Goodbye Grandmas

Cory and I had a rough week last week. On Sunday morning, my grandmother (my dad's mom, Grandma Shoemaker) had a stroke and passed away a few short hours later. We also found out that Cory's grandmother (his mom's mom, she's Grandma Grube) was given about a week to live. So after looking for plane tickets and realizing they'd set us back a whopping $1500, we packed up the truck, Cosmo and all, and drove up to Pennsylvania last Sunday. It was a long 24 hours, but it ended up being nice having a car so that we could drive back and forth between our families, and then we could play it by ear on when to come back to TX.
Our Grandma's deaths left us a little shaken. Both were old ladies, my grandma was 85, and Cory's was 87, so you never know what's going to happen, but until pretty recently, they were fairly healthy and truckin' along. Both Grandma's had been living on their own in retirement communities that progress from independent apartments/rooms, to assisted living, and then to nursing. Several weeks ago Grandma Grube moved to assisted living, where she fell and broke her shoulder. She caught pneumonia in the hospital and had also recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. All these combined to weaken her old body, and she spent a week at a hospice before she passed. Grandma Shoemaker's stroke and death were completely unexpected. She was also my last living grandparent, so combined with the suddenness of it all, it hit me pretty hard. Cory has one grandmother left, the unstoppable Grandma Sholl who will be 93 this Spring.
It was a tough time, but it was nice to be with our families, and see extended family too, and to reminisce about times with our Grandmas. One of my favorite memories is of the haunted house me and my cousins made in Grandma's basement that we made her go through; she was a good sport!
Here are our Grandmas at our wedding last October, mine, then Cory's. We're so glad they got to be with us on that important day.

It was a hard week, and it's still sad, but we survived it together and with the love of our family and friends. I just hope that 'after' is everything Grandma hoped it would be. I like to picture her up there with those that have already passed, and maybe even Grandma Shoemaker and Grandma Grube are hanging out, watching over us. Love you Grandmas, we'll miss you.