Gone
Created by: Nancy, UB Math/Science, University of South Dakota, SD
The first seven years of my life were probably some of the best years of my life. My parents always told me about the time I was born and how much my grandparents and they loved me. My Grandma June was a country gal that grew up with old values and traditions. She was one of the biggest influences in my life.
At home my grandma would always take care of my brother, cousins, and
I when my mom and dad were working. She would take their tan Buick car to the end of our six mile road and drop off my sister Molly and my cousin Jessi for school. On the ride home from the bus stop, my grandma and we youngsters would sing along to a tape with wacky songs on it. She always had something

for us kids to do. Whether it is coloring, singing, or playing some kind of game.
She was the type of person that you never seen run out of energy.
My mom would drop us off at my grandma’s house in the morning before she left for work. Her house always smelled of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, eggs, bacon, toast and cookies. Cooking was one of her favorite things to do.
During holidays we would have big feasts and when we would run out she would just make more. Thanksgiving and Christmas were the times that she had the biggest meals. It always seemed that we never ran out of food because she would go around and say “Does anyone need something to snack on.” My grandma spent her free time sewing quilts and blankets for our family. Her quilts were so colorful, with greens, blacks, yellows, and just about every other color imaginable. When she worked on her quilts I would hand her the needles she used to hold the fabric in place and thread when she ran out. My grandma made each of her grandchildren a baby quilt. Her other favorite past time was cleaning.
It may seem weird that she actually likes to clean, but she grew up in a time where it is a proper thing to have a tidy house and it just seemed to stick with her all those years. You could always tell when she was having a good day because her house was always extra clean.
As I grew older, I started to notice all the wonderful things about my grandma. She had always been a plump women, probably because she was always makings something to eat for everyone. She had big round glasses, curly hair, brown eyes, and was about 4’ 7’’ tall. Her style was very laid back and comfortable, which consisted of wearing blue genes and a t-shirt because she

was always doing something that dealt with heavy labor, like branding or riding.
To me, my grandma seemed like the energizer bunny because she never stopped working.
When I turned five years old my grandma changed dramatically. She began to stop doing the things she loved: like clean, cook, and sew. Soon you could tell there was something terribly wrong with her. I didn’t quit know what was wrong with her yet. I would get worried about her because she became very weak and start to sleep all the time. I was afraid to ask my parents what was wrong with her because I thought they might get mad at me for asking them something that was none of my business. One day my grandpa took my grandma to the hospital in Bismarck, SD. Then I knew something was wrong with her.
My Grandma June was Diagnosed with cancer in 1994. Her appearance changed dramatically. She became very thin, and lost all of her hair. Soon my grandma couldn ’t watch us anymore because she was to sick to do anything. My dad would take me and my brother with him while he did chores. I loved to go with my dad in the tractor and feed the cows. Sometimes the cows would come so close that I could pet them. My dad would let me and my brother sit in the feeder to push out all the cake. Even though we spent most of the day with my dad, we always managed to stop my grandmas and see how she was doing.
While at the fair with my cousins and sister my parents came to get us.
We asked them what was wrong and they said that grandma was very sick and that she was at the hospital in Bismarck. By the time we arrived at the hospital

all my relatives were there and my grandma was asleep. So we sat there all night waiting for her to wake. I was really worried about her. The next day after getting caught up on our sleep we went swimming in the hotel we were staying at. I remember my cousin Dane getting out of the pool saying he had stepped on something sharp and was bleeding. After he had gotten a Band-Aid on his cut I remember seeing my parents coming down the hall. I knew something was wrong because it looked like my mom had been crying. That was when I found out that my grandma had died. All I wanted to do from that moment on was go see my grandma. I still remember her to this day and I probably will never forget her. My grandma June is one of the strongest people I know.
Works Cited:
Photo owned by Raymond