It has been a while since I last visited this blog. It is with deep sorrow I must say my Mother has passed away. She is with the Lord and for that I am so grateful however...my heart is sad and my soul is hurt. She went to be with the Lord on June 11nth. We laid her to rest last Wednesday and I truly believe she would have loved her funeral (the doves and my baby girls singing Amazing Grace would have made her so proud!!). It has been exhausting and at this point I am talking a few steps at a time (before this week it was only one step and that was every few hours). My family has been incredible and I love them more this week than 2 weeks ago. They are truly amazing! I am still raw so I believe I will end this with a beautiful piece of writing Boo did for her Grandmother (it was passed out at the funeral and I took this from her facebook entry)...
In Loving Memory
On Thursday my grandmother passed away in the hospital just four days after being diagnosed with cancer that had progressed to stage four. She died in her sleep, like she wanted, and didn't suffer, which was a blessing. We were very close and despite a relationship that was sometimes bumpy, I loved her more deeply than I can express. The service is taking place Wednesday morning and I wrote the obituary/biography to be handed out at the chapel. I'm sharing it here for anyone who would like to read it because I want the whole world to know about the woman my grandfather loves with all his heart, who raised my mom to be as strong as she is today, and who loved my sister and I from the day we were born until the day she died.
♥ ♥ ♥
On June 11th, 2009, the world lost a beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, grandmother, aunt and friend in Linda Griego. She was preceded in death by her father, Guadalupe Ruiz, and four younger siblings: brothers Pete and Ferdie and sisters Mary and Bea. She is survived by her mother Maria Ruiz, her husband of thirty-nine years John B. Griego, her daughter Antoinette Marie (son-in-law Reggie Burgess), her sisters Virginia (brother-in-law Frank Herrera) and Suzie, and her brother Alex (sister-in-law Colleen Ruiz). She will be leaving behind two granddaughters, Bridgette and Genesis Burgess, goddaughter Jessica Agosta, her nieces Angela Montoya, Joline Lopez, Shannon Ortiz, Jamie Muniz and Amy Ruiz, and her nephews Frankie Montoya, Robert Montoya, Lloyd Herrera, and Phillip Herrera.
Linda was born in Denver, Colorado in 1948 on August 24th to Lupe and Maria Ruiz. The eldest of four girls and sister to four brothers, she was always a bright girl and a hard worker. Although she was something of a talker in school as a little girl, she was fairly quiet in general and grew up to be fairly studious. She enjoyed reading, got good grades, and counted Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy as two of her favorite people. She cooked often growing up but it was baking she fell in love with. When her siblings would pick cherries for her, she would use them to bake pies and that was just the beginning; later in life she turned to cake decorating as a hobby and excelled at it, providing delicious and beautiful cakes for numerous occasions (who can forget the delicious four layered chocolate confection whose recipe she guarded with her life?). She was a unique young woman who worked hard for most of her life to help provide for her family, who she loved very much and who remained a part of her life long after she left home. She took care of her sister Mary when she was sick, invited over many family members on holidays like Halloween for several years (and provided plenty of candy goodies for the kids and savory dishes for the grown-ups), and loved to spend time with her mother, who she admired and adored.
Despite an epic and passionate love for Elvis Presley, Linda's true love was her husband John (we know this because she let him take her on a date to look at pigs in a stinky stockyard). They met at a club called The Mambo and, after marrying each other on Christmas Eve in 1970, enjoyed thirty-nine years of marriage. They were an active couple who took many trips together and liked to spend times with their friends and family (she had fond memories of Echo Lake and endless games of Rook). They spent their holidays with Linda's family and, as they got older, devoted much of their time to their granddaughters. John spoiled his "Tootsie" (a nickname he gave her for her love of Tootsie Rolls) during all of their years together. Anyone who spent any time with Linda and John could see how much they adored each other, from their playful banter, to shared stories about mixed up song lyrics ("bowl o' chili", anyone?) and serenades, to their constant physical closeness and all of the time they spent together.
Linda also loved her family, especially her daughter, Antoinette. She worked hard to take care of her daughter for many years and always provided for her; Linda loved to dress Antoinette up and had her in the cutest clothes and hairstyles. She made her daughter's Halloween costumes and took countless pictures of her doing everything from celebrating birthdays to hopping on a bus to camp. For a woman who found as much joy in taking pictures as Linda did, one would be hard-pressed to find a subject she liked capturing more than her family.
Her granddaughters, Bridgette and Genesis, were two even greater joys in her life. She was blessed to be with her daughter when both of her granddaughters were born and spent every year from that day on supporting them in their many creative, athletic, and academic ventures, and loving them unconditionally. She was around from 3 v. 3 soccer games to high school junior varsity matches; from Mestizo dancing to ballet; from kindergarten graduation to high school graduation, and she was proud every step of the way.
