S/O What is/was so special about your grandmother(s)?

She had a kegerator (a permanent beer keg refrigerator) in her living room between her and her husband's armchairs, an endless string of little dogs, a 3 pack a day habit, the lowest smokiest voice, and the most beautiful skin you've ever seen. I saw her about a year before she died and I couldn't believe she had my baby picture on her TV. I was touched. I really never saw her, but my dad was her favorite child, so I guess I won over all the other grandchildren by extension.

My other grandma was in an Oscar-winning movie when she was a child, but the career my GGM planned for her didn't pan out. She went to college and met a handsome philanderer, they had 7 children, and then she divorced him and started her own ad agency. She was a feminist Catholic, however you work that one out. She was pretty cool.

I didn't know my maternal grandmother as she died when my mum was only four weeks old. Her father remarried when my mum was in her 20s, but she had no relationship with his wife.
I only have very vague memories of my paternal grandma, and don't remember what age I was when she died. All I remember is a little old lady with a temper, a piano, and the tiniest kitchen I have ever been in.

I don't remember my grandfathers either.

I was my grandmother's favorite. I just know it. I think about what an honor that is now. She was one tough broad and ridiculously strong. She built all the fences that stood around her families homestead and they still stand. Someday I am going to stop and ask for one of the poles. Our special treat was date shakes. They sound disgusting but oh so sweet! She was very funny but didn't want you to know it. She taught herself to play the piano and played at her church for many of years. When she was 80, she got herself a job at the library fixing books because she was bored. She was always having some sort of jr. high-esque fight with a neighbor lady and it always made me laugh. She was not always treated well by her husband, or her family which hardened her a bit. She died when I was pregnant with my oldest DD and I really wish that they could have met. She gave the best back scratches, made the best hamburgers and green beans.

sadly, i don't remember much about my grandmothers.  one lived in another country and one died when i was in my teens from cancer.  we didn't spend much time with her even though we lived in the same region. i do have an isolated memory of my one grandmothers who built me a swing. i thought that was cool.  

I was my Grandma's favorite and my 2 sisters and 3 girl cousins all knew it... The other 5 girls were "Grandpa's girls" but not me.

I used to spend my Spring Break, and a week of Christmas and Summer vacation with her as soon as I could walk and pack my suitcase.

She quilted, canned, knitted and loved flower gardens...

She never learned to drive (claiming to be too short) so when she moved from the country to the city she picked a house with a grocery store practically in her backyard and pushed the shopping cart across the highway, through her backyard, unloaded it and took it back in the cart rack (the peas would be proud).

When she went to her quilting group every Wednesday she'd have to get a ride with her crazy old lady friends who probably shouldn't have been driving...

She was always making friends, then they'd do something and she'd unfriend them for life.  The term "that old bat" always comes to mind when thinking about this...(if she had Facebook that would have been interesting...

She died when my girls were very small, and my boys weren't born yet, about nine years ago.

My paternal grandma died when I was 3 so I don't have any memories of her.

Oh, what a wonderful idea for a thread!

My maternal grandmother had a huge influence on my life. She taught me so much -- much on purpose, but a fair amount just by osmosis/observation. There are several of her "sayings" that I still reference on a regular basis.

She lived to be quite old and volunteered in a nursing home up until her last year or so -- they used to joke that she was older than most of the residents she was serving. She played percussion (mostly cymbals, triangle, and cabasas) in a senior citizens band. She could not be beat at canasta. I absolutely adored her. She was such a lady and always so proper... but yet a very loving grandmother.

One of my fondest recollections was the sleeping porch at her old Atlanta (West End) home. That back room had windows on three sides. In the summer, I would sleep back there with my grandmother and my cousin all pile up in her big fluffy bed. The windows would all be open and though the screens we could hear the crickets and smell the highly fragrant gardenias that ringed the outside, I think I slept more peacefully there than I ever have again in my life.

Both of my grandmothers were born at the turn of the century.

My father's family was rich ( lost every cent in the stock market crash) and were vicious people. My grandmother and her twin sister hung out with gangsters. My grandmother got married had twins that died, had my father, left her husband and son , went to NYC , became addicted to opium. She was hauled back home , to take care of my father. The tale is she never divorced her husband, until her father died, because of the shame of it. I believe that her younger sister was the one who destroyed their marriage. She died about a year before my brother was born. Possibly overdosing on asthma medicine. From what family has said I don't think she was a nice woman. None of them were.

