*This wasn't a eulogy so much as a tribute, or what-I'd-like-you-to-know-about-my-grandmother piece. I read this aloud, at her funeral. She was, I believe, my biggest fan. Below is the original, written around March, 2009.*
I must admit to being surprised when I heard my Grandmother had died. I even have to admit at being surprised by my own surprise. Isn’t being in one’s early nineties and having been born near the turn of the 20th century a tell-tale sign that one’s vigor has dissipated? Isn’t downsizing from home to apartment during what appears to be the twilight of one’s life an act of succumbing to an inevitable transition? And won’t resorting to a walker – even one with wheels – permanently erode a once-spirited and unfaltering will to thrive? Statistics say that in most cases, the answer to these questions is “yes” – in most cases – but not in all cases. Whether it be with her legs or a walker, whether it be in her house or her apartment, whether in her 80’s or 90’s, Sarah Swanson proved the exception to the rule. Until the very end, she was renown for her sharp wit and the occasional swell of zeal. So when I say I was surprised at her passing, I mean to say that there was very little in my memory to suggest she was going anywhere.
If we were to examine her daily routine starting not with her childhood, but with a point toward the end of her life, we would be struck at how busy she was. The V.A., bingo, church, out with friends, shopping, running this or that errand, gardening, watching her beloved Trailblazers, spoiling her grandchildren, and a great many other activities contributed in some way to making up her daily regimen. More than a few times I remember being struck at how difficult it was to get a hold of her – she’s 90, where could she be? How could she be out and about? But she was, and as it turns out, she was busy living, and living quite well.
She lived longer than most and fuller than many people dare. She didn’t seem to waste any time here, and toward the end she was fond of saying that she’d lived a very full life and had no qualms with moving on – words befitting keen judgment, wisdom, and contentment.
She was fond of telling others how lucky she’d been to receive such loving friends and family. I think she could have added how volunteering for 50 years and showering others with kindness had enhanced her character, but she wasn’t one to boast. She just expressed gratitude to God and moved on, and where she did boast, she boasted of the generosity of others, because in the end, who mattered most to Sarah Swanson wasn’t herself, but others.
She possessed a blend of frugality and generosity, proving both selective and lavish with how she spent her money on others. And although she was said to spoil, she never spoiled rotten. Be it a threat with the wooden spoon or a sharp tongue-lashing, I found her an accomplished disciplinarian; in the end, however, it was her warm smile that commanded my respect and strict obedience. Grandma Swanson proved an unfailing champion of seeing things through to the end.
She was endowed with considerable charm and had an uncanny ability to disarm and welcome. She was particularly skilled at discerning character, and rarely shied at articulating her assessment. Being polite mattered a great deal, doing what was right, even more. She held high expectations for all but never lacked in patience or grace for those she adored (although she had much less leniency for politicians and professional athletes). She brimmed with tenacity and was never bashful. Her feisty temperament was easy to misread, but more keen observers would find it a refreshing corrective to today’s obsession with strained politeness.
In the end, the gathering in the pews of these beautiful people, the very tangible guardian angels who surrounded my grandmother late in her life – and to whom is owed an enormous debt of gratitude – reflects how well she lived her life, and how well she lived it for others.
Finally, although relatively few will ever know Sarah Swanson outside her circle of family and friends, so long as those who did know her, continue to exemplify her selflessness and dynamism, her life will continue to reverberate long after even all of us have passed.