Dear Mildred, Barb, Don, Gordon & Mary, I am so sorry for the loss of your precious mom. Saying goodbye to a parent at any age is always difficult. Grammy Grace was such a lovely lady and I was so found of her in the 17 years that she was a part of my family. Having lost my own grandparents in my early teens, it was so nice to have a relationship with Grace resembling that of a grandmother/granddaughter. I will always cherish our time together, especially her warm smile, gentle manor and of course her lovely stories about George. In 2004 when she made the trek to Newfoundland to attend our wedding, my family absolutely adored her. She stayed with my Uncle Wince & Aunt Geraldine and they have asked about her in ever visit we have had with them since. My family has always told Kent that his grandmother was an absolute delight of a lady and they were so intrigued by her stories of life on the most beautiful farm. Although I came on to the scene a few years after George's death in 1998, I feel as though I knew him my entire life. All of Grammy Grace's stories were about him, it was so obvious how much she loved and adored him. In later years, when her memory started to lapse, we would hear the same stories over and over. In a way, it was like playing repeat to the most beautiful love story. Having watched Alzheimer's ravage my own grandmother Howell's mind for nearly 15 years until she could no longer form words, it was heart wrenching to have to experience this same terrible disease again with Grammy Grace. In a sense, we have been silently grieving the loss of Grammy since 2014. With each annual visit, it was difficult to see her lovely sparkle fade. It was even more difficult to come to terms with the knowledge that our boys, James and Ben would never really remember their Great Grammy Grace as the sweetest and loveliest great grandmother that she was. On our last visit with her this past summer, we were so thrilled to see her response to a picture of our boys with the cows from a few years back. I am certain it was the cows that she recalled when she smiled and not the boys, but that lovely smile and recollection of her wonderful life on the farm sure brought Kent and I a lot of peace. In the days ahead, I hope that you may find comfort in knowing that we will never forget her. She will always hold a special place in each of our hearts. I speak on behalf of the entire Sweezey family (Erik, Kent, Jonathan, Anne, Ryan, James, Cameron, Ben, Kent and myself) in sending our deepest regrets for not being able to make it home for Grammy Grace's final farewell. Our hearts are hurting with yours today. Sending lots of love from Calgary and sunny California. Love Always, Jana
