Grandma Barry. My mother's mother. IS AMAZING! The love I (as sooo many others) have for this woman is un-explainable. She has a heart of gold and would literally do ANYTHING for ANYONE but especially for her family. Although there are times, where I have heard the same story over and over about my Uncle Jim as a baby, or Uncle Rod or Uncle Terry....or my mom and her sisters, I cherish them. I will listen to her for hours, talk about memories of her childhood, of raising ALL THOSE KIDS and of her beloved Paul. And boy...when all of my aunts and uncles get together and share their stories and versions as well.....I eat it up. They have quite the stories. But all of those were possible because of this woman. My grandma. She raised 8 eight kids! WHAT!?!? I'm barely getting by with two. I can remember growing up spending so much time at her house and her taking us to church, doing our hair and cutting our fingernails entirely way too short. A few years ago, I wrote down some memories I had...I will share that list below....I just can't explain how much she means to me and how much she holds our family together. It is so hard to even get my mind to grasp the fact, that she will not be here forever and that one day I will have to spend a holiday without her. She has touched more lives than I can even fathom. She gives and gives and gives....to more than just her family. Sometimes when I am visiting, I will hear stories about a high school kid that grandma would make snacks for before practice, or another person she did something for. It's like the whole town knows and loves grandma. It's like how does one person make SO many feel that they are the most special to her??? And her FOOD.....goodness sake's...you can't leave her house with an empty stomach or a "to go" plate home. Her noodles, her pies, her cakes, her rolls....she's a master of it all and even if we have the recipe, it will not taste like Grandma Barry's. Her love for Jesus and the church is so admirable. Her love for her husband. Her love for her kids. Her love for her grandkids and her love for her great grand-babies. She always says that the babies are what keep her going. Her and grandpa sure raised a WONDERFUL family and had a huge part in the closeness they all share. I pray every day that God grants us another day, another month, another year with her in our lives and that when that unfortunate day does come that she knew how much she meant to me and how much I love her. And I pray that her kids, grand-kids and great-grand kids will keep the tradition alive by still getting together every Sunday.
She loves angels so much...probably because she is one!
Back To School Party she hosts every year....
Easter 2018
Mother's Day 2018
Thanksgiving 2018
My grandma is cooler than your grandma....Back To School Party 2017....she was my bags partner...
And she was actually not too bad of a partner...go Grandma
Grandma Barry!
I know some of these memories will been nothing to some but they mean EVERYTHING to me and want to post them here to have them written down forever.
Making
homemade ice cream.
Clipping
our fingernails really short
The
Cardinal Bird in your yard by the pine trees
Swinging
on the swing.
Sitting
on the fence watching the sheep.
Swimming
in the pond.
Cookouts
at the pond.
Going
on walks to the pond.
The
old green stove & fridge.
Catching
fireflies at your old house.
Hiding
behind the propane tank.
The
chicken house.
The
sheep house.
Grandpa's
dogs.
Watching
you hang clothes on the line.
You
and Grandpa working in the garden.
Eating
watermelon and corn on the cob outside when it was too hot.
Standing
on the doors to the cellar and you worrying we would fall in.
Scrubbing
our hair.
Watching
you scrub Grandpa's hair.
Watching
you iron with your tongue out.
Bleaching our shoes so they were super white and hanging them on the line.
Wrapping toilet paper on your hair at night.
Listening
to the country radio from your bedroom.
Watching
Hee-Haw and the news.
Taking
naps on a sheet.
You
calling the couch, the davenport.
Coloring
on bank paper.
The
old desk.
Washing/drying
dishes with all the girls in the kitchen.
Going
to your house every Sunday.
Spending
the night at your house.
Putting
the couch cushions between the fold out bed.
Going
to church with you on Sunday's.
The
big tin bowl you made tea in.
Frozen ice in whipped cream containers.
Juice
in the fridge in the garage.
Going
to ice cream socials.
Riding
in the white car with maroon velvet seats.
Doing aunts hair at your house on Sunday's and getting money for it.
Watching
the parachuters during the summer.
You
meeting Mallory & Morgan for the first time and saying, "Grandkids and
great grandkids are what keep me going."
Standing
on the old register and letting the air blow our dresses up.
Your
vegetable soup! Yummy!
Your
sweet cards you always send in the mail with a nice note.
You
making us keep eating although we are full.
Always
having yummy snacks at your house.
