This year we spent our Valentine's Day thinking a lot about what it means to love and show love.
Sometimes it is so hard.
Sometimes life hurts us and love requires so much sacrifice.
But love, in the end, is what really gets us through.
Our Valentine's Day was spent traveling to the funeral of Grandma Andrew.
She was Chris's grandma.
And she passed away a few weeks ago.
All four of our great grandmas have been having their struggles lately.
We hate to see such amazing women who have lived such wonderful, faithful lives have to come to such trials.
I know they are coming to know the Lord and will be so happy when they meet Him again.
I've never heard much about grandma's early life before she met her husband.
But I really loved the letters that were shared that he had written to her when they were a young, feisty couple in love.
And then what seems so hard to comprehend - that her husband died so young and she was left alone with twelve children!
Children going off to college, teenagers, adolescents, toddlers.
I can't imagine how she ever got through each day.
The loneliness and enormity would overwhelm any person.
And now- everyone is buoyed up by thoughts of one unbelievable reunion in heaven.
(As long as she's not still angry with him, as Chris said...haha!)
It was fun to hear people's stories and descriptions of her.
We cherish each short visit with her over the years.
Chris always made it a point to go out of the way to stop in anytime we went that direction.
And now we are so glad.
Our kids always call her house, "The one with the chickens" ...since two times while we were visiting they were able to chase chickens around the yard with sticks.
She had SO MANY grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
What a huge legacy.
But she still loved visiting with them and hearing about their lives.
My favorite memory is the weekend in college that Chris and I spent there watching general conference with grandma.
I have never slept so well.
I don't know why, I just remember that.
And we got grandma to open up with so, so many stories.
We loved it.
We wish now that we had recorded them all.
But then maybe she wouldn't have shared so freely.
I also remember that she was really bothered that I should have been pregnant (since we had been married a few years by then) and she said I was looking pregnant (ouch!), but was NOT. Ha! She was skeptical as we tried explaining that it doesn't come as easily for everyone and that it was becoming very clear that 12 children would not be in our future.
From the words of others, I can tell that she always told it how it was.
And gave everything she had.
I loved discussing with my children that they have a piece of that legacy of endurance, faith, and strength inside of them.
It was really wonderful to see the 12 children together at the funeral.
(one daughter is not pictured here)
The eldest son from each of the children was a pallbearer.
You can't see him very well, but this is Chris carrying the casket after a beautiful service.
And when they asked the pallbearers to place their boutonnieres on the casket, Chris let Austin put his there.
It was very sweet.
Austin had a very emotional time that day.
He cried throughout the entire service.
He was touched by everything that was said.
And he prayed that grandma would be happy and that all our family could be together forever for several days afterward.
Cousins at the graveside.
Austin didn't want to be in the picture.
But then a little later he asked me to please take a picture by himself with grandma's grave.
He wanted to remember.
His face says it all.
A copy of her obituary...
Our loving mother, Helena Cottle Andrew passed through the veil Feb. 9, 2012, to be greeted by her loving husband, parents, brothers and sisters. Helena was born Jan. 31, 1924, in Trenton, Utah, to Walter D. Cottle and Leah Bunderson Cottle, the ninth of 14 children. She attended and graduated North Cache High School. She married Marion Andrew March 18, 1943 in Logan. Marion passed away Oct. 20, 1964.
Helena loved the gospel and was active in all of the organization throughout her life; she especially loved serving in the temple. She served an LDS mission in Sacramento, Calif.
Helena is survived by her 12 children, Eva Rae Keiser (Richard, deceased), Patricia and Lynn Johnson, Johnny and Lillian, Ruth and Ramon Stoker, Stuart and Evelyn, Steve and Kathy, Marion and Dennis Layne, Michael, Betty Andrew, David and Darlene, Julie and Tony Rosales, Robert and Dixie and Bruce and Lynette. She is also survived by her sisters and brother, Vellis Salaway, Mary Spackman, Walt and Diann Cottle and Leah and Doyle Keiser.
Her posterity includes 63 grandchildren, 85 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. We are grateful for those who have cared in any way for mother over the past years, especially Catie Ransom, Hospice Care of Northern Utah and Eileen Wood.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, at the Trenton Ward chapel with Bishop Rob Smith conducting. A viewing will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the same location. An evening viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Nelson Funeral Home of Smithfield, 80 S. Main St. Interment will take place at the Trenton City Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family online at
www.nelsonfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers please donate to the Cache County Community Food Pantry, 359 S. Main St., Logan, UT 84321.
Published in Logan Herald Journal from February 11 to February 25, 2012
