Monday, December 04, 2006

Ada "Jean" O'Guin

The morning of November 7th, I saw on my cell phone that my mother had called, she left a voice mail... I called and heard that she either wanted me to call her at my grandmother's or on her cell phone. Normally that wouldn't make have any cause to worry, but something odd struck me about the call. So I promptly called her on her cell phone, and as we talked she told me that my grandmother, her mother passed away the night prior. I was shocked and almost swerved off the highway. I immediately pulled over to talk about it.

My grandmother has had Alzheimer for quite sometime. for the most part she was alert coherent and sharp. She had however slowly exhibited signs of the disease taking hold of her. But as this curse began taking her, she slowly started not eating and keeping her health up. At some point she ended up in the hospital due to the nourishment. I guess after returning home from the hospital after her last visit, she was in the kitchen going about here business. No one really knows what she was doing, but my grandfather was calling out to her and came to find where she was, and when he got to the kitchen, he found her on the floor. Not much more really to tell, except that it's really odd that she's gone.

My brother, Kanui, and I talked about it, and he was going to be making his trip from Hawaii to California. I offered my assistance if he needed it. Lowe and behold my parents sprung for him and his whole family to come out to be present for the services. I don't know if his younger kids really have much of a concept of death and how they realize that "GG" isn't around. The unfortunate benefit about my brother coming was that since they were out for my Grandmother's funeral, it was very near the time of Thanksgiving, so since they were out, they extended their time and spent Thanksgiving with us all. It was a great time and a somber time. My grandfather seemed to be in good spirits, we were all there for him. I'm just concerned some for him and my mother. Seeing as how there were so many people around that week, I just wonder how they will and have coped with the loss now that everyone has resumed their life.

When we had the service, it was trip. I had been seeing people I hadn't seen for years. Old neighbors, friends, relatives etc... Most of the people whom I had not seen for so long commented on how much I looked like my father. That was a comment i hadn't expected. We had the services at the cemetary. I asked my mother if I could recited a Hawaiian pule and oli (prayer and chant), something appropriate for the occasion. I think my grandmother would have been proud. After the main part of the service was over, and everyone left to go the after-service, my family gathered at the plot where Grandma was to be buried. She was creamated, and my grandfather picked a plot near some people. My Grandpa's reasoning: So she'll have someone to talk to. We all took a turn at covering Grandma's ashes with a shovel load of dirt. Quite moving really.

When we finished we all made our way to the Elk's Lodge where the after-service was being held. There was so many people there, I had a lot of people come up and tell me stories of my grandmother that i had no idea. I liked hearing how she definitely was a unique person.

It's just odd that she's gone... and in some ways, it hasn't really hit me yet....

R.I.P.
Ada Jean O'Guin
July 1929 - Nov 2006

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