I miss my Gangee

Yesterday was the birthday of my paternal grandmother who was born on October 26, 1900. I was so close to her that, as an Army soldier stationed in the Republic of Korea, my sergeant approved a 30-day emergency leave request in March 1975 for me to fly home and be with her when she was critically ill.

I vividly remember the long 14-hour flight home to California wondering the whole trip how she was doing and whether she was still alive. I also remember the first words I uttered upon arriving of “how is she?” and the answer from my uncle that “she passed away.” I immediately broke into tears and, later that night, cried my guts out in a torrential storm of tears as I tossed and turned in bed all night wanting to believe that it was all a bad dream.

Without a doubt, I was her favorite grandchild; there's always one who has that honor and, with her, it was me. I spent a lot of time visiting her and together we watched her favorite television shows on her black and white television set. Shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke and other western television series that were very popular at that time along with the Perry Como Show, Ed Sullivan Show and Lawrence Welk Show.

All her grandchildren knew her as “Gangee”, a name I gave her according to my Dad as that was my infant attempt to call her grandma. It was a name that stuck with her and how I knew and called her until the day she died.

Yesterday, on her 109th birthday, I thought of her often and, later than evening, offered my evening prayers for the repose of her soul while reflecting on how much I miss my Gangee.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum