Today marks the passing of my Nana. I swear I thought she’d
out last each and every one of us…but alas, she fell asleep and didn’t wake up
after 95 years.
My childhood wasn’t always pleasant but I do remember my
Nana…married to a different man every time we saw her. Yes, she married often
and probably loved them all. Many of her years played out in San Francisco. I
remember summer vacations to the City by the Bay where we fried out skin of the
4th of July and walked up and down Market Street and played on the Embarcadero.
One summer in particular sticks out above all. I was a teenager, and in need of
unconditional love from my Grandmother. I spent an entire summer with her in her small
one bedroom… one of those flats above a grocery store in the center of the
city. She would take me to her favorite pub, Lefty O’Doul’s, which is still
there by the way, and show off her granddaughter.
She worked at Foremost / McKesson which is now simply
McKesson…she ran a switchboard and I remember then her being so cantankerous that
I thought she’d be fired every single day of her employment. No, her fellow
employees loved her…everything about her. She loved with all her heart and didn’t
worry about tomorrow. She organized company parties…company cruises. She loved
to take charge and didn’t put up with anyone’s shit! Ever!
She was there when my sister died at the tender age of nine
and never forgot a birthday or Christmas.
In the picture above she arrived at my wedding wearing a
flapper outfit… she was jovial as ever and couldn’t be happier to have her two
sons and my mother in the same room. (It had been awhile) She fumed that I
decided on black formal dresses for my bridesmaids… “It’s not a funeral,
Catherine.” ~ But she taught me to be assertive to get what I wanted in this
life. So I went with my gut and loved her anyway.
Somewhere in her 60’s she changed her name to Shamrock. Just
like that she wanted everyone to call her Shamrock. And I loved her. I took the name she was born with…and not all those she married into. Especially not
that last marriage…the one where she married a man ten years younger than my
husband (Go Grandma!) ~
Bybee is her name and I hope to always honor it.
I will forever keep you in my heart, Nana.
I will forever keep you alive with your name.
In tribute: June “Shamrock”
Bybee
11 comments:
She sounds like a remarkable woman with a very special place in your heart and no doubt the hearts of many. A great tribute.
Thanks, Fiona... She will always live in my heart.
Oh Catherine that was a beautiful tribute. She sounds like she was a wonderful lady with a heart of gold.
She was!
Oh wow. I can't thank you enough for sharing this. it's beautiful! She sounds amazing, and btw, you looked gorgeous on your wedding day!
I read about your Nana with a big smile on my face. She sounded like a lively and entertaining lady.
What a fascinating woman, utterly eccentric and lovable. I very much enjoyed reading your tribute.
Hi Julia, She was a wonderful and lively woman. And thanks.
Thanks, Browns and Beth... She was very lovable. And eccentric doesn't cover it. She always wanted to be famous...and party with the stars. I remember many pictures adorning the walls of her apartment of any celebrity she could touch standing next to her.
The smell of gardenia will always remind me of her.
What a colorful and loving grandmother. Picking a fun name for your 60th birthday, what a great idea. I love that you use her name!
She sounds like the kind of woman I would really like to have got to know, especially when I was a teenager. She'll never truly die for as long as she lives in your memories, or as long as your blog is up :)
Post a Comment