Grandma Paul

My Grandma Paul was one of the sweetest women I have ever known. She was kind, loving and always had time for me, both when I was a child and when I grew into womanhood. She was a quiet woman. I never heard her raise her voice. I expect that she did, out of necessity, when raising her large family. All mothers find the need to raise their voices from time to time to get the attention of their misbehaving children. But she had infinite patience when it came to her grandchildren. She had the ability to make me feel like I was the most special child.

My family had moved from Blackduck to St. Paul in the late 1940's. Mom and Dad felt that their opportunities were limited in Blackduck, and that they would be better off financially if they went to the city where jobs were more plentiful. We lived at that time with Grandma Paul in her house on Hewitt Ave. in St. Paul, just across from Hamline University. It was a wonderful time for a little girl, who adored her Grandma and was able to spend time with her on a daily basis.

Grandma worked at Brown & Bigelow company at that time. Grandpa Paul was ill with heart trouble, and Grandma worked to support herself and her children who remained at home. Brown & Bigelow was a company that printed calendars and small art prints. I don't know what her duties were, but I remember hearing that she was a supervisor of her department.

Mother was a really good cook, and she no doubt learned from Grandma. I remember, in later years after my family had moved to Willmar, we would go to Grandma's house in St. Paul for special occasions. Grandma could make a meal that was truly memorable. Many times she would make roast beef with all the trimmings, and possibly the best gravy that I have ever tasted. It was rich brown and oh, so good. In my family, whenever someone was able to make good gravy, it was always referred to as "Grandma Gravy."

There are traits that seem to be passed down from one generation to another. Grandma wasn't fond of having her picture taken, which is probably why I don't have many good photos of her. I am more at ease behind the camera than in front of it. She disliked large crowds of people, as do I. She would attend functions where there were many people, but she always seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she got home.

In the 1960's, Grandma left the Twin City area and moved to Willmar, where my Mother and Aunt Em lived. She stayed in the apartment on the upper floor of Dad's house on Becker Ave. I was already married by that time and raising my own family, but I took every opportunity to visit Grandma. I took my children to see her as often as possible, as I wanted them to know their Great-Grandma. Every now and then she would watch them for me while I ran some errand or another. Kelly told me about spending time with Grandma then. He loved to go upstairs to be with Grandma, and he told of sitting and playing checkers with her.

It became a Saturday afternoon ritual for me to act as beautician for Mom and Grandma. I would wash their hair for them, put it up in rollers, and when it dried, comb it out for them. Both Mom and Grandma then considered themselves ready for Sunday morning church services. Grandma had the most beautiful white hair. I often wished that when my hair turned from brown to gray, that it would eventually become white like hers. Alas, that was not to be.

I have heard several versions of how Grandma met Grandpa in Blackduck. This is the version that I know to be closest to true. Grandma had come to live with her sister, Amy, in Blackduck. She worked at a cafe there, and that is where she met Andrew Paul. He had been widowed at a young age, and had a small daughter, Dorothy. Apparently, Andrew took many of his meals at this cafe, and a friendship blossomed into a romance. They were married in May of 1914. They raised six children of their own; Duane, Adella, Elaine, Margaret, Marjorie and Emily. Another daughter was stillborn in 1932.

http://www.4shared.com/file/52540244/4b4d7f38/Grandma_Paul.html

I particularly like this picture of Grandpa and Grandma. It was taken in 1924, when Grandma was pregnant with my Mother. Mom always joked that it was the first photo ever taken of her. I can't help but see the resemblance between Mom and Grandma. Many of the children look like Grandpa, but Mom had many of the facial characteristics of Grandma. I have always been told that I look like my Mother. Which means that I look like Grandma. Which is probably the best compliment I could ever receive.

I was blessed to have my Grandma for 32 years. She died in June of 1978, and is buried next to Grandpa in the cemetery in Blackduck, along with their daughter. After all this time, I still miss her and think of her often.