Always creative and caring and up-to-date on the latest fashions and trends (she rocked the beehive hair-do, may or may not have had to fight someone off for a Tickle Me Elmo, dressed to the nines even at Disneyland, and welcomed her first granddaughter into the world wearing diamonds and heels), Linda was also resilient and had a bright smile that told anyone looking how much she loved life. She has left behind a hole that cannot be filled in the lives of her loved ones, but she has also left behind memories of a woman who was exciting, extraordinary, and deeply loved. She left this world in exactly the way she wanted: surrounded by those she loved most, peacefully sleeping.
Dearest Tootsie, Mom, Grandma, Sister, Auntie, and Friend, you will be missed and while we struggle to live a life without your physical presence in it, know that we will always love you and take comfort in knowing that you are dancing with the Lord (and this makes us happy because we know how much you loved to dance).
♥ ♥ ♥
On June 11th, 2009, the world lost a beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, grandmother, aunt and friend in Linda Griego. She was preceded in death by her father, Guadalupe Ruiz, and four younger siblings: brothers Pete and Ferdie and sisters Mary and Bea. She is survived by her mother Maria Ruiz, her husband of thirty-nine years John B. Griego, her daughter Antoinette Marie (son-in-law Reggie Burgess), her sisters Virginia (brother-in-law Frank Herrera) and Suzie, and her brother Alex (sister-in-law Colleen Ruiz). She will be leaving behind two granddaughters, Bridgette and Genesis Burgess, goddaughter Jessica Agosta, her nieces Angela Montoya, Joline Lopez, Shannon Ortiz, Jamie Muniz and Amy Ruiz, and her nephews Frankie Montoya, Robert Montoya, Lloyd Herrera, and Phillip Herrera.
Linda was born in Denver, Colorado in 1948 on August 24th to Lupe and Maria Ruiz. The eldest of four girls and sister to four brothers, she was always a bright girl and a hard worker. Although she was something of a talker in school as a little girl, she was fairly quiet in general and grew up to be fairly studious. She enjoyed reading, got good grades, and counted Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy as two of her favorite people. She cooked often growing up but it was baking she fell in love with. When her siblings would pick cherries for her, she would use them to bake pies and that was just the beginning; later in life she turned to cake decorating as a hobby and excelled at it, providing delicious and beautiful cakes for numerous occasions (who can forget the delicious four layered chocolate confection whose recipe she guarded with her life?). She was a unique young woman who worked hard for most of her life to help provide for her family, who she loved very much and who remained a part of her life long after she left home. She took care of her sister Mary when she was sick, invited over many family members on holidays like Halloween for several years (and provided plenty of candy goodies for the kids and savory dishes for the grown-ups), and loved to spend time with her mother, who she admired and adored.
Despite an epic and passionate love for Elvis Presley, Linda's true love was her husband John (we know this because she let him take her on a date to look at pigs in a stinky stockyard). They met at a club called The Mambo and, after marrying each other on Christmas Eve in 1970, enjoyed thirty-nine years of marriage. They were an active couple who took many trips together and liked to spend times with their friends and family (she had fond memories of Echo Lake and endless games of Rook). They spent their holidays with Linda's family and, as they got older, devoted much of their time to their granddaughters. John spoiled his "Tootsie" (a nickname he gave her for her love of Tootsie Rolls) during all of their years together. Anyone who spent any time with Linda and John could see how much they adored each other, from their playful banter, to shared stories about mixed up song lyrics ("bowl o' chili", anyone?) and serenades, to their constant physical closeness and all of the time they spent together.
Linda also loved her family, especially her daughter, Antoinette. She worked hard to take care of her daughter for many years and always provided for her; Linda loved to dress Antoinette up and had her in the cutest clothes and hairstyles. She made her daughter's Halloween costumes and took countless pictures of her doing everything from celebrating birthdays to hopping on a bus to camp. For a woman who found as much joy in taking pictures as Linda did, one would be hard-pressed to find a subject she liked capturing more than her family.
Her granddaughters, Bridgette and Genesis, were two even greater joys in her life. She was blessed to be with her daughter when both of her granddaughters were born and spent every year from that day on supporting them in their many creative, athletic, and academic ventures, and loving them unconditionally. She was around from 3 v. 3 soccer games to high school junior varsity matches; from Mestizo dancing to ballet; from kindergarten graduation to high school graduation, and she was proud every step of the way.
Always creative and caring and up-to-date on the latest fashions and trends (she rocked the beehive hair-do, may or may not have had to fight someone off for a Tickle Me Elmo, dressed to the nines even at Disneyland, and welcomed her first granddaughter into the world wearing diamonds and heels), Linda was also resilient and had a bright smile that told anyone looking how much she loved life. She has left behind a hole that cannot be filled in the lives of her loved ones, but she has also left behind memories of a woman who was exciting, extraordinary, and deeply loved. She left this world in exactly the way she wanted: surrounded by those she loved most, peacefully sleeping.
Dearest Tootsie, Mom, Grandma, Sister, Auntie, and Friend, you will be missed and while we struggle to live a life without your physical presence in it, know that we will always love you and take comfort in knowing that you are dancing with the Lord (and this makes us happy because we know how much you loved to dance).
