My Grandma Letha died last night at 9:26 after suffering a heart attack. True to form, she had the decency and fairness to wait until her three children had some time at her bedside until she passed. Letha was the matriarch of our family. She was the glue that brought us all together at least once a year to celebrate her birthday. This July would have marked her 96th. She was born July 23rd, 1912 in Turkey Ford, Oklahoma (later incorporated in Miami, OK...say "my ah ma"). She moved across the country by train with her two young boys in tow and my mom in her belly. She arrived in Tacoma, Washington in 1943 and stayed in the same house until she moved in with her son Ron and his wife Ann, when she was in her late 80's. After breaking her hip when she was near 90, she moved into assisted living and seemed to get a second wind, surprising us all. We have a picture of her wearing beads and dancing with her walker at a Mardi Gras party when she was 93. Letha Williams was a strong, caring, funny woman. She was fair and honest. She told it like it was. She once got out of a traffic ticket by telling the officer who had pulled her over for speeding, "I wish you wouldn't do that". She could get big chain stores like Sears to give her a discount when there was no advertised sale in sight. She could even get them to extend the discount to her relatives. She played a mean game of Boggle. One of my proudest moments as an adult was the first time I beat her at the game. She was dearly loved by her family and friends. There are so many great stories about my Grandma. Our family will be sharing them together at her memorial. We will also, at her request, be singing "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain". She said she wanted it sung at her funeral because you can't cry while singing that song. I will cry now and sing at the service. Wish me luck. I write this as a step in mourning a beloved woman. I wish everyone could have had the honor of knowing her. I write this also to remind other people in my life that there is much to celebrate. Big things like family and friends. Little things like playing Boggle with someone you love.

Thank you all for reading this-I appreciate you all,
Erica