Grams

Yesterday would have been my grandmother's 102nd birthday. She died on April 28, 1997 at the nursing home in Portage when she was 88. I find myself thinking about her often, even after all of these years. She was the kindest, funniest, sweetest lady on the planet and I truly believe that the world would be a better place if everyone had a grandma like mine.

Grams' name was Edna Mable Walton. She was born on August 18, 1908 in Niangua, Missouri in Webster County to Stephen Smith Walton and Julia Florence McKeel Walton. Grams had an older brother, Herschel and a younger sister, Wilma and there had been a stillborn sibling somewhere in the mix. Because it was Stephen's second marriage, Grams also had many half-siblings. (I will insert them when I am on my own computer and have access to my genealogical files.) I am blessed to know descendants of the Walton side of the family.

Grams didn't have an easy life. She told me of working in the fields and then coming in the house and laying on the dirt floor to cool off. And in 1926, when Grams was about to turn 18 years old, she lost her mother Julia to a ruptured spleen at the age of 49. Julia's death certificate gives no indication of why her spleen ruptured and Grams never really spoke of her mother. It was probably too painful, considering the funeral was held on Gram's 18th birthday. I have a copy of Julia's obituary, from a time when writing obituaries was an art form. It is beautiful and it talks of a beloved woman who was everyone's friend and drew the largest crowd to a funeral in Webster County history at that time. Julia was known to many as "Julia Ma" for her kind and gentle ways.

One thing I will never forget about my grandmother was her sense of humor and her infectious laugh. She loved to laugh and found humor in the simple things in life. I can still see her laughing, 13 years after she has passed. On days when I need it the most, I can still close my eyes and hear her sweet laugh and it still makes me laugh right along with her.

In 1932, Grams married my grandfather, James Ballard Shields and they had one son, my father, James Edward Shields. They divorced in 1940 and Grams married my grandpa Johnson. Grandpa Shields remarried and adopted a son named Richard, who now lives in Texas. I had the great fortune recently of meeting my cousin Brooke through Facebook. She is the daughter of Richard. It was an amazing connection.

Grams spent most of her life as a nurse at the Methodist Medical Center in Peoria, IL where she lovingly worked on the maternity and pediatric wards. For extra money, she rented out her basement and took in jobs ironing people's clothing. She worked hard and did what she had to do to survive and to benefit her family. She was the toughest of the tough and the sweetest of the sweet. I still miss her everyday and I look forward to seeing her again.

This post is dedicated to the memory of the greatest lady who ever lived. Long may she wave.

Edna Mable (Walton) (Shields) Johnson
18 August 1908 - 28 April 1997