My grandma Countryman passed away just before the July 4 holiday.
She’s the last living grandparent I had.
So, if this week’s newspaper looks rougher than usual, that’s probably a good portion to blame.
I had plans Wednesday and Thursday, stories I was trying to get to, things I was planning to cover.
Some of them still happened, as I was getting things ready to hand off to someone else to assist me and be there for my family or shift work hours to later evening instead.
Some of them took a backseat. A story that I could get to in another week’s issue became just that. Because in my world, the main story was not right in this community for once. It was on being there for my family.
I have a lot of great memories of my Grandma Countryman, especially her homemade applesauce and home cooking. There were at least two summers where my siblings and I spent time with her and grandpa at their home in Bella Vista, Ark., hanging out in air-conditioning during most days, miniature golfing or fishing in the evenings, road trips to sites to see in Arkansas, like Eureka Springs or a zoo in the area on occasion, too.
Grandma relocated from Arkansas to Iowa this past Christmas, and we had lovely visits those months leading up to her passing, talking about all the things going on in the world and my continued passion for my communities and journalism. That, and whooping me in bingo and other activities.
And so Wednesday, June 28, was a hard day for this editor, as he tried to keep busy to thwart dealing with the grief. Eventually, the running had to stop.
It’s one of those losses that starts small, but you know you’re going to feel in more ways in the months and years to come.
She’s with her husband Claire now, and her siblings like aunt Marcia.
And those of us who knew her and her sense of humor and laugh are just going to have to wait till we get there to hear it again.
Sunny Side – Trying to find bright side of grief
July 6, 2023
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.