Eulogy for Jessica by Noah
As I was thinking about what to say today, my mind kept returning to a line from the poem inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty.
"From her beacon hand glows worldwide welcome."
This might as well have been inscribed on the door of 364 Alta Dena Court. From Aunt Rachel and my dad’s elementary, middle, high school, and college friends to generations of Wash U professors, spouses, and children to family from across the globe, the house glowed with worldwide welcome from the beacon hand of Grandma Jessica.
In spring 2018, my college a cappella group toured St. Louis and we did a short concert in Grandma and Grandpa’s living room. That night, as the group was hanging out, multiple people mentioned something to the effect of “So that’s what a grandma is like” or “She was like an ideal grandma.” I remember being struck by that, that in less than an hour, she had made such a strong impression on my friends. It made me realize how lucky I was and how lucky we were to have her in our lives.
Grandma Jessica made everyone who crossed her path, however briefly, feel loved, appreciated, and seen. If there was someone in the room that she could help or feed or even just be present with, she would not rest until she did. In the past few years, even as her energy flagged, she was tireless, taking care of Grandpa through his health challenges. We had to remind her to sit and rest and not do too much to exhaust herself, sometimes unsuccessfully.
Grandma represented connections that transcended generations and geographical boundaries. Despite the distance from Maryland and Chicago to St. Louis, I always felt close to Grandma. Every week when I was in elementary and middle school, I looked forward to hearing about her latest genealogical discovery on our weekly Skype calls, learning about Myszyniec and Ostrów Mazowiecka, the birthplaces of the Kramer family. We shared a love of Gilbert and Sullivan and I loved keeping her up to date on my productions, up to and including the one that Mary Nora and I are performing later this week!
I’ll always be grateful that Mary Nora got the chance to meet her and form a relationship with her. As we’ve built our lives together, I’ve thought a good amount about how Grandma and Grandpa lived their lives together, how they were pillars of their community and how I’d like for us to be as well. Three weeks ago, when we got engaged, she was one of the first people we shared the news with. Two days later, she sent us a lovely message. It began, “When I first learned of your birth, I thought that I could never be happier. How mistaken!!” with two exclamation points. I’m grateful that she was able to share in the joy with us.
I want to close with something written almost 72 years ago, in May 1953. Grandma was a rehearsal accompanist for her high school’s Gilbert and Sullivan productions and she kept her scores. They’re full of notes from classmates, almost yearbook-style, appreciating her work, wishing the best. There was one that stood out to me: “To one of the sweetest and most wonderful girls I’ve ever met. You were wonderful to me and I’ll never forget you. Take care of yourself and good luck through the years.”
What an amazing life Grandma Jessica lived. 88 years of life, 62 years of marriage, two children, three grandchildren, and an uncountable number of lives touched.
To the sweetest and most wonderful grandma, you were wonderful to me and to all of us. We will never forget you.