Grandma turned 100 years old on Nov. 3, 1995. It was something we had looked forward to for months. However, the day wasn't without sadness. Grandma had broken her hip in August and hadn't regained her independence. Up until that time, she'd been able to get around without much difficulty. She took care of herself for the most part and she insisted on doing the dishes on a regular basis. She'd been in pain, however, from some compression fractures of the vertebrae, so she was gradually becoming less mobile. Her only son had also died of cancer two days earlier. Grandma lived with Mom and my uncle moved in with them about the same time Grandma broke her hip. Mom had thought they'd be able to keep each other company and she also expected that Uncle Johnny would live much longer than he did. It seems sad that the celebration was mixed with a funeral, but I guess it depends on your point of view. I think he wanted to be there for the birthday celebration/family reunion, but he might have felt he would put a damper on it. Or, he might have given out from the exhaustion of hanging on.
