Grandma Schmidt. Pillar of strength is what comes to mind when I think of her. She was the glue of the family. The family center where everyone went.
She raised seven children and I assure you those five boys were FAR from sainthood. My dad was the baby of the bunch and the only one that was born in a hospital. She helped run the farm with Grandpa. She buried her husband in 1984. She lost a son in 1994 and buried a Great Grandson. You never saw her shed a tear during those times. She lived in the house they bought in Platte Center before Grandpa passed away until she was 96 - on her OWN!
She had a unbelievable faith. You could always call her for a prayer request. I don't ever remember going to her house and not seeing a candle lit but my mom tells me it wasn't always lit. She helped out at the church, whether it was tending to the flowers outside or helping on the inside. Father was always invited to our family functions. I assure you us kids received plenty of lectures from her from what we were watching to what our church habits were.
I wasn't terribly close to Grandma Schmidt - I was Grandma Meedel's favorite. I do feel there was a lot of resentment for many years towards my family because we were the only one of her seven kids that moved away. She softened in the years about it but there are still days that they pick on our family because we are "City Kids". No matter how things were early in my childhood, she did soften through the years and Grandma always had radishes for me for those radish sandwiches when I visited! She taught me not only how to be strong in Faith but how to be a strong Woman.
As Grandma always said at the end of a visit, don't say goodbye....Until I see you again....
This is a picture of bro & Grandma at Christmas 2007.
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