Putting
our hair in the pink pokey rollers.
Playing
basketball.
Getting
a life size doll/firetruck for Christmas.
Embroidered
pillowcases.
You
packing Grandpa's lunch in the green lunch pail with matching
thermos.
Wearing
your Liberty Bank coat
Playing
Little Drummer Boy over & over at Christmas time.
Listening
to your favorite cassette in the car, 'Paper Roses' by Lynn Anderson
Going
with you to get your hair done on Friday's.
Taking
us to town, going to Aldi, mall & eating at Dairy Queen or Burger
King.
Going
to the bank with you, sitting in the chair and watching you clean.
Getting
to go to the old gas station in Liberty.
Getting
us ready for church and lining us up on the couch when done.
All
the desserts you make.
Cutting
HUGE pieces of pie or cake.
Your
homemade noodles & angel food cake.
You
telling me the story of the lemon meringue pies getting dumped all
over the car.
Your
basement flooding the day of my wedding shower.
Coming
to our house in Mendon and staying the night.
Helping
mom paint and clean when we moved.
Had
to stay up all night for testing for when I fainted...you, mom &
I stayed up all night baking cookies.
Your
snoring.
Playing
with your earrings, necklaces & bracelets.
Sending
us home with all of our clothes & shoes washed, dryed, ironed &
folded...even our underwear!
Spending
the night during Liberty Fall Festival...Girls Weekend!
The
tea pot whistling.
Picture
of Jesus hanging on the wall.
Loved
looking at all the wedding pictures/high school picture on the wall
in the front room.
Getting
in trouble for going upstairs or in the front room.
Plastic
fruit!
Silk
flowers
Never
smiling fully for pictures.
Grandpa
saying, "Come here, I'm gonna get you." And Grandma saying,
"Paul, don't scare them."
Having
a garage and house so clean but still saying, "don't look at my
house, it's a mess."
The
love you have for Grandpa-watching the way you two loved each other
and continue to love him. Not sure I ever heard you two argue. Very
inspiring.
Telling
us over and over not to play in the road.
Hearing
stories about your children and your brothers & sisters.
Leaving
your garage door open, so people know you are home so they will stop to visit.
Feeding
Mary Kay lunch every day.
Going
to family reunions.
Feeding
all the Liberty sports teams before & after practices/games.
Grandpa
shaving your legs.
Taking care of Marty
Miller when he was little and now he is a convicted felon. Washing
his sisters' clothes everyday when they stayed because they only had
one set of clothes.
Worrying
that your kids are having nervous break downs.
Getting
cowboy hats to wear to Greg and Roses wedding reception and wearing
it!
Praying
the rosary on the plane to Texas.
Taking
a shower while Mary Kay was in labor.
Letting
your daughters drink margaritas out of baby bottles on the way to the
Ozarks.
Climbing
over the car seat while car in motion to help Mary Kay deliver
Michaela.
Giving
a HUGE plate of food to Mrs. Hoffmiester on the holidays before any
of us went through the line.
Dancing
with Sara at her wedding reception...to a rap song and having the
biggest smile on your face!
Your
story about Jim drinking his goats milk as a baby
Rodney's
convulsions.
Being
in the hospital and the crazy woman next to you that was hiding under
the hospital bed.
The
normal travel path to Quincy. She can only make right turns, except
for the one left turn out of the mall that gets her turned around to
go home.
Only
buying beer on Christmas.
Juicy
Fruit gum.
Halloween
and trick or treaters.
Steve's
favorite memory was them making him go out to the bars and parties so
he could watch over Becky and Diane
When
the boys caught the field on fire. You telling Diane to get a bucket
of water even though it was much bigger.
When
the boys left their buckets by the pond, but wouldn't come out when
she called for them because they were upstairs eating her freshly
baked cinnamon rolls. You thought they had drowned until you saw the
empty pan.
New
coloring book and crayons when we went to town.
Making
ice from old whipped cream containers.
Palm
Sunday palms behind pictures.
Smell
of grandpa's pipe
Playing
ghost in the graveyard.
Dressing
Becky and Diane alike when we went to school. Diane got in trouble by
Becky's teacher because she didn't have her shoe tied. The teacher
thought Diane was Becky.
Grandma's
closet....downstairs and UPSTAIRS!
Trying
to be like Margie and Mary and "laying out" on the picnic
table and grandma hollering at us to get out of the sun before we got
sunburned.
