In Loving Memory

Dorothy Emma Burgess Hale
more commonly known as "the grandma Grandma"

I want to tell you a little bit about the woman in the picture. She went by many names and titles.
To friends, she was Dorothy. Her husband and some friends I believe called her Dot.
To me, and many many others (30+) she was simply Grandma. She grew up in Chula, MO and
later lived in Chillicothe, MO. She always referred to herself as a farm girl. Well, I don't
know the year or date...but I do know that she met and fell in love with a young man known to
most as Buddy. They married and had 9 children, the 6th of whom is my daddy. Unfortunately,
grandpa died in early 1978. We were blessed enough to have Grandma around until 1989. She
was the perfect grandma. Her cooking was amazing, her patience limitless, her love knew no bounds.
She would stand next to me washing dishes and listening to each and every "tragedy" I suffered
as a child. She was the first to know Allison slapped me during chapel or how angry I was
that Colleen told Matthew I loved him. I found out many years later that it was these times, the
ones where I was so emotional and in need of someone to simply listen and tell me it would
be ok...those times when nothing my parents could say would help...that's when they called
Grandma. I would go over for dinner or help her carry groceries home and she listened to
every word I had to say. If a boy broke my heart, it was his loss. If a girlfriend was cruel,
I was assured that all heals with time and that many things people say they don't mean. Without fail,
when my siblings and I would trek down the blocks to go sledding at "suicide hill", our walk home
was always interrupted by Grandma opening her door as we passed her house ever so slowly.
There was always hot cocoa and usually fresh cookies. I miss her dearly and the smallest things,
the feel of a hug, smell of her perfume, walking to Mass, washing dishes by hand....all
treasured memories and I hope they remain vivid enough to introduce my children to this wonderful
woman. Hopefully, this little "essay" gives you at least a tiny picture of Grandma.