When a sawmill was added to the farm, she frequently delivered lumber to the city, driving the old trucks with confidence and ease. Above she is, shown with Grandpa Ed and her daughers Audrey and Cella.


The family enjoyed a special time with Grandmother recently as we helped her to celebrate her 104th birthday. Although she has been affected by age, her sweet personality and generous smiles shines through. We enjoyed the opportunity to share this milestone moment with her.


Of course I cannot resist posting a picture of the lovely table-setting that Aunt Cella set. A delicious farm meal of Grandmother's favorite foods was set for this celebration moment.

12 comments:

  1. With a grandmother of my own who is 98, I am particularly charmed by this post. Your grandmother was and is a beautiful spirit. Hearty congrats to her for achieving this milestone...she obviously has lived well!

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  2. What a sweet post! A very happy (albeit late) birthday to your beautiful grandmother!

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  3. What a precious post and tribute
    Deby

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  4. Oh ! My Gosh ! What a wonderful post - and are you EVER blessed to have her !

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  5. What an extraordinary milestone for this sweet lady and your family.

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  6. What a terrific blessing to celebrate a 104th birthday. May God grant her a fabulous year with those she loves.
    The photo of her and her son-in-law is precious.

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  7. Isn't that just precious. Wow, 104! She is certainly having a long, blessed life.

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  8. This is precious. Both my grandmother's died at the age of 84 1/2. But my children's only living grandmother is my mother, and she is still living by herself at the age of 91. Her own Dad lived to be 94. So perhaps she has a long life ahead of her. Her Daddy's brother lived to be the ripe old age of 98! There is certainly longevity on both sides of my family.

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  9. This is just so all too wonderful! your loving tenderness is an embrace of respect.

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  10. This is a precious post. I love the old photos too. You are so lucky.

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  11. What a treasure she is! And I'm sure she has a lot of stories to tell. It's wonderful that you could celebrate with her. If I make it to 104 I hope my family is with me, too. ~Adrienne~

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  12. Anonymous7:45 PM

    Absolutely amazing! I'm not much of a blogger (don't even know if that's the right term). Let's just say I don't spend much time on the internet but a friend sent an email telling about some of her art on this site. I'm intrigued by the photos and particularly enjoyed reading about your Grandmother Iva when I see this guy I know--Harvey! Suddenly I realize I'm reading about Audrey's mother. Now I know where Audrey got that independent, pioneering spirit. As I'm sure you know, she was also an amazing and wonderful woman. -Dave Dougherty

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