Obituary Examples for a Grandmother

Betty Lou (Harper) Simmons, 91, of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away peacefully on October 4, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Betty was born on May 2, 1935, in Maryville, Tennessee, to Clarence and Opal Harper. She married Earl Simmons in 1954, and together they raised three children on a quiet street where every neighbor knew her pound cake. She worked for twenty years in a school cafeteria and taught Sunday school for longer than anyone can remember.

To her grandchildren she was Mamaw: the keeper of the cookie jar, the reader of bedtime stories, and the first one in the bleachers at every ball game, recital and graduation. She kept every card they ever made her in a shoebox under her bed.

Betty is survived by her children, Donna (Larry) Finch, Gary (Pam) Simmons and Teresa (Mike) Hall; eight grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Earl; her parents; and her brothers, Roy and Clyde.

The funeral will be held Friday, October 9, at 11 a.m. at Maple Grove Funeral Home, with visitation one hour before the service and burial to follow.

Our grandmother, Dolores Marie "Nana" Kowalski, 87, of Buffalo, New York, passed away on October 11, 2026. She was the center of our family, and we, her grandchildren, wanted to write this for her.

Nana was born in Buffalo on August 19, 1939, the daughter of Polish immigrants, and she never lived more than ten minutes from the house she grew up in. She worked at the corner bakery for thirty years, which explains why there were always pączki on her table on Fat Tuesday and a loaf of rye in our hands whenever we left.

She taught us to play gin rummy and to cheat at it, to make pierogi from scratch, and to say a prayer before every long drive. She never missed a birthday, there was always five dollars folded into the card, and she ended every phone call with "Be good, and call your mother."

Nana is survived by her children, Mark (Jean) Kowalski and Linda (Tom) Brennan; her grandchildren, Katie, Mike, Sarah, Joe and Emily; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Stanley.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, October 17, at 10 a.m. at her parish church, followed by burial.

Mae Ella Johnson, 94, of Montgomery, Alabama, passed away on October 6, 2026. A retired seamstress and lifelong member of Mount Olive Baptist Church, she was the beloved mother of four, grandmother of twelve and great-grandmother of twenty. She was preceded in death by her husband, Willie. Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 10, at 1 p.m. at the church, with burial to follow.

Shirley Ann Dawson, 79, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away on October 2, 2026, after a long illness.

Shirley was born in Muskogee on March 15, 1947. She worked for many years as a home health aide and was ready to slow down when, at fifty-eight, she became a mother all over again to her grandsons, Tyler and Jordan. She went back to packing lunches, sitting through parent-teacher conferences and cheering at football games, and she never once complained about it in front of them.

Tyler and Jordan say she gave them everything she had: a safe home, a strict curfew and more love than they knew what to do with. She lived to see both of them graduate, and to hold her first great-grandchild this summer.

Shirley is survived by her grandsons, Tyler (Brianna) Dawson and Jordan Dawson; her great-granddaughter, Kayla; her daughter, Michelle Dawson; and her sister, Gloria Price. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Ray.

A celebration of Shirley's life will be held Saturday, October 10, at 2 p.m. at New Life Community Church.

Ruth Elaine (Carlson) Bergstrom, 92, of Rockford, Illinois, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on October 3, 2026.

Ruth was born on February 8, 1934, in Moline, Illinois, to Arvid and Esther Carlson. She gave her life to Christ at the age of twelve and walked faithfully with Him for eighty years. She married Lyle Bergstrom in 1953, and for more than sixty years they served side by side at Bethany Covenant Church, where she taught Sunday school, sang in the choir and led the women's Bible study.

Her grandchildren will remember her worn Bible full of notes in the margins, the hymns she hummed while she baked, and the prayer she said over each of them by name every night. Whenever one of them was worried, she would take their hands and say, "Let's give it to the Lord."

Ruth is survived by her children, Karen (David) Lund, Paul (Janet) Bergstrom and Joy (Mark) Peterson; ten grandchildren; and fourteen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Lyle; her parents; and her brother, Harold.

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

A service celebrating Ruth's life and faith will be held Saturday, October 10, at 11 a.m. at Bethany Covenant Church, with visitation one hour before. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the church's missions fund.