So my Great Grandma Thelma Carpenter passed away this last week. She was 100 years old! She outlived all but one of her four children and her husband died in 1990...so you can imagine the amazing reunion she experienced! I was seriously so happy for her because she finally got to go home and lay her poor tired body to rest, that I couldn't be sad. She was so wonderful and I will miss her. She lead such a full, incredible life! At her funeral this morning they told so many neat stories about how amazing she was so I will just give you a few examples... When she was in her 80's, she lived in a small condo across the street from the temple and did about 4 sessions a day. They estimated that she did somewhere between 5000 and 7000 names! How incredible is that? Then, when she was 95, she sewed a hundred baby outfits for the humanitarian project in her stake. When she was finished she said, "Now what should I do?" Like, quick give me another project! She was still walking up until like two days before she died. This woman was the epitome of Spencer W. Kimball's quote, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." In the telling of her life story they quoted her as saying, "I want to be the person I know I could be...the person I know I should be". Then they challenged us all to do this as we go about our lives.
Some of my fun, favorite memories of her recently are that every time she saw Randon, she told him how handsome he was. And she was always very complimentary to me as well. I went to see her a few days before she died and I told her I loved her and she said, "I love you right back". The last thing I want to share is, my mom and some of my sisters got to see her just before she died, and they offered to sing some hymns with her. My mom suggested they sing, "There is sunshine in my Soul" and my grandma said, "I would like that, but I don't think I can sing so I'll just mouth the words." When they started singing my sister said that my grandma threw her head back and sang at the top of her tired 100 year old lungs, and she knew every word of all three verses! My sister said it was the sweetest experience that even then, at the end of her life, she had a testimony of the Savior and wanted to express it through song. Some of us great-grandchildren sang that song at her funeral and it was lovely.
I have to admit that even though I know she and my grandma and grandpa Udall are in a better place, I miss them terribly. It's weird to me that they are not here for me to hug and see and gain knowledge from. But I am so thankful for their legacy of Faith and I know that we will be together again some day. And I have to say, too, that I am DONE with funerals for a very long time!
This picture is my mom, Grandma Carpenter, Grandma Udall, and Me in February 2007
4 comments:
Neat picture! She sounds like such an AMAZING women! What a happy reunion she had!
Love ya!
She seems like she was a fun lady :) Did you mean to put GRANDMA Carpenter?
Man, you guys have been hit hard the past couple of months. I hope you don't have any more funerals for a very very long time.
My favorite memory of your Grandma Carpenter is a story you and Janiel used to tell about her running a stop sign on Church Street and then saying, "Well, it wasn't there in 19--!" (I don't remember the year.) That cracked me up.
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