Rosellen Newhall
October 1, 1923
December 10, 2006
It's been four years since my Nana passed away. She was the most loving, funny, generous Nana that anyone could wish for and she is greatly and constantly missed by myself and all of her children and grandchildren. I have spent a great deal of time over the last four years scanning about 500 photographs of her from her childhood through the final years of her life. It's been quite a long process that I've just recently finished. Although at times it seemed never-ending, it was a pleasure to look through the photographs and revisit moments of her amazing life.
Here are a few of my favorites...
Lovely.
Nana in a sanitarium in Shoreline, WA where she spent a few years in confinement (on bed rest) suffering from tuberculosis. She was discharged with six months to live and was told not to marry or have children. She insists no one ever told her she was going to die so... she didn't! She met her husband here (he was also a patient) and they would communicate by "talking" in morse code through the pipes.
With her friends while working in Alaska on the Alsakan Highway (she's in the white blouse).
With my mom, Eileen, their first of five children.
We spent long, wonderful summer days having adventures on her farm.
Reading with Meghan.
Nana holding me when I was a newborn.
Meghan, Ryan and me with Nana. Look how much bigger Ryan was than me! What a porker! He insists he was simply "closer to the camera".
I'm not sure what holiday this was but I appear to have chocolate all over my face.
We loved our couch time with Nana. We had many "apple parties" with her which consisted of her cutting up apples with a paring knife and us devouring them.
At night and in the mornings Ryan and I would climb into her sleeping bag with her... we continued to do this with her all her life although she complained more and more about it as the years went by (but she didn't mean it).
Nana loved it when we would "help" her with her crossword puzzles.
With Nana on her farm.
Nana loved nothing more than having us (all the cousins) all causing mischief together at her farm during the summers. She LOVED her grandkids.
Me with my Nana.
Her favorite Irish blessing:
May the roads rise up to meet you.
And the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And the rains fall soft upon your field.
And until we meet again
May the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hands.