KING-BARR FUNERAL HOME

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022

The Sentinel JUNIATA VALLEY MAGAZINE

Fortunate to have known them

Ruth Eddy is publisher of The Sentinel.

As I think about my grandparents, I was fortunate to know three of mine very well.

My maternal grandmother was “Grammy Davis” or “Gram” to her 18 grandchildren. Gram’s house was always filled with fun, laughter, love and the best aromas of food. I think there was always something cooking or baking in her house ... homemade bread, cakes, pies, and complete meals. It didn’t matter if she was using an old ceramic stove at her cabin or the regular stove in her kitchen, everything always tasted great.

I remember many Sunday afternoons spent enjoying a marvelous meal at Grammy’s house. One of my favorite dishes was stuffed beef flank and she would often make it for me on my birthday.

Grammy and I shared a love for shopping. There were many trips to stores where we would shop for clothes. Gram and my mother would take turns entertaining my brother who wasn’t fond of shopping.

We would usually end up eating a pretzel or popcorn along the way. I just loved being with her. I remember traveling to State College to shop and going to a restaurant known for its burgers and milk shakes. The waitresses came to your car to get your order. That was quite an adventure that we enjoyed.

I could tell you stories about how my Gram took care of her family despite difficult circumstances, about how she owned and operated two restaurants, about how she took in a nephew when he didn’t have a place to stay, and about how sweet and kind she was. As for me, I will always remember how wonderful it was to spend time with her.

As for my paternal grandparents, we moved in beside them when I was just 4 years old. Gram and Pap Shearer lived there until I was in college. They had a farm in Juniata County prior to that. They had a very large garden between our house and theirs.

One whole section of the garden was planted with strawberries. My brother and I picked a lot of strawberries over the years. A ripe strawberry, fresh off of the vine, has such a sweet taste. We would make homemade strawberry ice cream and strawberry shortcake. We would also cut and freeze a lot of strawberries. Despite eating them nearly every day in my youth, I still love strawberries.

Gram and Pap Shearer also had a lot of flowers planted around their house. One of my jobs was to water them. I still enjoy the beauty of flowers around my own home.

Gramma Shearer and I worked on a lot of projects. I painted ceramic plaques, made jewelry, canned food and learned how to sew there. She had worked in a sewing factory and could sew about anything. In fact, she made beautiful wedding and bridesmaid’s dresses. I never became that proficient at it, but I did make a sun dress in 4-H. Pap was a quiet man, who worked hard. He taught himself how to play an organ/piano without reading music, or as some might say, “to play by ear.” I loved to hear him play. He and my grandmother would sing at church. Given that he wasn’t outgoing, I know it must have been difficult for him to sing in front of people, but he had a pleasing deep voice.

I didn’t inherit the ability to sing, but I did take a few piano lessons and I could muddle through some basic songs on a piano.

I always enjoyed going to Gram and Pap Shearer’s house and all of the projects we would get into. It was fun to hear about stories from their childhoods and the farm. I knew how much they loved us and that they were always there for us.

It is interesting to see how each of the three grandparents helped to shape my life. I feel so very fortunate to have had each of them play a significant role in my life. If I am ever a grandparent, I hope I am able to be that close with my grandchildren. I would love for them to have those treasured memories of me.

Ruth Eddy

Ruth, center, sharing a moment with her brother and her Grammy Davis.

Stephen D. King-Supervisor, Director Roger G. Barr, Director