I played my first game of Scrabble with my grandmother. I must have been in first or second grade and just beginning to grasp the concepts of spelling and reading. The words I spelled were simple and elegant: The, is, zoo, we, cat. My brother, who is two years older and wiser than I am, spelled more elaborate words such as \u201chome\u201d and \u201cbanana.\u201d My grandmother, who had quite the competitive spirit, spelled \u201cbitch\u201d and tallied her points as she asked us in her think Austrian accent, \u201cYou know what that means, right? It\u2019s a lady dog.\u201d She won that game. She always won. <\/p>\n
There are hundreds of grandma stories too bawdy and hilarious to share here, including the time she told us all that monogamy was unnatural. The term feisty doesn\u2019t do justice to her unique personality. A beautiful petite woman, most had no idea what they were getting into when they started a conversation with grandma. <\/p>\n
She passed away last night at the age of 97, having lived one of the fullest lives I could ever imagine. She escaped Nazi Europe with my grandfather, started a new life in New York City, traveled, raised a family, and once tossed a wild owl out of her house by grabbing the talons and heaving it out the door. To say she\u2019ll be missed is an understatement. And her recipe for matzo ball soup will forever be unmatched. Rest in peace, Grandma. <\/p>\n