Happy Birthday, Grams

My grandmother, Blanche, was quite a character. She was outgoing and dynamic, caring and funny. Wherever she went, she was bound to run into someone she knew. A true yenta - she would talk to anyone, anywhere about anything. She was determined to learn your whole life’s story in the first 10 minutes of meeting you and probably would have made a great district attorney. This may be best exemplified in that she interrogated and then “picked up” a certain gentleman (my step-dad) for my mother by luring him into conversation at a Las Vegas Night in a temple on Christmas Night with a picture of her then 3-yr. old granddaughter.

For those of you who knew her, you surely each have plenty of stories that can make you laugh just to think of them. Maybe you remember playing cards or mah-jongg with her, spending time in Atlantic City or Coney Island, or simply having coffee and a nosh. I remember her going apple picking in the rain; teaching me to do the Lindy and dancing at every opportunity; and forever trying to recruit suitable boys for me to “settle down with”.

Everything she did was done with her whole heart. She was a great collector of cut glass, cups and saucers, tchotchkes, and she saved every card she ever received. She made the best latkes. She was a lover of animals-especially cats and whether or not she had one in her own home, she had many strays which she fed and took care of. But above all, her heart belonged to her family.

My grandparents were married for 60 years and had many wonderful times together. They met when they were only teenagers and truly carried out their vows of “for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health”. They traveled extensively, had many friends, raised a family, and drove each other crazy, but all was done out of love.

Although I could never adequately describe my grandmother or how I feel about her, my best summation would be to say that she was a one-of-a-kind, classy, warm, tough broad who said what she thought and meant what she said. We were all very lucky to have known her and she will forever remain in the hearts of those whose lives she touched.

She would have been 84 today. What you've just read, I wrote upon her death but couldn't bear to actually give the reading at her funeral. I simply placed a copy in her simple pine box (as is Jewish tradition) along with a pack of Parliaments (her brand), some pictures and a few other things for the journey. We were extremely close and I miss her very much so I just wanted to wish her a happy birthday, wherever she may be.