In my family, on my mom's side we have some sayings, symbols and traditions. Rainbows and Ginko trees are our symbols, layered with years of stories and meanings. And one of the things we say is "love lives on." May 9th is my Grandma Rene's birthday and while she is no longer with us, I wanted to write about this loving matriarch of our family and how her legacy still lives with us.
She was born Maurine Eleanor in Granville North Dakota in 1911. She and her fraternal twin Margaret were the youngest of six children. This was a time when not many people had twins and in their small town, she and her sister attracted attention for it. She studied to become a teacher but didn't enjoy it and ended up working the switchboard at a department store. She met her husband Robert Oswald there. He was home from the war where he had faithfully written to his parents every day about how much he wanted to find a wife but despaired that he was getting too old. Bob and Maurine were married in 1947 and had five children in five years. (My mother Cynthia is the middle one.)
One event in their lives that really demonstrates both my grandparents true natures was the birth of their second child, Robert Walker. He was born with Downs Syndrome, and at that time the professional recommendation for all Downs Syndrome children was a lifetime of institutionalization. My grandparents refused this view, and welcomed my Uncle Bob as part of their family. I can see this spirit of love and inclusiveness manifesting in various ways in the lives of all my aunts and cousins, as well as my own parents and brother.
My Grandma loved music and sewing and she LOVED children. She enjoyed spending time with her family, including her many grandchildren and she was thrilled to meet her first great-grandchild. She lived to be 88 years old, and her twin sister died just a few weeks after. Grandma Rene stays with us in her stories and her songs, and in our family. This year to honor her birthday, my aunts, my cousins, my mom, my brother and I decided we would all make pecan pie, one of her favorite dishes. Even though we are in different states, we know we'll be celebrating the woman who kept us all together.
In loving memory: Maurine Eleanor Stinson Lewis.
Top photo: the twins
Second photo: Maurine and Bob and their five kids. (Can you find Grandma Cindy?)
Third photo: Grandma Rene and her grandkids. (Can you find Polly?)