Four
girls in one bedroom...with no closet!
Going
upstairs to Mary Kay's room and looking at her pictures of her at
prom.
The
bright blue paint in Terry's bedroom upstairs with red carpet.
Going
up to Margie's room and looking at all her clothes and trophy from
the Adams County Fair pageant.
Retrieving
basketball from over the fence and trying not to step in sheep poop.
All
the boys going coon hunting.
Rodney's
misfortune on Father's Day.
Sucking
up thousands of lady bugs with the vacuum.
Radio
on the counter with 8 year old dead cricket on it.
Giving
Gertrude Flick a ride to church. She would try to get out of the car
before dad stopped the car.
The
boy grandkids chasing the sheep. Grandma yelling, "Get back over
here before the buck sheep gets ya!"
When
Sue came home from the hospital with Blake and was completely
overwhelmed. She came and worked her butt off helping. You helped
like this every time another baby was born.
Lee
would help Grandpa plant potatoes and he sit in a chair by the garden
while Lee did it and Grandma would come out and say, "Paul, give
that boy a rest!" and ask if he was thirsty or hungry every 10
minutes.
Diane
& Steve cutting down all the turnips. May have gotten whipped for
that one!
Lee
going to Grandpa & Grandma's just so he wouldn't have to go the
babysitter and she got the 4-wheeler he put a pillow would feed him.
When
grandpa got a 4-wheelerr and he put a pillow on the back for grandma to
sit on and they'd putt on over to Jim & Julia's at turtle
speed!!!
Becky
and Diane talking Steve into jumping out of a tree . We told him we
would catch him with a blanket. When he jumped, we pulled the blanket
out and said 'oh lea'. I think Steve might have broke his arm.
The
boys tying pig tails to the electric fence.
Cutting
the heads off the chickens and watch them running around.
To
get through the lunch line took forever because Grandma knew so many
kids going through because we were all related! We'd ask for an extra
scoop and she'd look both ways and slap it on the tray and giggle.
Blake
and Lee hanging Beau on the door knob and Grandma hearing Beau
screaming and she slams Beau into the cabinet!
All the
angels fell off the shelf and being thankful Mom wasn't sleeping at
the time.
Becky's
first Christmas and she and Dad couldn't find the staple from the
rattle package.
Mom
made 4 lemon and coconut cream pies for GAA Soup Supper. Becky drives
and Diane watches the pies. Becky slams on the brakes to avoid
hitting a squirrel. Pie everywhere! We are crying. The bros loved
cleaning up the car. Dear sweet Mom made 4 more pies for the supper.
Mom
being in the hospital a couple of days before Margie and Victor's
wedding.
Diane
getting in car accident and Dad going out to look for her. Mom stood
at the window upstairs worrying & watching for him to come home
with her.
Taking
us to the county fair.
Hearing
about your trips with Grandpa to Branson.
Grandma
& Grandpa Making a U-turn on the interstate on the way to visit
Vincent and getting pulled over.
Dad
backing down the ramp near St. Louis Children's Hospital.
All
of your angels, sheep and geese.
Lee
running away to your house...in his bright orange hunters jacket.
Reading
the paper in the squeaky rocking chair in the living room, and it
would stop squeaking because Grandma had nodded off and then it would
start up again and we'd tell her she fell asleep and of course she
said she didn't.
Long
phone conversations with your sisters.
Steve
sleep walking and thinking snakes were under the claw tub and high
heels were frogs.
Becky
& Marv leaving the girls with Grandma and said they were going to
Chicago...next time they called they were in Canada.
Grandma
Barry is sweet to me. She gives me bubbles, candy and china cups with
cardinals on it. (from Grant)
Grandma
stuffed paper cupcake holders with cotton balls and then frosted them
with real icing. She put them in Grandpa's lunch box.
Mom
& JoAnne were taking food to Evelyn Schmidt's house after Harold
had died. Joan drove and mom said she knew the way...they both got
lost and ended up in Hull.
Mom
telling dad not to take the old beater truck to pick up Mary Kay from
cheerleading and he would do it anyway to embarrass her.
Sacrificing everything for you family and expecting nothing in return.
Praying
for everyone but especially your Marine grandchildren.
Rod
“claims” when he was younger Diane & Becky tied him to a tree
and poked him with needles. He was screaming and mom told him to be
quiet because she was on the phone with Joanne.
