One Happy Family Blog: April 2012

My grandmother, Pauline Winkel Broadbent, was born in December of 1919. She died in her sleep on March 25, 2012.

At my wedding in August, 2000

She was a great person. We were lucky to live very close to her in California until we moved to Florida when I was 12. What do I remember about her?

Her house was so great. We loved visiting 821 A Street. We loved playing at the park near her house. It was a house full of love, food and cousins (she had 45 grandchildren, I was #15).

Grandma's House
Thanks to Jen and others for the great pictures!

She was a fabulous cook and loved to make our favorite dishes. It took me a long time to tell her that pumpkin pie was no longer my favorite because she was so happy to make it for me every time I came to visit..
She and Grandpa organized fabulous family reunions. We often rented campgrounds and had a grand time. They were usually once every two years, and we thoroughly enjoyed them.
She loved to sing and would conduct the music with great gusto.
Grandma converted to be an A's fan for a while when I was living near her, because I would always want to watch the A's games when we came to visit. She wound up being quite a knowledgeable fan and enjoyed following them for a few years.
Every year that I was at BYU, I drove down to Davis for Thanksgiving dinner. The cousins that came with me changed every year, but I really loved that tradition.
How can you not love Grandma Broadbent? She was a great woman, a real extrovert who exemplified Christan virtue.

I attended Grandma's funeral last weekend. It was the first funeral I had ever been to for a person that I knew. As I made plans and posted on Facebook, everyone said they were sorry and condolences and I appreciated that, but at the same I was happy. Grandma lived a full life and she had suffered the last few years, losing her eyesight and mind. I was happy she has passed to the other side to reunite with her parents and 9 brothers and sisters (she was the youngest). But too, the funeral was a chance to see the extended Broadbent family again. Our last reunion we had was in 2005 and it was obvious then that we were getting too big to meet together. If there was anyone that we were sorry for, it was Grandpa. They had been married 68 years (double my age!). It's hard to imagine one without the other - there was only one time I spent I saw them separated for any length of time - when Grandpa spent the day helping me with a science fair project when I was 11.

The viewing and funeral service were very moving. It touched my heart to see how hard this was for my Grandfather. Many of the grandchildren formed a choir and sang, and Grandma's children paid tribute to her. We then moved to the cemetery.

I was especially honored to be asked to play one of Grandma's favorite songs, "Danny Boy" (if you know the tune, but not the words, you might look at the lyrics - it is definitely a good funeral song). My grandparents had made this request years ago and I was happy to put in some extra practice time. It was my first solo performance in 17 years. I also played taps during the military ceremony (my grandmother served in the Navy during WWII)

The Navy Commander presents Grandpa with the flag.

CW Broadbent family, 2012

By the way after the funeral, a distant cousin remarked to me that I looked a lot like my father, and looking at the picture above I can see why she thought that.

It was great to see all my cousins, aunts, uncles and especially my Grandfather, who turned 90 the day before the funeral. A great way to celebrate the life of a great woman.