Her daughters, my aunts, came to her side and nursed and cared for her all day and all night for those two weeks before she finally passed away on Monday, Jan 12, 2015 at around 8:30am. She had been in incredible pain during those weeks and had pleaded and prayed for this blessing to move on in her eternal progression. When she was asked by Uncle Clyde if she was in pain, she responded, “It’s all over.” Those were her last words. My Aunt Delon believes that although she could have been speaking to her pain racking her whole body, she feels it was her way of saying, “I have finished!”

 Grandma Lewis is an incredible woman! In her final days, with her remaining strength, she bore her testimony relentless, shared the gospel, expressed humble gratitude for all the care given, and still shared her charming humor that is so very characteristic of her. She appreciated hymns being sung to her, someone to hold her hand and asked continuously to know the day and time. The night before she died, without sight and almost without any hearing, she asked her daughters to tell her what they learned in church. When they reported that they could, she asked for more. And so they read from the Sunday School lesson and Relief Society lesson. She has always had a thirst for knowledge and continued to thirst for it to the end. She also hated to miss church.

During the funeral the story was told of how laborious it was to get Grandma ready for church every Sunday (over the past several months). She would have no strength to even lift her arms to dress herself. But every Sunday, she would wake up early and receive help to dress, put on make-up, do her hair and get her breakfast so she could attend all three hours of church meetings. Her daughter, Myreel (named for her), knew she could hardly see or hear anything during those three hours and asked the obvious question of why she went to so much work when she would not get anything out of church. Her response is something I will always remember: “Because I love the Lord,” she said. “And I want Him to know it.”

Thanks to technology, she was able to record a video message that was shared with her posterity about 10 days before her death. It is hard to hear her and her breathing so labored but the Spirit was thick as I felt the truthfulness and power of her words. Here is what stood out to me that she shared with us:  The Lord’s way is the only way of happiness. Keep the commandments. Stay on the path. Don’t get distracted. Never stop sharing your testimony! (That one come with such forcefulness!).  I love you.

We drove to Kingman and I had a great talk with my kids about great grandma Lewis and where she was now and what death means. I was amazed at how much they soaked in and understood.My brother, Seth, was great to get hotel rooms reserved quickly so we could all be close to each other. Then we cleaned up and went to the Peases home for the viewing. My Uncle Clyde and Aunt Delon Pease and their 8 children have cared for Grandma and Grandpa Lewis ever since they moved to Kingman 12 years ago. They can never be thanked enough for all they did to serve them.

The Peases closed off an area of the house for the viewing that was quiet, reverent and peaceful. It was like a chapel. Playing was a recording of Grandma singing in a trio she was in many years ago, “O That I Were an Angel.” A favorite song of hers. I loved this special opportunity to be with my family and get to share with my children that yes, there is her body, but her spirit lives on. What a wonderful knowledge that death is not the end, thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ!

On the other side of the house, there was a party going on! Food and visiting and laughing and hugging and reminiscing. It was wonderful and exactly how I think Grandma would have wanted this event to look and feel like. My grandparents were big believers in family reunions and gatherings. Thanks to their efforts, we are very close with our cousins and aunts and uncles.

The next day was the funeral. I learned so much from the stories and messages shared. I took lots of notes as I wanted to remember these stories so I can share them with my children. Each of the 10 living children (my grandparents had 12 children) shared a memory or a lesson they learned. I came away with a greater desire to forgive others freely, bring more music into my home (and especially help my children appreciate hymns), and feast on the scriptures. My aunts and uncles caught her in her scriptures often or other good works of literature. She was a witty woman who relied on humor to get her through life’s challenges and her signature humor was shared throughout.

One of the stories shared was one we’ve heard before but was very much a defining moment for my grandparents. When their second child, Ardene, was 2 years old, she was hit and killed by a car. The man who caused the accident had come to my grandparents home to pay his milk bill (they ran a dairy distributing site) and pulled out without seeing her behind him. My grandparents were said to have dropped to their knees and pleaded with the Lord to “replace their pain with forgiveness.” That prayer was answered. This man was the Baptist minister in town and at the time there was a conflict and unkind feelings between the Mormons and the Baptist. He was so touched by their love and forgiveness, that a miracle happened in that community. Hearts were softened and the conflict was mended. To this day, my grandmother only felt sorrow for that man who had live with the pain of causing that accident. There were two other specific examples of forgiveness shared and I was reminded how truly incredible my grandmother was throughout her life to practice that principle.

It was a beautiful funeral. My children were part of a small group of great-grandchildren who sang, “Families can be together Forever.” There are 183 great-grandchildren right now (with more on the way). All of the grandchildren–and many of the 75 grands that were there–sang together the hymn, “O My Father.” We sandwiched in like sardines in the choir loft of the chapel. My uncle Irvan is an INCREDIBLE choir director and knows how to make even the most mediocre singers sound amazing. With only 30 minutes beforehand, he whipped us into shape and it was beautiful. A truly comforting song.

The rest of the day was spent visiting and being with family. We took our kids to a nearby park later on as they had energy to get out! That night we ate Mexican food from one of my grandma’s favorite Mexican restaurants. She had put aside some money for this and it was cute to see a bowl of Hershey Kisses at the end of the table with a sign, “Kisses from Grandma!”

My grandma was a faithful record keeper. (As evident by a nine volume life history she’s written in recent years.) For decades she sent weekly family letters and kept a copious journal. Something tells me she would have been a great blogger! That night, I gathered with my family in a hotel room and we read excerpts of her last journal entries (the last one on Dec 27th…the day before her health went downhill) that my brother, Seth, had digitized. We talked about my brother, Dallin’s, visit to see her just a few weeks before her death. He felt inspired to write a book about her son, Selwyn, who died when he was 35 and wanted to interview her. He could not have come at a better time! We look forward to reading that book!

I was grateful that my parents and siblings–except my brother Crismon who is in Taiwan–were all able to drop everything and be there together this weekend.

I'm gonna miss my sweet Grandma, her witty jokes and sweet demeanor but so glad I got to know her the time she was here! She was a special lady!