Love you Grandma Freda

Well, my Grandma passed away this morning about 5:30 am. She was 95 years old. She fell yesterday and hit her head. My mom and her sister Rilla and brother Ron went to be with her. Laura and Gordon also went to see her. I haven't seen her for over 2 years.
Grandma Freda was a feisty one. She lived through the Great Depression- working in the butcher shop in Cooke City, Montana. My grandpa worked in the mines. They fell in love and wanted to get married- so they hitched a ride with the mail truck and eloped. She was 21 and he was 19. The first couple years they were married they lived in a tiny one room cabin in Cooke City, Montana. They had no power, no electricity, no running water. They would go out to the stream for water. During the winter the snow can get easily get 9-10 feet deep or more. In the summer he worked in the mines and in the winter he would trap. When he trapped, he would leave their cabin and in the 10 feet of snow he would go up to the mountains and set his traps. He would sleep in caves, under trees- wherever he could find shelter. After spending 4-5 days setting traps he would go back home for a day or two. Then he would head back up to check all of his traps. If he caught 1 animal the 2 weeks of work would be worth it. After that they moved to Anaconda and Grandpa Bill worked in a factory.

During WW2 the government started drafting men with families. My grandpa Bill had a friend who was in the drafting office and told Bill that he (Bill) was going to get drafted. So Grandpa Bill enlisted in the Navy. He was a gunner. He never talked about it. I remember once as a kid one of my brothers asked Grandpa Bill to tell us some stories about the war- he replied, "don't ask me about the war." And that was that. The war was terrible for everyone. Grandpa Bill was away at war over 2 years. Grandma Freda worked as a cook on a farm while he was away. When he left she had 3 little boys ages 5, 4, and 18 months. It was a hard life. Can you imagine having 3 boys and having your husband gone away to war for 2 years!!??? She told me when he finally came home, she was late picking him up at the train station so he assumed she had left him he was away. He left the train station. Somehow she caught up to him and boy was she ever mad that he would think she would do that! The owner of the ranch that she worked at offered the ranch to Bill and Freda if they would live and work at the ranch. That was a huge amount of money and land. They would be set. They said no because their kids would grow up in the middle of no where and wouldn't be able to go to church. They chose the church over money. They always had such a strong testimony and love for the gospel. They were valiant and had valiant children.

I used to love to listen to their stories. It was such a different world, and I loved it. I love the Wild West and my grandparents were a part of it. They are a dying breed. Their generation is almost gone. Freda would always say things that would make my eyes pop out of my head! I would think, "I can't believe she just said that!" Once she told me about how her and Grandpa Bill were on a mission on an Indian reservation. She told the Indian, "Your curse isn't your dark skin, it's your laziness!" He jumped up and grandpa Bill had to step in between them. They live such a different, hard life, it's no wonder grandma Freda was so frisky.

I remember her making warm applesauce in their trailer in Cooke. I remember getting my Patriarchal blessing from my grandpa in that trailer. I remember her crying at her 50th Wedding Anniversary because her kids got her a wedding cake, and she had never had one. I remember her always bearing her testimony. I remember her sadness when grandpa died.

I feel a little sadness- but mostly I am so happy for her. She has missed grandpa Bill so much. She has wanted to be with him for such a long time. She was down to 90 lbs, had no teeth, her eyesight and hearing were almost gone. Old age is just cruel. Now she is young again. I wonder what she is doing right now. Probably rejoicing with Grandpa Bill- her parents and other loved ones. Maybe her and Grandpa Bill are on a date visiting different worlds, times, planets. Or maybe they are doing genealogy. LOL. Wherever they are and whatever they are doing I am sure it is glorious! I love you grandma Freda!