The blog posts below are taken from my grandmother's diaries. Althea Green Smith Crook was lovingly referred to as Nanny to her immediate family ~ thus her diaries are called Nanny's Diaries.

Nanny wrote in her diaries when she remembered to - mostly in the evening. There will be some years in which she didn't keep diaries and there will also be some days/weeks in her yearly diaries in which she skipped or forgot to write in them. For the most part, these are her words - written as she wrote them. There will be typos, forgotten punctuation, and other grammatical errors - but I am rewriting these as my Nanny originally wrote them.

As with all old handwriting, there are some entries that I can't quite make out - and these entries will be followed with a (?) to signify that this may or may not be correct or I can't figure out what she is trying to write.

Thank you Nanny for leaving us 50 years worth of memories! We miss you!

Monday, January 29, 2024

August 9 - 12, 1988 POPPA DIED

 

Tuesday, August 9, 1988 BILL Bill died at 6:10 PM DST

 

Bill is very weak today. They had been very busy today tending him. He didn’t eat at all good. Very weak. They got moved in and all settled. Fern didn’t mind the move. Tonight we ate supper between 5:30 and 6 PM. At about 6 Bill called Bett, Bett, she ran right into his room and called us all. He was going and we all knew it. We couldn’t do a thing for him. At about 6:10PM he breathed his last. All were quite upset. All of us were with him except Zak. Joy came, Betty Smith, Lorraine, Susan and his family. AT 5:10 PM EST BILL DIED VERY PEACEFULLY. HIS FAMILY WAS WITH HIM. ALSO OTHER FAMILY RELATIVES. IT IS HARD TO FACE THIS. YOU ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS.

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 10, 1988

 

We got the work done up early. Washed, again we washed every day. Betty, Dorothea, the two girls all went down to the funeral parlor. Got Bill’s casket, got all the flowers and made arrangements for the funeral. Dorothea and Betty here all day and Fern.

 

 

 

Thursday, August 11, 1988

 

Another one of those hot humid wicked days. Today picked some shell beans. Esther and I got them in the freezer. Miss Bill a lot. It don’t seem but what he is here. Carmen came and cleaned the house. Betty has been in and out a lot also Betty Smith called. Kim came and picked some very pretty bouquet’s. Esther prepared the most delicious supper. We ate buffet style. Betty, Walt and girls, Dorothea, David, Fern, Susan, Billie and I and Esther. THEN WE ALL WENT TO THE FUNERAL PARLOR FOR VISITING HOURS. WE WERE VERY PLEASED TO SEE HE LOOKS SO PEACEFUL AND SO MANY BEAUTIFUL FLORAL TRIBUTES. MANY MANY PEOPLE WAS THERE. ALSO BILL’S NEPHEW AND WIFE JACK AND SYLVIA.

 

 

 

Friday, August 12, 1988 BILL LAID TO REST AT HOMELAND CEMETERY

 

11 AM BILL WAS BROUGHT TO HOMELAND CEMETERY WHERE A VERY VERY NICE SERVICE WAS HELD AND IN THE BACKGROUND THE SOUND OF THE BAGPIPES. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WENT ALONG WELL WITH THE SERVICE. There was many many people, friends and relatives there. Also Jack and Sylvia which I know Bill would have been pleased. Please him very much. I hope in some way he understood. It was beautiful at the Cemetery. Very hot. A nice summer breeze. Bill wanted to be there. If it hadn’t been for Betty he never would have. After the service they had lunch out in the backyard. All very nice. WE MISSED ZACK, THOUGHT OF HIM SO MANY TIMES.

 




 









 





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