Inspiration

As many of you readers already know, Demian's grandma died last week. When I think of Grandma Jean, the first word that comes to mind is inspiration.

One of the things that impressed me most about her, is that she graduated with an Engineering Degree. Okay, so it doesn't hurt that her degree was from WSU. But, really it was that she had an Engineering degree in a time when few women went to college, and even fewer graduated with a degree that wasn't Teaching, Nursing, or Mrs. She wasn't afraid to break into a male dominated field, and dominate it. She graduated in the top of her class.

I was also amazed by her resilience. She was widowed at a young age, leaving her with 6 kids. The idea of six kids under any circumstance is more that I can handle, let alone six kids as a single parent. She went back to work as an Industrial Draftsman. Again, this was all during a time when a majority of women were homemakers. If you met her, you would never know that she faced such obstacles in her life. She never complained about her struggles, in fact, she never really complained about anything.

She raised her six kids to be amazing adults, and she loved her family unconditionally. Her six children, created 17 grandchildren and then great grandchildren. She never forgot a birthday. Every year a birthday card would arrive from Grandma Jean, and she always put your age and year born. Like, happy 34th 1976 to 2010.

Like all the other Landerholms, she welcomed me into her family with open arms. I remember last spring, I attended a tea that she helped organize at her senior center. I was there with with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, and two of Demian's aunts. When Grandma Jean introduced us all to her friends, she referred to me as her granddaughter. Not, her granddaughter-in-law, or her grandson's wife, but her granddaughter. That is just how she was. She really was someone you felt like you've always known, even if you've just met her.

Grandma Jean what an amazing, inspiring woman, and she will be missed.