Grandma Frandsen

Today my great grandmother, Marjorie Frandsen, passed away at the age of 95.

She was the most perfect example to me of what I hope my life with Jon will look like as we grow old with one another.

She had been married to Grandpa for 73 years. And when you watched Grandma and Grandpa together, you could feel the love they had for each other. They still held hands, still wanted to be close. And I know that they will not tolerate being apart for very long.

She had 6 children and countless grandchildren and great grandchildren, and even one great great grandchild, Adalyne. She cherished her posterity and I always felt so loved in her home because of the time she took to know me personally. She and Grandpa established traditions that brought our extended family together, that created memories and friendships that I treasure today. Memorial Day camping, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve party, New Year's sledding and homemade chili.

5 generation photo

One of the most memorable lessons I took from her as a teenager was the value of a woman's education. She was one of the first women to attend college and she took advantage of the opportunity. Whenever we discussed my schooling, she would press upon me the importance of getting a higher education and I always wanted to follow in her footsteps. And once I began attending BYU, she always wanted to know how my studies were coming and what path I was going to take for my career.

Grandma was a blast to be around. She was so sharp, so witty. I loved talking with her, listening to her sarcasm and humor. She always made me laugh and her laugh was contagious. And she was such a classy lady. She took great pride in being well dressed and well groomed, saying that you always feel better about yourself when you take the time to get ready.

Two months ago, we had the chance to go to Utah and see her and I am so grateful that we took that opportunity. We knew that she was struggling to recover from surgery and I was worried that being so far away, this would be our last chance to really spend some time with her, and that turned out to be the case. Adalyne was older and got to interact with Grandma and we took some very special pictures.

Addie was very interested in her squishy skin. Grandma had a great sense of humor!

While it is sad to know that she will no longer be able to be there to make a witty comment and I wish that my daughter could have known her the way I did, it is al so wonderful to know that she is with her Father in Heaven, no longer in pain. She's probably making someone else laugh up in heaven.