March 25, 2006

Grandmas have a way of imprinting some of the best parts of them on to you. My Grandma Leppink was no different. For as long as I can remember she called me her "Little Mary Sunshine". She would let me help her cook in the kitchen even though it would be years before I could actually manage something edible on my own. She would treat me to warm afternoons on her porch with her special "limeade" (lemonade with limes), and no Leppink would ever be without cucumbers and onions in a salt and vinigar liquid. She instilled me the love for a clean kitchen and bathroom, and taught me how to clean them proper. She had a love for all things that grow and her garden made you wish you had your own that was full of tasty veggies, flowers and shade trees. She showed me how to buff my nails to a shiny gloss, and that all ladies should wear proper jewelry. The last time I got to see her we spoke and she told me how proud she was of me, and that she loved my drawings and cards. She passed away the first day of spring while I was walking through Hyde Park admiring the dafodils thinking how much she would love see them all coming into bloom. She will be missed and she was loved.

Grandma Leppink
March 21, 1922 - March 21, 2006