Mary Corinne Casey Moravec
November 22, 1932 ~ May 24, 2011
I've often wondered how I would handle a death in our family, because, up until now, I haven't had anyone close to me pass away. I have to say, it feels a little surreal, and has been difficult to completely wrap my mind around. My grandparents live in Wisconsin, so while I mentally understand that my grandma is no longer here, I know that there's part of me that feels like everything should be the same as the last time I visited. I think I'll still expect to see her the next time I'm at their house. It's like I can't quite make the connection yet.
The funeral is today, and since I couldn't be there, I decided to post a few of my memories of this lovely woman. Will you join me for a minute as I walk down memory lane?
Grandma grew up in Dubuque, Iowa. Her father died when she was three, so her mother raised her and her 3 brothers, but I remember Grandma saying that they had a very strong community and that there were many people who stepped in to help take care of them and raise them. I can remember sitting at the breakfast table listening to her tell stories of growing up. She had these paintings of Dubuque hanging in the dining room, and she would point to them and tell us about a particular memory she had of that location of the city. She really loved that city, and thankfully, I've had many trips there to visit it with her and try to see some of those places through her eyes.
Grandma was 100% Irish, and very proud of it! She had lots of clovers around the house, along with various Irish poems and prayers. She and Grandpa used to decorate the tree in their front yard with faces that matched the holidays, and every St. Paddy's day there would be a green leprechaun face smiling down at people as they passed by.
Probably the funniest memory I have with Grandma, is of the time we stole my Grandpa's slippers and snuck them out the the curb on trash day. These slippers were far past their glory days- very thread-bare, and a bit ridiculous for Grandpa to still be wearing. So all morning on trash day, Grandma, my brother and sister and I were coming up with ways to sneak them out to the curb so Grandpa would finally have to get a new pair. It went back and forth between us hiding them in the trash, and Grandpa finding them and hiding them somewhere else. But the final move was ours, and I remember laughing with Grandma when we realized our victory as the trash truck drove away.
Grandma had a very strong sense of family. She and Grandpa were married for 57 years and even though her friends told her it would never last, they were still in love all those years. I used to laugh watching them tease each other. Grandpa would tease Grandma or say something that would get her all riled up, and then come over and kiss her hand. They were pretty cute. Grandma and Grandpa also raised five children, one of which is my daddy- and he's a very good man. I'm thankful to Grandma for all the funny stories of when Daddy was little.
Grandma was a lover of literature and writing. You could always find her with a book and she wrote all the time. I loved reading her poems.
She had a very good heart. She felt things very deeply and was a very compassionate person. She loved her family, her husband, and God very much.
Grandma was a very lovely woman. She really had an amazing impact on the lives of the people who were blessed to know her. We'll miss her very much.
~Jasmine
