Josephine Huntington

April 29, 1917 - January 5, 2009

This is my beautiful grandmother, born Sara Josephine Ebert and shown here in 1940 when she was a staff nurse at Rupert General Hospital in Rupert, Idaho and about a year before she married my grandpa, Carl Huntington.

This is my grandma and grandpa 48 years later at my wedding. I am so sad to say I don't have more in between pictures handy, but I'll work on rectifying that. My grandpa died less than two years after this photo. This is ten years later with Bryce and it is one of my favorite pictures of her. It was one of the pictures that I made into a quiet book for Bryce to bring to church when he was little.

For Thanksgiving one year, the whole Huntington family went on a weekend cruise. Grandma is in red. Her sister, my Aunt Irene is seated to her right and was her dearest friend all of her life. That was our last Thanksgiving with Irene.

This picture of my grandma was taken in 2006 right before she moved out of her home in Twentynine Palms, California after living there for nearly 50 years. It is the house where most of my memories of my Grandma Jo and Grandpa Carl live. Christmas Eve waiting for Uncle Bob and the toilet that always overflowed (it was a Christmas tradition). Always cookies in the cookie jar, a new craft project and Grandpa's garden. Watching Lawrence Welk (but Grandma and Grandpa had fallen asleep in their chairs). Grading papers for Grandpa. Braiding my Great Grandma Tillie's long hair. Picking apricots and capturing boxelder bugs (sp?). I'm sure my cousin Cathy and I eradicated the entire boxelder bug population from their yard and also the surrounding square mile. Good times.

Fortunately, she was healthy and capable until only a few months ago. She was able to move in with my Aunt Marie and Uncle Bob when she moved from her house so she was always with people who loved and amused her. We should all be so lucky. I am grateful to have been loved by her. I am grateful I was able to spend a day with her last month and see her again on Christmas Eve. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who answers prayers. I had fasted for her yesterday that her body might release her spirit to return home. I will miss her.