A Star-light for Grandma

Grandma L passed away on March 16, 2012, just shy of her 96th birthday.Most people who knew her would agree that she was sharper than us all...and she continued to be well into her 90's. She had an undeniable spunk and wit.She was never the warm, cuddly grandmother type but she was extremely proud of her family and definitely one-of-a-kind. She lived a good, full-life and her achievements are quite inspirational.

Some things that I want to remember:
- She graduated college in 1939, practically unheard of for a woman of that generation

- She was an amazing golfer and one year won the New York City golf championship. She would practice her putting well-into the night, pointing the car headlights onto the green. I once asked her for putting advice and her tip was to find a point halfway between your ball and the hole and aim for that.
- She taught third grade for nearly 40 years...and retired when she was 80!

- On Sunday nights she would sit in the bathtub, and read a classic like the Odyssey or Plato to relax.
- She had one glass eye, but you would never know unless you looked real hard. I've yet to get the compete story on what happened but clearly it did not hold her back in any way.
- Her favorite flower was Hyacinth.

- She believed in "tinkle time", a scotch on the rocks each day at 6pm
- She adored British comedies and "Keeping up Appearances" was her favorite.
- Each summer for my birthday she would take me shopping at Macy's to get a few back-to-school outfits. She'd call it "going for our shop."

- She always carried Starlight Mints in her beach bag, the perfect morsel in a salty mouth.

- She was a devoted Yankees fan her entire life. Babe Ruth used to drive down her block on the way to Yankee Stadium and she watched nearly every home game on TV.

It's no wonder that 2 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild (mine!) are named after her.

Last year we celebrated her 95th Birthday in NYC. It was nice to have the whole family together to mark such a momentous occasion and impressive milestone.

The last time I saw my grandmother was this summer. It was really important to me that she meet K, her only great grandson, so we visited her at her beach house which is one of my favorite places on earth and certainly my favorite place to spend the summers growing up. In fact, for her 90th birthday I made her a quilt titled "Summers at Breezy Point" which she kept on her bed.She had already slowed down a lot by then but she sat down at the table and said to us all "so what's what"? My aunt replied "Suzy's moving to London" to which she snapped back, "I KNOW she's moving London" (as if we were the ones who couldn't remember anything).

Her passing definitely marks the end of an era.

I can only hope that her brains, longevity and golf swing found their way to K & C.