Grandma Sweet Pea

Mary Gertrude Anderson Gwilliam

We said good bye to a grand lady last week.  Scott's mother, Mary Gertrude Anderson Gwilliam, passed away on June 10th. Most of the Grandkids called her "Grandma Sweet Pea." The chain of events leading up to her death were, in hindsight, full of inspired promptings preparing us all for this event.  

Scott was so grateful for a wonderful opportunity he had a few years ago to take his mother on a trip with him, and wrote a journal entry about his experience:  

Mary and Scott enjoying lunch at a Paris Cafe

"My mother and I traveled to England and France together three years ago in August 2009.   While driving home from work one afternoon in July, I called my mom to see if she would be interested in joining me on an upcoming trip to England and France.  I suggested that we could try and find the home where she and dad lived in the early 1950's while my dad was stationed in France during his time in the Army.  As you know, my mother likes to stay close to home, so I was shocked to find that before I arrived home from work she had already called my sister to tell her she was going with me to France and England.We spent just over a week in Europe, saw the appropriate things in each city, but the best part of the trip was using old black and white photographs to find the home where she and dad lived in 1953 and 1954.  We traveled to Donnezac, about an hour North of Bordeaux and found the home where they lived, the home where their close friends had lived, visited the location where the military base had been in Bussac and then knocked on the door of the home she had lived in 55 years earlier to find that Madeleine LeGarde, her Landlord in 1954 still lived there.  

Mary outside the apartment where she lived in 1954 

By the end of the day, I was overwhelmed with feelings that this entire event had been inspired by a guiding hand.

 As I look back almost three years, what touches my heart now is the realization that my mother's desire to take this trip was for me and for my dad, not for herself.  When I asked is we should invite anyone else, she said, "no", I'd prefer it to be just the two of us.  I had asked her many times over many years to take a trip with me to one place or another, and this was the time she said, "yes".  I know she also did this to please her husband, who also enjoyed being a little more adventurous.  I felt very close to my father the entire time we were traveling and I believe that the the Lord allowed my father a glimse into this world to see his wife and son enjoying this wonderful experience together.   I know it was physically difficult for her to travel so far at this age and walk such long distances, but she did it cheerfully and I know she enjoyed it because it brought such joy to me and my father.  Thanks, Mom, I love you."

Mary and Scott going for a Rickshaw ride in London

So many memories continue to fall over each of us as we've accepted her passing.  She loved her family and talked about each one of her kids and grandkids, always keeping us informed of one another's activities and accomplishments.  She always had a story to tell us about another sibling or one of their kids.

Grandma was always well dressed and groomed, in clean, pressed clothing, with hair styled and make-up applied, even if she had no plans to go anywhere that day.
Grandma devoted many hours of her life to church service, and especially loved serving in the Primary.  She spent many years doing genealogy extraction/indexing, and performed weekly temple sealings for many, many years.




She loved being home, especially as she got older.  And even though she was alone, she kept herself busy.  Puzzles, sports, reading, and of course, knitting and crocheting.  At one time, I asked her to estimate the number of afghans, sweaters, baby booties, and other things she had knitted or crocheted over the years.  We laughed as we tried to recreate the hundreds and hundreds of items she skillfully created, and calculated how many miles of yard had been used.  

In 2008, I had the opportunity to sing in the SL Tabernacle for the Relief Society Music Festival.  One of my favorite pieces was called "Our Hearts Knit Together In Love," by Tamra Braatz.   The second verse in that song spoke strongly to me, and I always thought about Mary when I sang these words: 

Sweet Pea

As beloved spirit daughters of our God,
We strengthen home and family, holding to the iron rod.
Working hand in hand, we weave eternal bands,
Rejoicing in the temple of the Lord.
Our hearts knit together in love,
Our hearts drawn closer to our Father up above.
As a sisterhood united, standing tall, undivided,
Devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our hearts reaching out to those in need.
Our hearts searching for His flocks to feed.
As a mother, daughter, friend,
We'll endure to the end,
With our hearts knit together in love.


  

Grandson Pall Bearers

Mary truly was a beloved spirit daughter, who, much like her beautiful handwork, weaved eternal bands around her family, knitting us together in love.