My Great Grandfather (father of my mother’s mother, the infamous Mayree I have spoken about on this board) was alive until I was about 10, he was almost 100. He called me Fancy Pants. He was a happy drunk, liked to laugh and make jokes and goose me in the belly button and say, “That’s where the Yankee shot ya!” We know nothing about his parents, not even their names.
My Great Grandmother (mother of my mother’s father) was alive into my teen years, I was around her a number of times growing up, but by the time she died around the age of 102 her mind wasn’t with her anymore. I mostly know her through the stories of others.
I didnt know my great great grandparents but my maternal grandparents are alive and well. Still living on their own and they have 2 great great grandkids that are almost 2 and almost 9 months. So, i will assume they both will re.ember their great² grandparents.
My parents didn’t even know them. My mother’s parents immigrated, and all that is known is that they spoke Lithuanian. My father was raised by a spinster aunt, and I never heard anything about his grandparents.
I knew my mom’s paternal mother fairly well. When I was quite young, she and my great-aunt lived on the farm the family established shortly after immigrating to the States. She was quite elderly and had forgotten English, reverting to Bohemian. When I was maybe 9, both she and my great-aunt moved into a nursing home together.
She passed when I was 11. Her husband, my ggrandfather died 8 years before I was born.
Looking at the family tree- mom’s maternal grandparents: grandfather died in 1954, grandmother in 1922. Now, I knew my great grand uncle very well. He died a few years ago at age 104.
I knew no one on my dad’s side. His mom died when he was six. His father died when I was five. His grandparents all died between 1930 - 1947.
Never knew any great-grandparent, don’t even know when they passed away but they would not have survived the Holocaust. Only knew my two grandmothers, one passed away when I was around 8 or 9. One grandfather passed away before I was born, the other while I was a toddler. I don’t have many close relatives at all.
I met my maternal grandmother’s mother a few times before she died when I was nine or ten but did not spend a lot of time with her. We seemed to stop by for just an hour or two when we were visiting in Arkansas. I remember she would give me “coppers,” her word for pennies.
My maternal grandfather’s father I believe I met once. I worked it out when I was older that the old farmer I remember seeing when I was maybe three must have been him after seeing a couple of old photographs.
I met my mom’s maternal grandmother once. I think I was in elementary school, but I can’t be more specific when. She was in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s and was having a fit that day. Scared the spit pit of me.
We visited Dad’s parents every few years and Mom’s less often because of their locations. Mom’s dad passed away when I was in 5th grade and all the rest after I was married. 2 died when we were overseas and unable to afford trips home for their funerals. I wish Mom’s dad had lived a lot longer. I suspect he and my husband, both humor writers, would have gotten along like a house afire.
Zombie Grandparents?
I didn’t see a response from me from 2 years ago so, I met my Great Great Grandma Katherina once when I was a small child. She immigrated to the US from Russia. She had $15 and spent $12 of it on the most fabulous hat for her first photograph in the United States. We(well my mom) still has that original photo tucked away safe and sound and conserved.
One great-grandfather. I only remember seeing him one time. I guess he was on his death bed. I just remember a REALLY old man, who could only stay in bed for the rest of his life (which was just down the road).
I do remember his wife. I helped out in her garden. She would have me do the heavy work.
I met my maternal great-grandma about 1966 when I was ten and she was well over 100. Couldn’t say exactly because she could no longer speak, could smile though.
Paternal grand parents (not great grand parents) were married in 1898, I met them a couple times and they lived into the 1970’s.
Paternal great-grandpa was born in 1848 and lived until 1928. I didn’t meet him obviously. But he did get married for the third time in 1925 at 75 years old.
Most of them had died before I was born, but I remember Pap-Pap, my father’s father’s father, as a loving and vibrant man (albeit one who was pretty much confined to a chair). He lived to be 93, I think.
I met one Great Grandma a couple of times, but she passed when I was ~2.
Compare that to my children… who both met 3 great great grandparents (last one passed around 7th birthday so many meetings and even card playing and some puzzles too!) and 6 great grandparents. One set just attended their great grandchild’s high school graduation. They would have gone in person in any other year! And no sign of slowing down - still walking 5 miles a day (and taking the stairs) in their late 90s. But additionally with technology, they have been able to be there all of the way through growing up- even while being across the country (They were the first people I met with both a digital camera and then an iPad.)
I compare that to my best friend… whose grandmother recently died as the 5th or 6th oldest person in the world at 115. My grandparents are 30+ years younger and thus better connected to almost 2 whole additional generations!
One of my great grandfather’s was still alive after I was born, but I never got to meet him. In fact, I only had one grandparent still alive when I was born, and I saw her a number of times. My father’s parents were in their 40s when he was born and my mother’s parents in their 30s, so it’s not surprising that the grandparents and great grandparents were nearly all gone when I came along as a late birth in my mother’s mid-30s.
One of my great-grandmothers died when I was an infant; she probably met me, but I have no memory. I do have a few hazy memories of another great-grandmother; she died when I was about 4 or 5, and I certainly knew her, but she was mostly a little old lady rocking in the corner. The other six great-grandparents had all been dead for decades before I was born, and even my parents never knew them.
My mother will become a great-grandparent next January. Note that none of the great-grandkids, along either line of descent, ever knew their g-grandparent(s) afaict.
