A couple of weeks ago, on June 11, my paternal grandmother passed away. She had been having some age-related health problems for a while, so it wasn’t a surprise, but it was still a sad loss.

We lived next door to my grandparents when I was a kid and visited them a lot. There was a path cut from our backyard to theirs so we could get there without walking along the road. It feels like it wasn’t that long ago where she was out playing baseball with us out there. I loved her a lot and those are some great memories I’ll have with me always.

Grandma was actually a very talented artist. My family has some amazing pencil drawings she did as a young lady. She didn’t pursue it into her later years, but she always encouraged us kids to follow our artistic passions.

From her obituary:

Jeanne Illig, 86, of Milwaukie, passed away Thursday, June 11, 2009. She was born on Oct. 1, 1922, in Minneola, Long Island, NY, to Maurice John and Jeanette (Jahelka) Rethen.

She worked as a long distance operator prior to marriage. She married Carl Illig on Nov. 4, 1944, at Mitchel Field in Long Island.

Jeanne moved to Oregon in 1952; lived in Estacada for 34 years, at Summerplace for 10 years, and has lived in Milwaukie since 2001. She loved square dancing and was a member of the Record Breakers Square Dance Club. She also enjoyed ceramic painting and artwork.