In Memory of my Grandmother, Mary Smiraglia
My grandmother, Mary Smiraglia, passed away this Wednesday at the age of 85 after a bout with liver cancer. Each of the grandchildren were asked to write a letter to or about her. This is mine.
From my earliest memories, my grandparent’s house was always filled with what seemed like a thousand people. Whether it was Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just someone’s birthday, my entire huge family was always there. I looked forward to these events so much because I knew how fun they would be.
As a kid, I thought everyone had a large family that they were really close with. The older I got, the more I realized that this was something very special and a thing to be cherished. Despite having 7 children, 18 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren, my grandmother always made time for each of us. I remember her coming to my elementary school for ‘grandparents’ day’ and bragging about having 18 grandchildren and how amazing they all were. They would ask all of the grandparents to stay standing until their number of grandchildren was called. My grandmother was always the last one standing.
Sometimes you don’t understand how strong a person is until they have to deal with tragedy. My grandfather passed away rather suddenly when I was 10-years-old. This was a very tough time for my family and something that I know devastated my grandmother. Some people would have been defeated by the loss of their true love, what must have been an overwhelming experience. My grandmother, however, dealt with the loss by bringing the family even closer together.
One of my grandmother’s greatest sources of pride was that she, as a single child, created a huge family that now is comprised of 28 people. The more you think about this, the more incredible it really is. And what is even more incredible than the size of our family is the love she infused throughout it.
I consider my family as one of the greatest gifts that I have been blessed with. It’s because of my grandmother, Mary Smiraglia, as well as my grandfather, that our family is what it is today. To me, her lasting legacy will be in the lives of her children, myself, and in all of my cousins.
To honor her, we must all continue her legacy of putting family first, caring and loving each other, and enjoying the gift of family that she has given us.
Over the last few months, she had to deal with a lot of physical pain. Even during this time she always had a kind and loving word for each of us. It’s almost trite to say this, but it’s true. I know she is in a much better place now and I am so grateful for that.
