Grandma Nan's Viewing, Funeral and Pack Up

Hard to believe that all that was on my mind last Sunday when I got the call was the good deal I got on this jar at Goodwill (five bucks) and filling it with yarn to display and be functional. I was planning to blog about it but then I got the call from my uncle about my Grandma Nan's sudden death.
Here is her obituary, skip over this if you like, but I wanted to include it here.

Nancy A. Neff

DIED: August 15, 2010
LOCATION: Chippewa Falls, WI
Nancy A. (Pope) Neff, 79, of Chippewa Falls, died unexpectedly Sunday, August 15, 2010; she passed away peacefully in her sleep.

Nancy was born in Milwaukee, Wis. on June 5, 1931 but soon after, with her family, moved to Phillips, Wis. where she grew up. After attending college in Superior, Nancy moved to Eau Claire working at National Presto Industries where she met and married widower Leonard H. Neff in 1957. Leonard had three sons, Lewis Hamilton, Leonard Allen and James Jeffrey whom Nancy adopted. In 1959 Leonard and Nancy had a son, Richard Franklin.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, Bernice and William (Bill) Pope; her husband, Leonard; beloved sister and brother-in-law, Patrice and Richard Roehrick of Winneconne, Wis.; sons, Lewis and Leonard and daughter-in-law, Norma. She is survived by sons James and Richard; beloved daughter-in-laws Mary, Lisa and Marjorie; grandchildren Florence, Kailen, Jamie, Brittani (Lewis); Angela and Tina (Leonard); Carla, Patricia, Brian and Sidney (James); Belinda (Richard) as well as many great grandchildren. She knit for each of them and taught all the girls who were willing the art of knitting, doll-making, quilting, baking, ceramics and crafts. To each Nancy was a generous and loving daughter, wife, mother, sister, in-law, grand and great grandmother and friend.

An active member of Notre Dame Parish, Nancy was a member of various groups and organizations such as Catholic Women’s Club, St. Joseph’s Hospital Partners (Auxiliary), Elk Ladies and Old Goats and too many card groups to list but you all know who you are!

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at Notre Dame Church, Chippewa Falls. Rev. Brian J. Jazdzewski will be celebrant of the funeral Mass. Burial of cremains will be in Hope Cemetery, Chippewa Falls.

Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 17, and until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Horan Funeral Home, Chippewa Falls. The Ladies of Notre Dame will recite the rosary at 4 p.m. and there will be a Christian Vigil Service at 7 p.m. both Tuesday at the funeral home.

Memorial funds will be distributed to groups such as St. Joseph’s Hospital Partners and Notre Dame Parish.

Family and friends may express online condolences at www.horanfuneralhome.com

The best part of the whole quick trip to Wisconsin was meeting this little one...Bella (my cousin Tricia's baby) and seeing my daughter Hannah. My son Mackenzie was at a family reunion for his Dad's side (that Hannah didn't go to) so I didn't even get to see him.

Here are some pictures of us before the prayer service at the funeral home.

Here is a picture of Grandma Nan for viewing at the funeral home. Normally I don't take photos or post them of these things, but from a respectful distance (Grandma looked great) I wanted to show that unbeknownst to me they had put the quilt I made for Grandma on her casket with her flowers. She would have loved this...I let the youngest grandchild, Lindy, keep the quilt. She spent tons of time with Grandma and might be the one affected most by this. Grandma was almost a daily part of her life. You can also see that she was part owner of the Packers! You can't see it, but they put her card playing money in with her! She has been creamated and was buried next to Grandpa Len in the Chippewa Cemetary yesterday.

My cousin Carla and I (with some help from my sister Tina and Carla's daughter Maggie Lou) made up this first poster with pictures of Grandma Nan and those she loved through the years.
This one my two aunts made up, I think.

After the funeral all of the immediate family went back to Grandma's apartment and packed up most of it. There is only one uncle, aunt and cousin that live in Chippewa now and my my uncle had a heart attack a few months ago so we wanted to help with the moving out. I got some of Grandma's things that I will share when I get a chance to take more pictures. This bald Santa was one that I helped her make....several years ago we made a bunch of them and this one never got hair or a beard...that is okay though because the one I have has a broken head...so I will be stealing his hair and beard and making it all good.

I also took two little leaves off of her African Violet plant and am hoping I can root them out and make a plant that reminds me of Grandma. If they die I will just buy a plant myself! They are tiny leaves in a shot glass cup but they look bigger here!

And yes they survived three days in my purse so I am hopeful they will survive!
I also got this Shut the Box game which I think is very cool and I wish I had known about it when my kids were younger and two decks of Packer cards (and a Packer magnet) in a case. Coleman got a nice set of Dominos with Mexican Train Game. I have never played that game and Coleman just taught me how to play Dominos...we had a cheap kiddy set and now we have a nice tile set and will think of Grandma Nan every time we play!

So that is the story of one quilt....next post I will tell you the story of the other quilt!
We will miss you Grandma Nan!