Forever our Grandma Cookie

2020. Just had to go and take one more of the people we love before the year is over. One day after Grandma Irene's funeral, Thursday, we had just gotten home from taking Mc to dance. Dad called. He said mom rushed to Grandma and Grandpa's because grandma was on the ground and had just had a heart attack. Mom asked for me to come up around 10:30 PM- it was snowy and icy and it took me a while to get there. She was laying in bed at that point, eyes still open but not coherent.

 All my siblings came to see her and Sunni came and stayed the night up there with me and my aunts/uncle. It was a LONG night. We drank rose tea, tried to stay warm (their house was freezing) and tried to stay awake to take turns on watch rotation. Mom was in charge of managing her meds and was keeping her comfortable. Grandpa never left her side. I rubbed her feet- they were like ice- you could tell her blood wasn't getting to her hands or feet. At around 6:30, I had to go lie down in the guest bedroom. Mom came in, tapped my foot and told me she was gone. Grandpa had walked out to the front door, heard her let out one more "sigh" and she was gone. She silently left to be with her family and friends- that have been anxiously waiting for her, I am sure. 

I am forever grateful that Grandpa made the decision in November, when she fell, to not have her heart operated on to repair the tear. Had she had the surgery, assuming she made it through, she would be in the hospital or a rehab facility and with COVID restrictions, we wouldn't have gotten to see her. We had a WHOLE month with her. I got to go up the Tuesday before she passed, Jamie and Grandpa were going to Hale. We had dinner, played Chinese Checkers and just talked. She told me that she "raised her kids and she just lets them make their choices". She reminded me that paying off your house happens faster if you pay a little extra each month. I rushed out when Debbie had gotten there because I had to go to High. Looking back, I now wished that I would have stayed. Just a little longer. 

I had never been on that side of death before. I have seen people who had passed in their caskets at a viewing, but I had never seen that intimate side- watching my aunts and my mom wash and dress her so they could take her body. Watching grandpa lay his hands on her head and give her body a blessing as she left her house for the last time. Kissing her forehead that was still soft. It was exhausting, uplifting, spiritual, sacred and sad all at once. It's become clear since she left, she was the glue holding us all together. 

Grandma's last written note- she wanted to do Christmas cards and make her toffee. I will miss her buttery toffee. 

I found this interesting- grandma's day timer had gotten a LOT out of hand as she fell further into Alzheimer's. This note, on the day she passed, she wrote "came home"- that was meant for Jimmy, coming home from his mission, but also, she "came home" to heaven on that day. 

I will miss taking her to the gem show and our lunches after. She thought this huge ring was pretty funny.

Grandma Cookie the Hulk Whisperer

Us at Women's Conference

Four Generations

Grandma's funeral was for sure different than Grandma Irene's. Mom and her siblings had a hard time coming together to make it happen. Grandma insisted she was to be placed in a mausoleum because "Jesus wasn't buried in the ground". Todd conducted, not a bishop, all the daughters and grandpa spoke. Then there was an open mic. Cousin Ben was the first one to jump up and share a heartfelt testimony and stories about grandma. I was also honored to share- I talked about the gem show, Grandma and Grandpa coming to visit us in AZ, her greasy, hand popped popcorn on Sunday, Rainbow Wars and how because of the Savior, I can see her again. 

Lexie did the flowers- they were the most beautiful. She did a spring-winter cascade. We all got to sign the casket. "Save me a seat at the Champion Chinese Checker Table". 

They gave us all MASSIVE chocolate chip cookies. 

Mom and her siblings asked me to write her life sketch. It was a BIG ask. I wasn't sure I wanted to. It was very personal and my perspective as a granddaughter is SO different than her daughter or son, wife, sister, friend. I didn't have much time and it's always stressful because it's so personal. This was the final product. They had Sunni read it at the funeral and, I felt like I did her proud. It was the last thing I could offer to tell her how much I love and will miss her. 

 Deon Carlson Lindquist, came into the world on September 7, 1939, the only girl, born to Kenneth and Loraine Carlson. She was left-handed, always longed for a sister, had a “fit a nickel between her teeth” smile and wished for a head full of flowing locks. She gained a love of music from her sweet mother and even after 70 years and only one lesson, could still crank out a tune on the accordion.  She learned to make every guest feel welcome, how to sew, repurpose, work hard and that a house filled with people you love is the greatest treasure.

Ever fashionable with her manicured, glittery pastel pink, almond shaped nails perfect for the Secretarial “clickety clack” of the computer keys, jewelry to match her shoes and handbag, a freshly pressed white blouse and a colorful broomstick shirt. She always looked her best, always.

Her faith was impenetrable- she had no fear of death or meeting her Maker and carried the banner of, “If He wants me to go through it, I will do it” with stalwart enthusiasm. She found her testimony of the Gospel early and never let go.

Grandma Cookie, the only name that was sweet enough to match that of Grandpa Donut- a perfect pair for 63 years. Never one without the other. The name was fitting because there were always cookies in the jar on the counter, her own movie theater concessions stored in the blue Rubbermaid bins in her closet, nuts, Häagen-Dazs, toffee, Texas sheet cake, green Jell-O popsicles you’d hold by a toothpick and Tootsie Rolls in a baggie in her purse. Her sweet tooth made sure we were all a little soft around the middle because sweets right after dinner (or anytime for that matter) were part of “our heritage”.

Holidays were ever important- Eastering in the desert, her birthday parties at Murray Park, Christmas morning visits with bags full of pistachios and a chocolate orange, and always, some crisp dollar bills folded into a beautifully written card with Grandpa’s fluttery penmanship.

She loved to hunt for rocks- always on the prowl for a smooth, worn treasure that the Earth was waiting to give her. She had rocks from Sweden, the ocean, Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge and the mountains not far from her home.

She was always up for a game. Her Chinese Checkerboard, that she bought for $5 from a shop in San Francisco, was well used and if you beat her, it was only because she let you. She loved word games and Sudoku to keep her mind sharp. She loved to laugh, loved to tease, loved a good Parley trick, and loved a fresh bucket of KFC.

On Friday, December 18, right as the sun peeked over the mountains, Grandma Cookie quietly slipped beyond the veil to be with her angel mother and father, brother, grandparents, and friends. Her mind was instantly clear, and our hearts were immediately broken. We will miss her waving from the front door, her little songs and impromptu piano concerts. We will miss her treats, the way her face lit up whenever she saw someone she loved, and how she made friends wherever she went. Our Grandma Cookie, sweet as they come, is now making heaven a little sweeter too.

Mc drew this portrait for Grandpa. She spent ALL day on it

Grandpa wrote this in the snow on his patio.