My Mom Grace!

Her Ggrandparents were:

Sabina (Richards) and William Allen.

Thomas Richmondand Elizabeth "Betsey" (Joy).

Sarah A. (Creager)and Rev. Capt. D. S. CALDWELL;

Laura (Joy) and Henry SPRAGUE
.

Grace Grandparents:

Laura Belle (Caldwell) and Malcolm Fuller ALLEN;

Lavina (Richmond) and Pvt. John H. SPRAGUE.

She was a daughter of Annie Laura Faye (Allen) SPRAGUEand Robert Franklin SPRAGUE.

Mom had five sisters and five brothers!

Grace was the 1st wife of William Junior TATHAM. She was a beautiful person - wife, children, friends, church .......... everyone loved her.

Grace AND William together are the most loving parents on the world. They have three children - Tom, Renee and Jim. [Yes, Mom, now you have many SIX beautiful Grandchildren and many Great Grandchildren.]

Olive Grace hated her name - she was always "Grace". [For me, she was MOM!]

Some of her friends were Pat and Ducky WAALAND, Lois and Don KENDALL, Edna and Fred ABBOTT,

She died from breast cancer when she was only 58.


ANECDOTES:

My favorite memory of my grandma, reminding me of just how much smarter than me she always was: She took me to the record store as a treat, allowing me to choose a 45 for myself. I immediately grabbed Exile's "Kiss You All Over" (all the rage that year), but Grandma promptly nixed that idea, explaining that the title didn't seem "approriate" for an eight year-old. She told me to go find something else. So I did. I found a different, less conspicuous record jacket, took out the "boring" record and inserted "Kiss You All Over" into the sleeve. I walked up to Grandma, whistling, I'm sure, and handed her my "new" selection. She looked me dead in the eye, never taking her eyes from my face, and removed the record from the jacket. Busted! Four words: "You're not getting squat" and we left the store, "treat-less." Nearly thirty years later, I crack up at the memory, at the thought of me thinking I'd be able to pull a fast one on a woman who was a lot savvier than I'd ever be. Anyway, I admired her so much, loved her even more so, and in her honor I frequently play "Kiss You All Over" and dance around the room, now that I'm "old enough" to purchase music for myself :-) Love, your grand-daughter and frequent partner-in-mischief - Laura, a granddaughter;

Mom, Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. I never got to say goodbye to you at the hospital and to this day it tears me apart. I miss you and your smile and your laugh so very, very much. I want you to know that I have a very loving wife (Lisa) who is the mother to two of the finest boys (Tyler, now almost 18 and a athlete and Trenton, working on his Eagle Scout project). I'm so very prouud of them. You would be so proud of them and of Lisa and me as their parents. Until the day I come to be with you, I will always be thinking of you and hold nothing but good thoughts of the short time we had together in my heart and mind. Love always, - Jim, a son;

I remember the Christmas tree in your house was always filled with ornaments and so festive. I remember playing Yahtzee with your parents, too. There are so many good memories I have of all the family get togethers. She was always so kind and loving to me. - Sandy, a neice;

We had a lot of good times with Grace and Bill, a lot of good memories. She was a hoot. - Betty, a cousin;

I remember most about Aunt Grace was her scent. I loved it and I have no idea what she wore. I learned a lot from her about being a mother. She was truly a person who put others before herself. - Jo, cousin;

How lucky we were to have known your parents. I always felt like one of their's when I was in your home. You were a very lucky girl and so were your friends to have had them in their lives. I talk about "Olive" all the time...Oh how she did hate that name. But her middle name fit her "GRACE". - Connie, a friend of Renee;

What I remember most about your mom was how much fun she was and how funny she was! She was a sweet, sweet person and I am so happy to have known her. - Nancy, a friend of Renee;


QUOTES:

A mother understands what a child does not say. - Jewish Proverb;

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. - Honore de Balzac;

A mother is not to be compared with another person. She is incomparable. - African Proverb;

Some are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. - Pearl S. Buck;

A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap. - Danish Proverb;

Sometimes one must travel far to discover what is near. - Uri Shulevitz;

If Roses grow in heaven, Lord, please pick a bunch for me.
Place them in my Mother's arms and tell her, they're from me. Tell her that I love and miss her, and when she turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek and hold her for a while. Because remembering her is easy, I do it every day. But there's an ache within my heart, that will never go away. - Author Unknown;

A Mother is more than a memory. She is a living presence. Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well, she's your breath in the air on a cold winters day. She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow, she is your birthday morning. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. A mother shows every emotion ........ happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow ..... and all the while hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life. She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space ....... not even death! - UNKNOWN;

"Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow; I am the diamond glint on the snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain; I am the gentle autumn rain. When you waken in the morning hush, I am the swift uplifting rush of the quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft star that shines at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there, I did not die." - Mary Frye (1932);

AMAZING GRACE, HOW SWEET THE SOUND,
THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME.
I ONCE WAS LOST, BUT NOW I'M FOUND,
WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE.