Grandma Elia and some History

My Grandma Elia passed away last week, her funeral was on Monday, and I have been thinking a lot about her, and my mom’s family. I feel like I need to share these thoughts here.

First, a little history: My mother was born to Jack and Iona, the third child of nine. Jack and Iona felt strongly that they needed to have another child, and prepared for a tenth. During childbirth, both mother and baby were sadly lost. Jack was devastated and overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising a young family on his own. He was counseled to marry again quickly. This is where Elia was introduced into the family. She flew into Salt Lake from Mexico a few days later, met my Grandpa for the first time, and they were married just two weeks after Iona’s passing. At this time, the three oldest children were married, and the other six were still in the home. Elia had no experience in raising children and unfortunately, some of the children were split up so their needs could be best met. My aunt Susan came and lived with my mom and dad (who at the time were expecting my oldest sister). Jack and Elia adopted two more boys. This may seem like a sad story to some, and I admit that I don’t understand some of the decisions that were made at the time. However, I know that a loving Heavenly Father had a hand in all of this.

Truthfully, I never spent much time with my Grandma Elia. But in the times that I did see her, I felt nothing but genuine love from her in her warm embrace and gentle pats. I know that she loved the gospel and did her best to fulfill the will of the Lord. She loved my Grandfather, and his children. She never wanted to take the place of my grandmother, and I am grateful for that. I look forward to the day that I get to meet my Grandma Iona, but as that day will have to wait, I am grateful to have had Grandma Elia.

Jack and Iona:
Jack and Elia: