Sharing my simple thoughts on someone who has known me my entire life, yet I have only been around for the last 44 years of her life.

Looking back on other losses in my life, I have always said later, ‘I wish I knew them better,’ ‘I wish I had listened to more of their stories.’ Unfortunately, as a kid you just want to play, and as an adult life gets too busy. I honestly think my Granny might have known me better than I knew her. But I hope that I can glean enough about her to honor her life.

I will be honest. I will be realistic. For me, Granny was also honest and realistic. What a way to honor her.

Truthfully speaking, my Granny lived a real life-one that was not sugar coated and one that at times was incredibly difficult. Yet at the same time, one that was incredibly beautiful, honoring, respectful, entertaining, enjoyable, and good. She was real. And in her memory, so should we be.

My Granny lived a simple life. And I mean that as an incredible honor.

For most of us, we hear the words ‘simple life’ and think: she was poor, didn’t have a lot of belongings, lived in one place her whole life, was meek, perhaps was uneducated, just did work around the house, she didn’t make a name for herself.

I do not mean she lived a simple life in any of those terms. I do mean that she lived the life that God has called each of us to live. And that type of living is in actuality the most difficult yet fulfilling way to live.

She never wanted too much trouble, or stress, or busyness, or worries of life. She wanted it simple, stay clear of the rigga marole.

She had four daughters, she slept by the same man every night for almost 50 years, she has many grandkids and great grandkids. She worked; saw numerous parts of our country. She lived through countless wars, racist decades, technological advances, the civil rights and equality era, and learned from dozens of incredible world leaders. She was quite blunt. She was spunky and sarcastic. And most recently I saw her joy when she had a house full of family again for her last Christmas. She was real.

Actually, God calls each of us to this real and simple life. Jesus says to us, ‘Love your God and Love your neighbor.’ That’s it. He sums up his entire message and life in that sentence. It’s pretty simple- of course the acting upon such a sentence is what becomes difficult.

This is exactly why my Granny’s life was real and simple. She loved God and loved family. Other people…like her, we all try. This type of life is fulfilling and difficult. It’s worthwhile yet exhausting. It’s an uphill hike yet the view is always spectacular.

All of us are here today because she simply loved God and loved us, her family/neighbors.

Loving God and loving people- it is the most honoring way of living I know. The most respectful way of living I know. The most selfless way of living I know. And quite frankly, it’s the only way to truly live.

I can only imagine that after 98 years of life how much knowledge my Granny contained in her mind, how many wise words she could have spoken, how many stories of pain and hardship or love and joy she could have recalled, how many life experiences her eyes had witnessed, how many miles her feet walked, how many textures her hands felt, and how many people she came to love.

My hope is that we all may live a simple life full of loving God and loving our neighbor. That all of us after 65, 75, 85, 95 years of living- someone may say about us – he or she loved God with everything we had, we loved our neighbor better than ourselves. He or she truly lived.
I’ll close this with a little bit a levity. As a child when mom would bring us over to Granny’s house, we would always want what she had in her kitchen/refrigerator. I always remember her scolding us and telling us “All you kids do is want, want, want”. That has stayed with me all through the years. I think it is fitting to say that I can imagine her looking at all of her children, grandchildren and family; who are wishing we had more time with her, to hear her repeat this (All you kids do is want, want want!) as she marches on to her next adventure. I love you Granny - Tony

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Porter Loring Mortuary - McCullough

Mary Puente

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Mary L. Puente

November 11, 1925 – April 2, 2024

Porter Loring Mortuary - McCullough

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