My mother's mother married at 22 in 1922. Have 4 children rather fast and then lost her husband a couple years after my mother was born.
She was the iron fist that made the family stay together.
She developed severe arthritis and was in a wheelchair by the time she was 50. Altho I do remember her being able to push a grocery cart with me in it. I remember her eyes even with mine. It might have been the last time she walked. She wasn't a cuddly person. The pain and the drugs she was addicted to probably took away all the soft edges. When she died the family fell apart. I feel very sorry that my mother's sister ended up having to care for grandma, almost with no support from the family. The only time she had away from her is when she surgery to remove cancer.

I was the only granddaughter of my paternal grandmother and the favorite of my maternal. Paternal GM lived to be 95 and was able to know my DDs and spend a lot of time with them. Maternal GM passed at 83. She was a great cook and made the most delicious cakes. Every Christmas there would be at least 10 different ones. I could never understand (and still don't) why anyone would eat a Chocolate Raisin one though! Such fond memories.

Although I was 8 when my paternal grandmother died, I had never met her. I do wish I had known her as her life could not have been more different to mine. She was born in 1878 in the part of Austria which is now Italy and must have had an idyllic childhood living in a beautiful villa (I have been lucky enough to visit it), educated by governesses and living with her parents and grandmother who had been lady in waiting to the Queen of Naples. She was fluent in English, Italian and German and was an accomplished artist. I have a couple of her sketches. I have found out a lot about her through my love of genealogy and there are many skeletons in her closet!

My maternal grandparents lived with us when I was little and sort of brought me up until my adored grandfather died when I was 3 and my grandmother left us to look after her sister who was ill. I probably only saw her a few more times until her death on my 11th birthday. I remember watching her getting ready for bed and was astonished to see she had waist length white hair. She always wore it up in a bun and I had no idea it was anything but short. She always wore a wrap around apron in the house and always had a hat and gloves when she went out. She had two fox fur collars which frightened the life out of me.

We always had tea rather than dinner at her house. At 4 o’clock we
would sit down to sandwiches and Home made cake (which was actually a packet mix to my disappointment). The adults had hot tea
and I always had a glass of lemon barley water. She gave me this and more cake at bedtime too. The dog would get tea in a saucer at tea time. She was a great knitter and embroiderer and I still remember the school sweater she made for me and the clothes she made for my doll which set me off on my love of crafts. She was wonderful.

My grandmother was very crafty. As I put out my Christmas, I see it. When I was in junior high school, she took a tree branch, spray painted it gold, stuck it in a pot of plaster of Paris, and made these little dolls as ornaments. Eventually the leaves fell off of the branch, so I tossed it, but I put the dolls on a mini tree every year. I have a picture that has a red velvet background, and she put plastic leaves on it it make it a Christmas tree. She shoved lights on it and glued on rhinestones. It is so pretty. She also made us all these jewelry trees. She took foam, stuck lights in them, and put jewels all in the foam. Mine broke it half and I had to toss it. I know it sounds gaudy, but they were really pretty. She was my dad's mom, and when she found out my parents had gotten married, she locked herself in the bathroom and cried for hours. My parents got married quickly because he was being sent away to California, and she lived in the East Coast and at that time my grandparents were visiting family in Germany. It all worked out.

My maternal grandmother was right out of Central Casting. She sewed, knit, baked, cooked, canned and loved us so much! She just passed away this year and I was so fortunate to have had her around for 45 years! Growing up, we spent a lot of weekends with her and my Grandpa (who is still alive) and I remember just sitting in chairs next to each other and reading all day long. She would always make me French Toast for breakfast and Cream of Mushroom soup for lunch. They also took us out to eat at fancy restaurants, took us on vacations, and to professional football games. She really was the best.

I also was lucky enough to grow up with a Great Grandmother. She lived until I was in my early 20's and lived next door to my Grandparents, so we spent a lot of time with her. She made the best chocolate chip cookies (we've all tried to recreate them, but can't), would play Crazy 8's for hours on end with us, and gave us Luden's cherry cough drops as candy. LOL

I didn't know my paternal grandmother well as she lived on the opposite side of the country.