I stole this word for word off my sister Kim’s blog she said everything so awesome and I did not have my camera that day so I am not going to try to recreate it!
One of the nicest things about living in Cache Valley is the legacy I feel from my ancestors. I live in Wellsville. Grandma Pickett grew up in Wellsville, was a Bradshaw, and that name means something today. I grew up in Providence, my parents still live there, the Dattage's and Picketts are from Providence and that means something.
Because I am waxing a bit nostalgic, have a big Diet Coke by my side, a huge wedge of Dark Chocolate, Kinnick is asleep, and my big kids are all outside playing I am going to write a memory or two of each of the people for whose graves we visited this Memorial Day.
Uncle Clark: Clark was my Dad's brother who passed of M.S. Clark was always in a wheel chair from the time I have memory of him. He always smiled, always asked you how you were, and was always happy. He used to call the shop every day while I worked there I had the opportunity to talk to him a lot. He always listened to his police scanner and had news for us. Most importantly I watched my Aunt Karen take care of him for years with love and patience.
Aunt Wilma: Wilma was my Grandma Fern's sister who was Mentally Retarded. We grew up with her as our next door neighbor. Wilma had an entire village of dolls. She sewed precise clothing for the dolls, crafted their furniture from everyday household items, and watched her T.V. with the sound off.
William and Vanda Checketts: We always visit their graves and they are my Grandma Fern's parents. I never met them. Here is what I know. They lived in the little house right next to my parents and raised Grandma Fern. Grandma Fern was spunky, hard working, and down right real...so I am sure they were too!!! William lost his first wife and had a daughter Kitty with her and then married Vanda and they went on to have Fern and Wilma.
Mae and Ross Pickett: Mae and Ross were my Grandpa Pickett's parents. I have no memories of my Great Grandpa Pickett. I have only a few memories of my Great Grandma. She was a tall, skinny, older lady in my memories. She lived right across the street from my grandparents. She would come over for family parties and I remember visiting her a few times while she was in a nursing home. She made beautiful quilts and I have a doll sized quilt she made me.
Grandma and Grandpa Bradshaw: They are from Wellsville and my first memories of Wellsville come from them. Every year growing up we came to Wellsville to celebrate Founders Day. I remember the Sham Battle, I remember the parade with the scary horses, guns, cowboys and Indians, and I remember playing on their side lawn for a big picnic afterwords. I remember they always had a ceramic cat on the outside of their house that I thought was beautiful. My Grandpa Brandshaw was enormous and had a very distinctive voice. I was lucky enough to inherit my Grandma Bradshaw's old iron bed, which my dad lovingly painted for me, and Reagan sleeps in today!! My Grandma grew up owning and working summers on what is now our Stake Farm I love to visit there and think of the memories she would have made there as a child. When I was in Middle School I volunteered at the Nursing Home my Great-Grandparents were at. I remember visiting with them and loving them in their old age. Ever since I moved to Wellsville 5 years ago I have had a deep sense of belonging and community hear. I know that has a large part to do with the fact that my relatives have been here from years. They were some of the first in this beautiful place.
Grandma Eliza and Grandpa Henry: Reagan was named after Grandma Eliza. Grandpa Henry died before I was born or have memories..but I have vivid memories of My Grandma Icy who didn't pass until 1990 which would have put me about Hunter's age. My grandma Icy collected owls, passed down "The Wheat in the Buggy Story" that I later put in the Friend Magazine so we could all remember forever, came from Switzerland when she was a little girl and had to leave her doll behind, talked of eating potatoes and gravy or gravy and potatoes every single night for dinner as a child, and somehow managed to raise my Grandpa Glen!!! As a Great Grandma she lived basically on our same lot so we saw her a lot. She played games like Sorry and Uno with me for hundreds of hours, shared her Meals on Wheels lunches, let me see her take off her wigs and fake teeth, always had Cheese Wiz in her fridge, had a big old stove that she still had to put wood in to cook with, and was delightful. She taught me the truth about Santa Claus and said things like "You Daresent tell the little ones!". I hated when Uncle Adolph called because she talked to him forever on the phone and she had a party line. I used to love picking up her phone and hearing someone else talking on it. She was a vivid story teller. I loved my Great Grandma Icy and have wonderful memories with and of her!!
