Last Friday night, my sweet grandmother, Ferris DeVonne Clarke, passed away. She is my mother’s mother and the most darling grandma in the world. To us, she was known as “Grammie”. Grammie was 87 years old and had been a widow for the past five years. She was so lonely without my grampa, Richard Conrad Clarke, and often expressed how she was “ready to go” and just wanted to be with her husband. They were the cutest couple—always holding hands, sitting close, color-coordinating his tie with her dress—so in love. They actually eloped when my grammie was just seventeen years old and were later sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. What a blessing it is to know that they are together again, sealed forever! Grampa always called her “wife” or some other term of endearment like “my darling, my love”. When my mom called to tell me that she had passed, she said that she just knew that Grampa had come to get her on her way to her bedroom and that she didn’t hesitate to go with him.
We were so blessed to always live near our grandparents, so we celebrated many a Thanksgiving and Christmas at their home. Grammie and Grampa would go to the beach with us and always gave birthday cards, with a crisp five dollar bill inside, complete with Grammie’s swirly, fancy writing expressing their love for us. Every time we visited she would show us her incredible collection of dolls, which were arranged to perfection all over her living room. She always had a glass bowl of butterscotch candies on her table for us to enjoy. Her little dogs, Cupcake and Corky would climb all over us. She would pick roses for us to take home, let us watch her hummingbirds feed on her back patio and look at her doll house that Grampa had built for her. Sometimes she would let us climb on her bed and watch a movie in her room, which was covered with Grampa’s collection of teddy bears. Her walls were literally covered with framed pictures of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. It has been a wonderful thing to bring my own children to Grammie’s house and let them experience what I did as a child. They really adored and loved their great grandmother. I wish they could have known her as I did.
For the past 3 years, she has been under the care of my mom and what a blessing that has been to both my mother and grandmother. My mom has been the perfect caretaker and tried her hardest to make Grammie feel "at home" even though all she wanted to do was return to the "home" where she is now, in the arms of her loving husband. I haven't seen her as much as I would have liked over the past few years, but am grateful for the times I was able to visit with her and see her smile and hear her talk about Grampa.
Grammie was a very classy, fashionable, fancy woman who liked her perfumes and pearls and heels. I will always remember her that way, but more importantly I will remember that she was a diligent, faithful and elect lady who had a testimony of the gospel and loved the Savior and her family. She is the woman who gave me my mother and taught her the gospel so she could teach me. I will always be grateful to her for that gift. I love you, Grammie, and will miss you, but know that I will see you again!
This is her with my baby brother, Derek. I love her smile in this picture.
