I was able to attend the viewing on Friday night and spend time with all my extended family. I also had the chance to visit with my Grandma’s younger brother, Alton. It was nice to visit with everyone. They had some nice pictures up from my Grandma’s life (and at the funeral they had several of her paintings on display.) After the viewing, we went to practice our song with a lady from the ward, who was going to play the piano. It was amazing how the song came together. (We had been kind of worried about it.) The lady who played for us, said what a neat family we were and how much she enjoyed having us in her home.
The funeral was beautiful.
My cousin, Christy, gave the eulogy and did a great job. There were so many wonderful stories about
Grandma’s life. Christy spoke of
Grandma’s love for art and all the different ways she shared this talent. Then she spoke of Grandma’s special angel
service to Alaine (her daughter with Down’s Syndrome. I also noticed my Dad’s sister, Patty, and
her husband, Rob, crying when they spoke of this special service, as they also
have a child with special needs. All my
Dad’s sisters, who live in town came to the funeral—Patty, Ellen, and
Peggy. I thought that was very sweet of
them and gave them all hugs.) Then my Mom, some of my Aunts, cousins,
cousin-in-laws, and I sang a song, that my Grandma picked out called, "Remember Me," which totally made me cry. During the song it has different lines like-- remember me whenever you see the sunrise, remember me whenever you see a star, remember me whenever you see a rainbow, etc. The last line is "I'll be remembering you." That last line got me every time because even though the song was protraying God, I always thought of my Grandma and how much I would miss her. I looked over and my Mom was crying and so was my cousin, Teresa. Good thing so many of us were singing. It turned out really good! The harmonies came together so wonderfully and it was such a miracle! I'm sure Grandma was helping us out! :) Grandma’s baby brother spoke of how much he
loved and appreciated her as his second Mom and how she loved and cared for
him. Then Grant sang a solo, “Come to
Me.” It was very peaceful and the
perfect message, “Come to Me, all ye who are heavy laden and I will give you
rest,” with the “Moonlight Sonata” theme in the background. He did an amazing job! And it was really neat to me that my Mom and her siblings asked him. It meant a lot to me. Then Grandma's youngest son, Scott, started his talk by
joking about how the funeral directors said, “Well, you guys know the
drill…” …sad, but true. (My Mom’s oldest brother, Wayne, passed away 3 years
ago and her youngest sister, Alaine, passed away last year. The funeral director was actually pretty
sweet about it, saying that it was sad that we all already know what to
do.) Then Scott spent some time thanking
each of his siblings and their spouses for the love and care they each showed
to Grandma during the last few months of her life. He spoke of my Mom and the fact that she
lived in Pasco for three months and that she and Luetta did so much. He said how much he appreciated knowing that
they were there, since Scott, Ed, and Stuart all could not leave work for that
long. He then thanked my Dad for the
sacrifice of living without my Mom for 3 months, so that she could take care of
my Grandma. (I totally agree that it was
very sweet of him to support my Mom by allowing her to be gone that long.) It was a beautiful funeral that honored an incredible woman.
Now all four of my Grandparents (and my Aunt and Uncle) are all buried in the same cemetary. Here is Karina "Loren" with her name sake's headstone, my Grandpa and Kaatlin "Pearl" with Grandma's headstone. We made Lolo get in there too for "Lola."
I am really thankful that we were able to go and remember what a wonderful woman my Grandmother was and to celebrate the legacy that she left.
Memories--
-visiting her out at the farm
-looking forward to getting her birthday cards in the mail each year
-I don't think any of us will be able to look at our Christmas trees without thinking of her.
-When I was a child, I remember her thoughtfully preparing lunches for us for our drive home, when we would drive home from the Tri-Cities, after a visit with all the family in the Tri-Cities.
-When I was young, I remember her always having toys for us to play with and tricycles and such. I also loved looking at the Family Tree with all the pictures in the hallway and looking at her incredible paintings.
-watching her with my girls-- once when Riana and Sariah were small, she held their hands and they all went out to get the mail together... it was so cute!
-sitting around talking with Grandma each time we stopped to see her
-each Family Reunion, especially the one where we acted out stories from her life and she was the Queen at the Pow Wow.
-Something I will always remember about Grandma is that she was very independent. In her later years, she would get up to get something and I would ask if I could get it for her. She would respond that she wanted to do things for herself while she still could.
-She also had a great sense of humor!! :)
-My last visit with Grandma was a very special memory. I was able to have some one-on-one time with her and I will always cherish that. (I wrote a post about this memory earlier.)
Here is her Obituary…
June L. Monson, 91, died peacefully in her home on December 28, 2012. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend.
June was born June 13, 1921, in Whitney, Idaho, to loving parents, Melvin G. and Hedwig Larsen. She grew up there on her father and mother's farm with her sister and two brothers. She left home to live with an aunt and uncle in Los Angeles to attend her senior year of high school. She graduated from John Marshall High School.
After attending Utah State College for a year, on August 1, 1941, June married her eternal companion, Edward Nolan Monson in the LDS Logan, Utah, temple. They started their family right away and soon had a son and daughter. With WWII underway, Nolan was drafted into the army and served in the Philippines. June and her children spent that time living with her parents on the farm.
In March of 1954, June and Nolan had an opportunity to move to Washington and buy a farm in the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. By this time, two sons and a daughter had been added to the family. They settled in Block 15, north of Pasco and set about the difficult but rewarding task of developing the land into a productive farm. Eventually another son and daughter blessed their home. Through her example, June made sure that all of her children were taught how to work and be self-reliant. She loved her Father in Heaven and made sure that her children were fed spiritually as well as physically. As a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, June served in many church callings and did all she could to serve the members of the Columbia Basin Ward and Pasco Stake.
June was a skilled artist with paintings hanging in many homes of friends and relatives. She loved music and encouraged creativity in her children. She enjoyed gardening, both to beautify her home and to provide food for the table.
June and Nolan sold the farm in 1986, retired and purchased a home in Pasco. Their disabled daughter, Alaine, lived with them and June cared for her. After Nolan passed away in 1996, June continued to care for Alaine. In 2004, June and Alaine, moved in with daughter, Luetta who was having a new home built in Pasco.
June is survived by brother Alton (Shirley) Larsen, daughter-in-law Julie Monson, daughter Luetta, son Stuart (Glennis), son Edward (Carolyn), daughter Karla (Mike) Cheney, and son Scott (Debbie), 30 grandchildren, 82 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Nolan, son Wayne, and daughter Alaine.
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