We'll miss you, Grandma Guppy

Andy's Grandma Kulis, known fondly as "Grandma Guppy" by all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, passed away last week at the age of 96.  We headed down to Long Island to celebrate her life and mourn her passing with family and friends.  It was a sad few days, full of questions from a particular little boy who has visited his Great Grandma several times each year since he was born, but it was also a time to reflect on a life well lived and a family that gained so much from her love and guidance.

Aiden and Grandma Guppy in 2009

I knew Mrs. Kulis for only about a tenth of her life, but she was always full of spunk and so clearly loved her grandkids more than anything.  She always had lots of questions, hugs, and little gifts for each of them at every family event.  I remember a particularly fierce battle of Lithuanian egg-cracking between Grandma Guppy and Alex (Andy's cousin who was no more than 9 at the time) one Easter shortly after I met Andy (and way before I had any clue that we were going to get married and start a family of our own)...Grandma was "egging" Alex on like crazy and in the end Alex was victorious... he was so happy to have outlasted everyone and received a huge hug from Grandma as congratulations.  I remember thinking, "wow, what a fun grandma she is."

I think Aiden is listening to a secret here... and getting a secret squeeze!

And she really was a fun-loving person, made all the more remarkable given that she was handed the difficult task of raising 4 young kids on her own after her husband passed away very young.  I can only imagine what that would have done to my outlook on life (sometimes I don't feel very light-hearted with only 2 kids and a hubby who is alive and well) but either the laughter was a survival mechanism, or having survived those difficult circumstances, she felt that everything else was easy to smile at.  I'm not sure which, but it's clear to me that she was a remarkable person, and I know we will all miss her very much.