Grandma Allen

1943

2009

My sweet Grandma passed away today. I can't be too sad because she left this world in peace, and with a life full of rich experiences. The only sadness comes from my own feelings of longing to see her and hear her voice again.

My strongest memories of her are the most recent ones, where we come into her house and all the furniture and pictures on the walls are so familiar. She is sitting in her comfy chair with a stack of books, including her scriptures, on the side table, and her knitting either on her lap or in a bag at her feet. She smiles and tells us to sit down and we visit for a while. Grandpa is always there, of course, and jumps up to greet anybody who comes in. My kids sit down at the bar and snack on whatever bowls of fruit or candy are out, and pretty soon a cat comes wandering in. Grandma asks about everything we're doing and smiles a lot. It's incredibly hard to think about never seeing that scene again.

The dominating themes of Grandma's life were her faith in the Savior and her family. 11 children, 48 grandchildren, and 99 great-grandchildren. She said that her happiest times were awaiting the arrival of her large family for gatherings. She must have felt like a mother hen gathering her chicks.

Some people criticize the idea of having a large family. If you met my Grandparents and their offspring, I don't think you could hold that opinion. In this family there are teachers, musicians, scientists, athletes, attorneys, builders, more teachers, nurses, a police officer, a librarian, doctors, businessmen and professors. People who care for the elderly, for the young, and a whole bunch of really smart people who do really interesting things to make this world a better place. Not to mention, I think Grandma would be quick to point out, the jobs of mothers and fathers, which are the most important of all. And they're all done well.

I am so lucky to be one of Marilyn Murphy Allen's descendents. I hope that I can carry a little bit of her around with me, and always remember to pursue many good things, but above all, to love my family.