Memories Of My Grandma

Anna Leonard Neer

Today would have been my grandmother's 111th birthday! I think of her so often, that I have dreams about her. I can picture every nook in her old house. I remember all the good times we had there before my family moved to Florida in 1962. All my aunts and uncles and their families would be there on Sunday. Getting together there with all my cousins. It is a wonderful memory.

Grandma holding one her grandchildren!

Mickey, my brother got sick and ended up in the hospital with Polio, which was a big epidemic back then. So my mother spent the whole day at the hospital with him. My grandmother stayed at our house during that time, and took care of me. I was just a baby, and I think maybe I bonded with her then. Years later, she'd tell me how I would cry terribly if she took her glasses off. She thought it was funny when telling me the story. 

Grandma holding my mother!

She told me many stories about her childhood and growing up. I spent a lot of time with her up until we moved to Florida. I missed her so much. Her and I wrote letters back and forth but it wasn't the same. Now looking  back, I am so sad that I missed those precious years with my grandmother. I am thankful that I had the years with her that I did. She was a wonderful grandmother. Her and I celebrated our birthdays together. Her birthday being today and mine being tomorrow. I love you, Grandma! I will be with you again! 

Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2012  Kathleen G. Lupole

Birthday Thoughts Of My Grandmother Today

Anna Leonard Neer (left) and her two sisters,

Josie (center) and Mary (right)

Today would have been my grandmother's 110th birthday. I can hardly believe she has been gone so many years now. I miss her. In her later years, I did not get to see her so much. She had moved first in with my uncle and his family, then to my aunt's which was farther away. Many times you do not think of the time when you won't have that option to see them whenever you please. I wish now, that I had made an effort and not been so busy with my life at the time.

 My mother and grandmother,

Hazel Neer Dran and Anna Leonard Neer 

Regardless, I have many good memories of my grandmother and think of them often. Since my birthday is the day after hers, tomorrow, she always made a big deal of our birthdays being together. I stayed at her house often, and when my family lived nearby, we would pick her up and bring her to our house. I wish we had stayed nearby, and been with her through out those years. She wrote to me back then, and I regret that I have none of those letters now.

 

My grandmother feeding her chickens

My grandmother loved her farm, even though by the time I was old enough to remember, she only had some chickens. I will always remember the day her family got together to take her barn down. She was very sad. She would have rather had them repair it. Not take it down. Her love for her family was the most important thing to her and she always put them first above her. Always.

Happy Birthday To My Grandmother in heaven with her family!

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole

My Grandmother, Anna Leonard Neer 1901-1980

My Grandma, Anna Leonard Neer

Today is a special day to me. It would have been my Grandma's 1004th birthday. She died in 1980. Her name was Anna Leonard Neer. She was a loving, wonderful grandmother. I was fortunate enough to have been born the day after her birthday. She always said that I was her birthday present. She had a farm on a dirt road and by the time I was born, she only had some chickens and a cat. I used to spend a couple nights at her house. I just loved being there with her.

She had 6 children and my grandfather would just leave her for awhile and then show up some time later. One time, he went out for a pack of cigerettes and was gone for two years! But Grandma worked at Endicott Johnson Shoe Factories in the Binghamton - Johnson City - Endicott, NY area. Even when she lived in the city of Binghamton, she always had a big garden, fruit trees, chickens and grapes and she canned all kinds of food for her children. She made clothes for her family, sold eggs and food at work, and always ran those dress clubs at work. They never went without.

She was a very devout Catholic. But she never pushed it on anyone. She raised her children in the Catholic church. But when they all grew up, and if they didn't go, she never said a thing to them about it. She figured they were grown up and could make their own decisions. I remember when the Catholic church changed their rule and said that you could eat meat on Fridays now. Grandma said who are they to change that rule? That rule was made long before and they had no right to change it. She never ate meat on Friday.

The day she died, I sat with her at the hospital the whole night before, which was on her birthday. And the next day, which was my birthday, she died, after I left her there with my uncle and cousin. At least she wasn't alone.

She would have liked the idea of me living like this. I just wish I had learned some things from her about living this way. When she was alive, I lived in a city and was married to my first husband, who was from NYC. So I was very far from this lifestyle at that time. One thing I would like to mention is that working from home is now a option for everyone because of computers and the internet.

In my grandmother's day places like this were unheard of. Now you can work a few hours in the morning, go out and work in your garden and come back in and work some more on your computer. It's the only way to live! Beats the day in, day out grind of the job world. Having someone who doesn't know even half of what you know telling you what to do every day!

You know what tomorrow is, don't you? My Birthday!!!!!!

Copyright © 2005  Kathleen G. Lupole