Grandma Fern and Grandpa Glen Dattage: We grew up sharing a drive-way with my grandparents so we say them a lot...as in multiple times each day!! I loved it. What a gift! Grandma Fern crocheted all the time and taught me to crochet. I went through a phase where I made one huge afghan and each of my first three kids a baby afghan. I have since completely outgrown that phase. She had long beautiful fingernails that she kept perfectly painted and tickled our backs for hours whenever we asked. She taught me to make Texas Cake and Raspberry Rollie Pollie and I spent hours with her as a child snipping peas and shelling beans. She loved solitaire and taught me how to play and always invited me to play along with her. She loved restaurants, vacations, and watching T.V. She never said my grandpa's name without putting an expletive in front of it That +$#% Glen! She made us Indian Dolls when we were kids and gave me a dish cloth that I still have today with a note saying "Your Friend Fern." She did a sit and fit program on T.V. and used to let us sit and be fit with her. She would pay me and my friends pennies or nickels do little chores around her house and she even bought the rocks we came to her door selling!! My Grandpa Glen was our watch-dog growing up. He knew what time we got home every night as teens, always asked our boyfriends when they were going to "put a ring on our fingers", and seemed to always be in the drive-way whenever we got home. Either he lived in that drive-way or he had a sixth sense! No matter what time of day it was!! My Grandpa was famous for his spare ribs and blue and green Christmas lights and served as the water master for Providence as well as the donuts man for the shop. In college he even ran errands for me when I was working at that shop! He helped drive us to dancing and pick us up from places. He kept life savers in his car and the white were my favorite. He always had cookies in the cookie jar and said "come again" each and every time you left his house. He answered the phone with a loud "Mello" and would have done anything for anyone at anytime. I remember coming home once as a newly married girl to our house in Logan and he was in my backyard with a chain saw trimming my trees. He loved yard work and staying busy. I once went to visit in his older years and asked him what he was up to. He replied, "just waiting for those %$(@ leaves to fall so I can go out and rake them up." He loved to watch rodeo on T.V. and eat at Angies and Lofthouse Cafe. He was funny and sarcastic like nobody else. We were out to dinner once and Grandma Fern stood up right in front of Lance and Granda said, "Goose her Lance!" He had a chicken coop in our backyard and always let us help gather the eggs and grandma helped us clean them. I loved my Grandparents fiercely and it still feels strange to pull into my parents driveway and not have my Grandpa Glen yell out "what you doing...where ya goin...where ya been?"
Grandpa Pickett: My Grandpa Pickett was the nicest, mellowest man I knew. I never once heard him yell, raise his voice, or get after anybody. Sadly I inherited all the Dattage genes in this department. Okay and Grandma Pickett's too! He smiled with his mouth and his eyes and always called me "his Kimmie Coo." He owned a welding shop adjacent to their house and would come in for Lunch and my grandma always fed him (and us if we were around) something hot. His favorite was any sauce or gravy poured over bread!! He also loved ice cream. My grandpa Pickett made beautiful craft out of metal and was proud to have done work on the Logan Temple. He helped Grandma host every holiday at their house and we grew up loving Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, and on and on at their house. They were great with family dinners and had an upstairs decked out with toys and old desks that we played on as cousins. There house was one of my favorite places to be growing up. My Grandpa was fiercely loyal to my Grandma and treated her with love and respect that I will ALWAYS remember. We were always welcome in their home and I have some of my best memories to this day playing at their house with my cousins. My Grandpa Served in World War II and what I wouldn't give to talk to him about it now and record some of his memories. I know he married Grandma while on a leave and then went right back to the service. He was kind and loyal and a wonderful Grandpa!
Here is the group of us at Grandma and Grandpa Bradshaw's grave. Look how beautiful Wellsville is! I announced that I would like to be buried in Wellsville right next to the Bradshaw's even though the rest of the family has all migrated towards Providence and being buried there. I think my dad was the only one who was listening and said, "I support you being buried wherever you choose honey!" Just like my dad! Not that he will hopefully be around to be the one to make that decision!!
Tender and sweet Hinckley's grave. Hinckley was born exactly a week after Kendall so he would be nine years old now. I am sure not a day goes by that Tonia and Lance don't think about him and love him for a minute. What a tender little spirit and what a little gift that we have a nephew and cousin on the other side trying to help us all through this journey.
Cute Kyson and Kendal
Reagan with Grandma Icy pointing to Eliza on her grave...her name sake!! I noticed something about most of my Grandma and Great Grandma's. There headstones only have part of their names on them. For example Grandma Icy was actually Anna Eliza Dattage...but Anna is no where on her grave. My Grandma Fern is actually Martha Fern Dattage but she just put Fern Dattage. My Grandma Pickett's,who has her name on the Headstone already because Grandpa is buried, just says Gayle Pickett. when in fact her real name is Venna Gayle Pickett. Each of these stubborn women hated parts of their names and each of them was alive when their headstones were created...so this was by choice!!!
Beautiful little Jordan picked all these flowers and decorated this grave because she felt a special connection to it. It is not a family member's grave but she just felt a connection.
Shea, Lance, Ryan, Elden
Ryan, Kendal, Grandma Tamra
Sweet baby Kinnick
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