Josie Lucille Fry (June 16, 1921 – July 27, 2021)

While I’ve always been super thankful about meeting my hubby and joining the Fry family one of the real perks has been the relationship that I developed with his Grandma “Grammy”.  I had never met a woman like her before. My first impressions of Grammy (I was 16 when I met her) consisted of an awareness of how fiercely she loved her family and what an amazing cook she was.  As I was welcomed into their home I was introduced to homemade pies, fresh garden produce and tables overflowing with an abundance of food.  I also remember how I thought it was odd that she literally washed her dishes by hand before loading them in the dishwasher.

Years later after Jeff and I were married for about 5 years and living in Georgia, Grammy and Papo came out for a visit. I remember her sitting me down on the bed and very seriously asking me if I was gonna get to making any great-grandbabies anytime soon! As the years went by I learned a lot from Grammy. The most significant overall lesson I gleaned is faithfulness in all things. I never knew her to waver on any belief that she held or anyone she loved . 

She loved her family fiercely. 

She loved Jesus faithfully and her purpose was to make sure we would all be in heaven together one day.

Grammy turned 100 on June 16th. Next month it would have been 3 years since her life changed dramatically with a back injury. It has been during these past 3 years that I had the opportunity to spend more time with Grammy than ever. In the face of severe pain, the loss of home and her husband she always remained faithful and grateful to all who helped her. She struggled with feeling like a burden and not having a purpose. Then she would rally and decide to witness to the caretakers and other residents around her. She never missed a chance to share her faith with anyone who would listen – and you never dared not listen to Grammy! 

There have been several times in the last year where I thought we would be saying goodbye. She struggled with multiple TIAs and then after the fall in April she just never really came back to us. 

Even after all of the ups and downs, yesterday seemed very sudden. Grammy is now at rest. We know that’s what she wanted and we are encouraged that we will see her again in heaven. But it’s still difficult to know death is separating us right now. 

As our family comes together and we share memories there will be tears and lots of laughs. The beautiful side of sad gatherings. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Shelly