Grandma

My paternal grandmother was born on 3 November 1925 in the village of Skolimow, today a part of Konstancin-Jeziorna in a poor family. Before the outbreak of World War II she completed seven-year primary school. During the Nazi occupation her family's penury even worsened, since grandma's father was killed by Germans in February 1943.

After the end of the war she met my grandfather. They got married in October 1948; almost one year after the nuptials ceremony she gave brith to my father. Four years later my uncle was born.

She spent most of her adult life sharing her time between running the house, bringing up sons and work in shoe polish factory in Konstancin.

In mid 1980s she retired to help my aunt and uncle look after my cousin and then to take care of her ailing mother, the only great grandparent I barely remember, who died in March 1991. Her younger brother died in January 2011, while she stayed in good health, both physically and mentally fit despite quite advanced age.

In the recent years she was the first to look after my grandfather after his several stays in the hospital. His recovery has to be credited to her dedication and sacrifice, made at the expense of neglected progressing osteoporosis which sent her nearly bed-ridden in July 2014. Fortunately, for next over half a year she could get up from bed from time to time and still remained fully mentally sound almost until her very last days. 

Grandma passed away today, aged 89. She was survived by a husband, two sons, two grandsons and one great grandson.

I shall remember the last words grandma told me on 21 February, during our last conversation when she was entirely conscious: Przestań się wreszcie uczyć i znajdź sobie dziewczynę, bo jak rodzice umrą, to zostaniesz sam na świecie i umrzesz też sam. Home truth. Grandma tended to be coarse at times... The priest who came a week later with last rites sighed and told grandma she should be happy to be surrounded by the family, since more and more often he sees elderly people who do have children and grandchildren, departing in solitude.