Grandma Abbott was one of the kindest, most generous women you would ever meet, but one of the most amazing things about her was how she was the anchor and true matriarch of such a large, loving family.  Until she couldn’t do it any longer, she had Christmas dinner for a massive extended family.  She made pajamas every year for her many grand children until it was too much for her.  Up until the last time I saw her, she was still sharp as a whip.  The last time I saw her was at my Grandpa Homick’s funeral and I remember sitting next to her in silence in a brief moment of piece and thinking that I was glad to be near her.  Those are just some of the memories I have of my Great Grandma Abbott.  I was lucky to know her and will cherish my memories of her always.

Love that's never ending and a heart made of gold.

I will forever carry with me fond memories of so many years of holdays with my whole family, including great-aunts and uncles and a large extended family. (I though everybody celebrated holdays with 20-30 people!). Our life was surrounded by beautiful food and the securty of home and family.

I remember holidays in the white house, running all over the place and climbing on Grandmpa as he napped. I remember grilled cheese sandwiches on the sun porch at the house on Grand River, and many family gatherings on Market Street. 

I remember a time when Grandma came to stay with us while Mom and Dad went on a trip. As she left, her parting words were: "It's time to blow this popsicle stand!" That is my Grandmother! A woman full of surprises, joy, and love. A strong, beautiful and regal woman. A role model to us all. You will always be with me and now it is time to blow this popsicle stand.

-Your Granddaughter, Susan Homick-Gillen

My great-grandma will be forever loved. I know she will always be watching over me and my entire family. She was the glue that kept the whole family together and while it is hard to let her go, I know she is not gone.

I’d like to share some of the great memories I have with my great-grandma. I remember going over to her house every Sunday for dinner for as long as I can remember. Her favourites were always pancakes, KFC and liver. Sometimes we would play games when we were younger; Yahtzee was always a favourite. Sometimes we would watch a movie after dinner. I can’t even count how many times we watched The King and I or An Affair to Remember.

Everyone loved her baking. Her butter tarts were amazing, as were her lemon pies. Even when I moved away to go to school, she would make me a lemon pie every time I would come home to visit because she knew it was my favourite. You could always count on there being cookies in the kitchen no matter when you showed up to her house.

At almost 98 years old, she lived a long and great life. She saw grand-children, great-grandchildren and even recently a great-great-grandchild. How amazing is it that she got to live to see such a big and wonderful family.  She was always such a strong person. I’ve written many papers in school on her and how strong and remarkable of a person she was.

Everyone will miss you dearly, but you will never be forgotten.