Memories Of My Nana
My parents were 37 years old when I was born prematurely, at 7 1/2months at a hospital in Los Angeles, California.
My father was born in Plainview, Nebraska along with his five sisters who were all right-handed. They were all raised by their grandmother because both parents died while they were still fairly young.
My mother was born in Oxnard, California, along with a brother and sister, to a fairly affluent family. Unfortunately, their father died while they were young as well.
Their mother, the only grandparent I knew, was later remarried to a local barber who was somehow able to squander away their wealth in a few years.
Consequently, my Nana, Lillian Elizabeth Gray was the only living grandparent I knew while I was growing up.
She lived in a small one-bedroom individual unit with 4 or 5 other similar units, about 30 minutes away, so she was able to babysit my sister and me when our parents were not home. She also lived with us a couple of times throughout the years.
She was a wonderful grandmother and didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
Some of my vivid memories of her include the following:
- She Was A Chain Smoker – Most of the time she had a lit cigarette in her hand, or one that was easily accessible in a nearby ashtray that was usually next to overflowing. I remember her actually lighting her next cigarette from one that was reaching the end of its sorry life, before putting it out in the ashtray.
- She Loved Dainty Handkerchiefs – She always kept one handy in her pocket in case she needed it. Unfortunately, some of those times it was when she noticed something on my face that needed cleaning. She would take out her hankie, put a little of her saliva on it, remember she smoked a lot, and then use it to get rid of the offending smudge. If the smudge was close to my nose it made me want to gag. Ugh!
- The Daily Word – She always had a copy nearby to read the Bible verse for the day. The small booklets came weekly in the mail as a result of her subscription. Sometimes she would read the verse or thought for the day to me as I sat nearby. I can almost hear her right now and could use one of her doily-like handkerchiefs as I write these memories.
- Prunes – She loved prunes because she felt they kept her “regular.” Dried prunes, candied prunes, or the canned version, it didn’t make much difference as long as she had some sort of prune daily. The dried or candied ones weren’t bad, but the canned version was not for me. They must have worked because I don’t remember her ever complaining of constipation, which leads me to a favorite memory. While I was still living at home, while she lived with us, she would wander up while my Dad was doing his daily crossword puzzle and remark, “Oh Jack, I just had the best bowel movement.” My dad, with a straight face would say something to the effect, “well Lillian, I’m glad to hear it.” We lived in a one-bath, three-bedroom house and I stayed clear of the bathroom, which was right next to my bedroom “Closed” bedroom door for as long as possible.
- Turkey neck – I loved to pull on her Turkey neck, and she would always say, “Oh, Gary, don’t make fun of your Nana.” I think I got my Turkey neck from her because I don’t remember my father or mother having one.
- Five & Dime Store – When she was living alone, every once in a while she would have me or my sister visit and stay with her for a couple of days. This would always involve a walk to the nearby Woolworth Five and Dime store where we could pick out something that caught our eye. Once I got a little boat that I played with as I soaked myself clean in her big cast iron claw-tooth bathtub, with a bubble bath.
- Streetcars – My Nana didn’t drive, so if she wanted to take us somewhere that was too far for walking, we would walk to a nearby streetcar terminal and hop on. I loved those electric streetcars of bygone times.
- My Wedding Day – Fortunately, she was healthy and able to attend our wedding, along with Georgia’s grandmother, Nettie on our wedding day on July 6, 1963.
The Last Time I Saw My Nana, Lillian was sometime during 1966. Georgia and I just bought our first car that was not used. It was a red 1966 Volkswagen Beetle. We flew on Air West to Santa Cruz, CA, and purchased it from Georgia’s uncle Bob Bowman, who owned a Volkswagen dealership there.
He gave us a family discount and we drove it home a day later. One of the first things we did was show it to my grandmother who was still living with my parents on Huston Street in Sherman Oaks.
She seemed in good health and walked out to where it was parked in front of their house to take a look at it. She was so happy for us, and it showed.
Not long after that, my Mom called to tell us that my Nana had passed peacefully in her sleep and the only grandparent I ever knew and loved dearly, was gone. But she lives forever in my heart.