Grandmother.......Ida Lucille Bates

MY  JET-SET GRANDMA………………

From Bryce Canyon’s majestic rims,

   To Sun Valley’s shining slopes,

That wasn’t quite far enough,

     So off to Fire Island you did go.

Your life has been full of adventure

    Your accomplishments speak for their self.

How I’ve loved and admired your creativity

     Your paintings, your knitting, your crafts.

What a marvelous cook, you are, Grandma,

     Your brownie cakes gave me a natural high.

When I picked at your slow roasted Turkey,

     A slap on the hand was your reply.

Your music, your laughter, your good sense of humor,

     Brightened many grandchildren’s hearts.

Especially this one who will miss you,

     And looks forward to being with you again.

Things in your life were not always perfect,

      Some things you struggled with hard

But cheerfulness was your virtue,

     And love was always there in your heart.

Dear grandma, thank you for letting me,

      Help you leave your mortality behind,

So many things you taught me,

     About love, letting go and pressing on.

I Love you, Grandmother Bates.

My Memories of My Grandmother..........

Grandmothers are special people.  Some are quiet, kind and gentle.  Some are active and on the go.  Most always have a cookie waiting in the cookie jar, or the aroma of fresh baked bread fills her home.  She is always thinking of and is concerned about her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and on and on.

My grandmother has lived a full rich life.  She lived on her own until she was 92 years old.  She had to have a little help around her house, but not much.  Seven months before her 93rd birthday, Dad and Alma Rae had to put her into a nursing home.  This made us all a little sad.

Grandma was born in Midvale, Utah, the second child of James Dennis and Edna Rae Cummings Richardson on the 25th day of January 1905.  She helped take care of her younger brothers and sisters quite a bit.  She lived through the great flu epidemic of the 1920's but her two youngest sisters, Jessie and Catherine didn't.  It was a sad time for them to go through.  Grandpa Richardson got so ill with the flu that Fred, grandma's brother, had to take over and provide for the family.

Grandma had a hard time in school.  Especially in math.  She had to repeat the second grade and in those days that was a really terrible thing.  Grandma didn't graduate from High School until she was 22 years old so that gives a lot of hope for her great grandchildren who are falling short of the mark at this time in history.  It is possible to graduate at any age.  They need to learn from her example.

Grandpa Richardson brought his family to Spring Glen, Utah where he built them a home, and he worked on the railroad as a conductor.  Here is where Grandma met William McKinley Bates, and married him.  I guess he just swept her off her feet.  They had four children, James William, John Gordon, Dennis (who died shortly after birth) and Alma Rae.

Grandma and Grandpa lived in many of the small mining camps during their married life.  Heiner, Latuda, Standardville, just to name a few.  Grandpa worked in the coal mines and when I look at pictures of him he reminds me very much of a gentleman boxer.  Dad has told me that Grandpa could take on three men at a time and "whoop" them.

Grandma had to deal and cope with many sorrows in her lifetime.  Poverty, living through the depression, losing a child, illness, Grandpa's tragic death, but through it all she kept a wonderful cheerfulness and optimism.

Grandma had many talents that she shared with her family.  She was a very good artist and painted many beautiful oil paintings.  All her children and grandchildren have a least one of her paintings hanging in their homes.  Grandma knitted, crocheted, did beautiful ceramics, and made many beautiful things for her posterity.

Grandma loved music, she loved to play "Oh, My Father" on the piano.  She played the harmonica and boy could she whistle.

Grandma and Grandpa had amazing green thumbs.  I could hardly ever wait to go to Spring Glen to visit so that I could run up Haycock Lane where they were living, and raid their raspberry patch.  They always grew the most delicious raspberries in the world.  They also had gooseberries, fruit trees, and rubarb.

