Remembering Gemma
Michele Yvette Cooper
June 18, 1948 - May 11, 2009
I can't believe it but one year ago yesterday, May 11th, Blake's wonderful mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer. It's very surreal to be sitting here, one year later, reflecting on her life and influence. Although I only had the privilege of knowing her for about 7 years, I feel so blessed to have so many memories of her. So often I'll be going through the normal routine of a day and something will remind me of her or cause me to think about her.
I thought I would take a moment to write out some of my favorite memories of her. Hopefully someday my children will read this and learn more about their wonderful grandma.
Holidays - Gemma always made the holidays and birthdays special. She gave the best gifts! They were always so thoughtful and personalized. She spent so much time searching stores and the internet to find the perfect gift. I am so thankful for the gifts she gave to me because now they are even more special that she's gone. I have a necklace she gave me for my birthday that I hope someday can become an heirloom to be passed to my children.
Cooking - Gemma was an amazing cook! One Christmas she gave the girls in the family a cookbook filled with some of her favorite recipes. It is a treasure to me. I use it all the time. I have tried to make so many of her recipes but they never quite turn out as good as hers. She did nothing the quick way. Everything was made from scratch and it was incredible!!
Reading - Gemma was brilliant. I know she wasn't able to finish her degree when she was younger but she was so smart. She was always so well read and knew everything going on in the world. She would give me suggestions for good books to read all the time but I never could get through them as quickly as she did.
Broadway - Gemma LOVED Broadway shows. It was so nice to see her going on dates with her hubby, ("Pepe" as we like to call him). They took us with them a few times and I have such fun memories of that. I remember watching her laugh during Spelling Bee. I loved hearing her play the music to some of her favorites musicals like Mama Mia, Hairspray and Altar Boyz.
Service - Gemma served so much. When I first met her, she was serving as the Relief Society President in her ward. A few years later she began working again with C.A.S.A. (Court Appointed Special Advocate for neglected children) and became the President of the local chapter. She had so much going on but she always had time to serve others.
Pampering Me - Gemma introduced me to some of the finer things that I'd never enjoyed. For one birthday, she gave me a gift certificate to get a facial and a makeover. It was such a treat! I also remember a time when Blake was finishing law school and we were dirt poor. Ethan was a month or two old and I was feeling incredibly frumpy and unattractive. She made an appointment for me to go to her favorite salon and get my hair colored and cut. It was something we never could have afforded and it gave me such a boost. I was so grateful!
Last but not least, Ethan (and babies) - I remember the day that we told Gemma we were expecting Ethan. She literally screamed in excitement. I remember her being so excited and anxious to find out if the baby was a boy or girl, she called me to tell me about a test you can do in the mail for a hundred or so dollars and they'll tell you what the gender is at about 14 weeks. We didn't have the money then and oh, it was killing her! Being able to share our little guy with her is one of my greatest blessings. There's nothing she loved more than spending time with him and spoiling him. She took pride in getting him the biggest (and sometimes most obnoxious gifts)! One year we showed up at their house and in the living room was a huge ball pit! Ethan was in heaven of course! We still laugh about Ethan throwing the balls all over and screaming, "hit Pepe" as he hurled balls in his direction.
I'm so grateful that they had a few years to share together. I pray all the time that Ethan will be able to retain a few memories of her. We talk about her all the time so that his memories will stay fresh. The other night, out of the blue, he asked me why Gemma's body was still buried. That launched us into a big discussion about where we go when we die, how our spirit's are alive even when our bodies die, why Gemma died, how we'll all be resurrected, etc.,etc. I explained to him that when Gemma is resurrected, she'll have a PERFECT body that can't get sick or hurt anymore. His little mind started crunching possibilities. This is how the conversation proceeded:
Ethan: "So Mommy, if a bad guy dropped something on her head, would she get hurt?"
Mom: "Nope. She has a perfect body."
Ethan: "What if a bad guy sworded her arm off?"
Mom: "Her arm can't get cut off because she has a strong, perfect body."
Ethan: "So, how does she do that? Is her arm taped on to her body? "
Mom: "No."
Ethan: "Is her body made out of stone?"
Ah, the mind of a 4 year old.
I sure wish that Gemma had had the chance to meet the twins. They were born 11 days after she passed away. I'd like to think that in some way, they might have had a little time together or at least been able to say hi in passing. I know she tried so hard to hang on for those little ones. On her last day, I had to go to Morristown for an ultrasound. I didn't want to leave everyone at the hospital but they all encouraged me to go. When I returned I had ultrasound pictures of the babies. We held them up in front of her and I could tell she was straining so hard to be able to see them (though her eyesight was failing her by then). I know without a doubt that she's watching over these little grandbabies of hers. In memory of her, we named Addison after her grandma and named her Addison Michele Cooper. The other day I happened to look up the meaning of her names. They are: Child of Adam (Addison) Who is like God (Michele). How perfect is that?
We love you Gemma and miss you every day. Thanks for being such a wonderful grandma, mother-in-law, inspiration and friend.
Addie - 11 months
Grant - 11 months
Elder Burton
Scott
Eating muffins. Yummy!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar play...
Baby Milestones: Last week, Addie had a big event take place. She took her first step. She and Grant have been cruising for months but just recently Addie has gotten brave and started standing up without holding on to anything. Then, she took a step toward mommy last week! Now she's taking a couple of steps at a time (when she doesn't panic and fall on her bum). It's so cute!
Baby Milestones: Last week, Addie had a big event take place. She took her first step. She and Grant have been cruising for months but just recently Addie has gotten brave and started standing up without holding on to anything. Then, she took a step toward mommy last week! Now she's taking a couple of steps at a time (when she doesn't panic and fall on her bum). It's so cute!
