My Grandmother, Ruth Chudleigh passed away on Sunday August 10, 2008. When I was a child and lived in Connecticut I was able to see my Grandma fairly often. I have fond memories of spending time at Grandma's house. She loved to play games and my favorite game to play with her was Mah Jong. We also did lots of puzzles together. I loved Grandma's homemade elderberry jelly and the oatmeal cookies she made on popsicle sticks with candy faces and coconut hair. Grandma loved flowers and always had beautiful flower beds in front of her house. Grandma taught me how to embroider, but somehow I never learned to knit from her. Then we moved to Park City in 1989 and I didn't get to spend as much time with Grandma. My Mom and I took the girls to Pennsylvania to visit my Grandparents in 2003 and going back to Grandma's house was like going back in time. Almost nothing had changed since I had last been there. During that visit I took the opportunity to learn as much as I could in a few days about how my grandparents met and how they came to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also brought my laptop computer and scanner with me and scanned in all the old family photos I could get my hands on. My Grandma loved to do family history and was very good at it. I must have inherited my interest in family history from her and my Granddad. I wish we could have visited more often. I am so glad that we were able to visit her last October. It was the first time she had met Barrett and it had been over four years since she had last seen Blythe and Brynne, who had grown up a lot. I hope that my girls will be able to remember her.
Ruth Riepen, age 18.
Ruth and Walter Harold Chudleigh Jr.
on their wedding day, 20 April 1946.
My wedding dress was a copy of this dress.
Four Generations.
L to R: Me, age 15 months,
my Mom, Janis Chudleigh,
my Great-Grandma Marie Riepen
and my Grandma Ruth Chudleigh.
September, 1975
Ice Skating on the pond at my
grandparent's farm in Springville, PA.
L to R:
My aunt Marie Chudleigh, Grandma,
Me age 3, and my Aunt Star Chudleigh.
December, 1977
Granddad and Grandma Chudleigh with
my sister Jessica. July, 1979
Grandma was a very talented and productive knitter.
All of her grandchildren benefitted from her skill.
She knit us many sweaters, mittens, afghans, and over
50 Christmas stockings for her grandchildren & great-grandchildren.
Three of us are wearing sweaters that
Grandma knit for us.
Peter, Suzanne, Jill and Brian Chudleigh.
January, 1980.
This is the last sweater that Grandma made
for me. I fell in love with a picture of a sweater
I saw in a catalogue. I showed it to her
and she knit me one just like it.
December, 1988.
One of the many Christmas stockings
that Grandma knit over the years.
Grandma and Granddad at my wedding reception.
June 27, 1995
Grandma, Jill, Blythe and Granddad.
The first time they met Blythe.
October, 2000
Grandma and Brynne.
October, 2007.
4 comments:
Lovely tribute to your grandma. She seems like a neat lady. very beautiful too. I'm sorry for your loss.
What a nice tribute to Grandma. You have some nice pictures. We'll all have to get our photos scanned and share them with each other.
Those are some great pics and great memories.
Your Grandma Chudleigh was my Seminary teacher. I skated on their pond also when I lived with the Loeper family in 1976 and 1977, while your Grandpa was serving as Branch President in the Tunkhannock branch. Fond memories. I am about Marie's age. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
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