After Grandpa died in 1960, Grandma didn't stay home.  You might say she spread her wings and soured.  Over the next 15 years she worked in Bryce Canyon National Park, Sunvalley, Idaho, and Fire Island, New York.  She was mainly a cook in the resorts, and I might say she was an excellent cook.  She did do other odd jobs.  She got to babysit for Senator Robert Kennedy  and for singer Andy Williams.  She wasn't very impressed with either of them but especially not with Andy Williams because he was such a cruel , obnoxious, person.  During her travels she got to see many wonderful things.  Beautiful things of nature, "Niagra Falls", the Statue of Liberty,all the Memorials in Washington D.C.  What a wonderful life she led.

Grandma went to the Temple for her endowments and to be sealed to Grandpa and to have three of her children sealed to her, on the 24th of September 1977 in the Manti Temple.  Dad, Dennis, and Alma Rae were sealed to them.  Uncle Jack went later to be sealed to them.  Grandma was also sealed to her parents on this day.  How happy I am that they are all sealed as an eternal family.  I was able to go to the Temple with her and it made me feel great joy to be there with her.

Grandma retired from her travels, but she never missed a camping trip with one of her kids.  Not until her 91st year of life did she ever miss a Richardson Family Reunion.  What fun she created at our reunions.  There was never a dull moment between her and Uncle Gordon.  Her children had to make her stop driving a car because she kept wiping out mailboxes when she went down the road.

Grandma bore her afflictions well while she was confined to bed in the nursing home the last 7 months of her life.  She hardly ever complained about her plight and seemed more concerned about how I was feeling about things.  Being with her the last hours of her life was a very touching, wonderful experience.  I watched her and visited with her as she prepared to leave mortality.  She was very adamant about having her garments on and holding on to the Iron Rod.  The boys and I were very aware of her visiting with those on the other side of the veil.  About 2:30 in the morning she told me to take the boys home and go get some rest.  Of course we didn't, we just went down to the day room to wait to see if she would go to sleep and get some rest too.  She had been awake since she had her stroke on Tuesday morning.  About 45 minutes later Danny went down to check on her and she was still wide awake.  He came back and got me and we went back to her room.  She just had to get the last word in on me, even though she was in so much pain.  I said to her "Grandma, you didn't go to sleep", she looked at me and said, "and you didn't go home."

Shortly after that she called out to me and asked me if I could see the people there who were all dressed in white and so beautiful.  I told her I couldn't see them, but that I knew they were there.  She closed her eyes for just a few moments, then she called out "Bill, why does it hurt so bad?" I knew Grandpa was there and I knew he was well aware of what she was going through.  A few minutes later she called out to me again and said "Patty, I don't want to die."  I knew right then and there that I couldn't give her the peace that she needed to leave her mortality behind.  I called Dad and he and Mom came right down.  Dad sent me home because I was so upset.  He told me he would call me when things changed.

After I left, Grandma again became agitated and insisted on having shoes and socks on her feet.  I guess if she was going somewhere she had to be properly dressed.  As soon as she had something on her feet she calmed down.  Dad gave her a son's blessing and Grandma slept for about an hour and a half.  When she woke up she asked Mom and Dad who all the people were in her room, so there must have been a multitude of people there to help her go home.  Mom and Dad told her that it was family coming to greet her.  She called out for Fred, her brother, to help her, asked Dad when Alma Rae would be there then settled down again.  As soon as Alma Rae got there and took her hand she slipped into a coma never to come out to us again. At 10 minutes to 9:00 a.m. the 28th day of January 1998, Grandma slipped quietly away.

Yes, my Grandma is a wonderful person, full of life and energy.  She is a shining example of how one should live their life.  Not settling for anything but the best of what life has to offer.  Of accomplishing your most awesome dreams.

Grandma Bates with, Makette, Rachel, Matthew, Audrey,Kelsey
Carol and Steven

Taken in 1987 at Mom and Dads Welcome Home party from their
mission.  Jack and Doris,Mom and Dad, Rudy and Alma Rae
and Grandma.

Matthew with Grandma at her Birthday Celebration.

                                         

Grandma Bates with Danny, Samantha, Joshua, Brandon and Makalie.