Your Great Great Grandma Edith Beazer died today. She was 94 years old. Since you won't remember her, I wanted to share some things with you that she has taught me.
The first thing I think of is that she taught me how to sew (basic sewing). She used to always make us "grandma jammies" every year. Usually warmer ones for winter and lighter ones for summer. When I got a little older she would let me pick out the fabric and then let me help sew the pjs.
Grandma Beazer also taught me about service. Making all of her great grandchildren pjs is just one example of service. She was always helping others - even being as old as she was. She always had food on her deck for people who had less money. She would get the day old bakery items from the grocery stores and leave it out for whoever wanted it. It became a running joke in the family because if anyone came to visit she would keep all the "good stuff." When I was little I was excited about all of the goodies. When I got old enough to check the dates on food, I was less excited.
Grandma taught me about being thrifty. She was very careful with her money. I remember one time I was peeling potatoes at her house and she scolded me for peeling off too much of the potato with the skin. She had food stored from decades ago (another running joke in the family). One time your great uncle Greg and I were drinking soda at her house. He had a grape soda which he said tasted funny. He looked at the date and saw that it had been expired for more than five years. She had enough fabric in her basement to supply a fabric store because she would buy it when it was on a very good sale.
She was also a great example of missionary service. She and your great great grandpa went on four missions together. Your great grandpa and grandma have continued with this family heritage with three missions of their own. Your dad and I want to follow their examples someday too.
Along with missionary service she has taught me about church service and testimony. She would tell me every time I saw her about how the church has blessed her. She would tell me her testimony of the restored gospel. She served in the temple weekly and did thousands of extractions for genealogy. This is when she was in her 80's!
The thing that your great great grandma taught me that I will remember the most is that sometimes you have to choose to be happy. I went to visit her one day when I was in college and I was kind of complaining about some of the things that I had to do. She stopped me and told me about a period in her life when she was unhappy and she realized that she could choose to be miserable or choose to be happy. I have always tried to remember this when I am unhappy - that I can be happy if I want to be. It's up to me.
Your great great grandma Beazer will be missed but I am not sad because of our knowledge of life after death. She is with her husband and other family and we will see her again someday because we have been sealed as a family in the temple for eternity.
Grandma has more than 100 people that have descended from her and grandpa so far. She used to always say that her whole family was full of "such neat people." Well, I think she was a neat woman and hope that we can be like her.
Love, Mom
you and great great grandma when you were 11 days old
