Remembering Grandma Nell Shirts

This is Nell and me. I've made us each younger (and thinner). We are connected by love and by blood. (I'm borrowing imagery a bit from Frida Kahlo, Thanks Frida.) Grandma was always a bit fussy about her looks and didn't allow much picture taking. Consequently we don't have a lot of pictures of her. I'm one of many of her descendants that look just like her. I used to be camera shy as well but decided I look how I look and others love me anyway so take those pictures.

Nell, Bobby, and Max Shirts 1945

I always called her Grandma Shirts but now My mom is Grandma Shirts to my nieces and nephews, so I think of her as Nell. It's been nearly fourteen years since Grandma Nell died. I fear I'm beginning to forget her so I'm writing what I can remember. Grandma was funny, she loved telling funny stories, even if they were funny at her own expense. Example: Grandma picked up the phone one day, but couldn't hear the people on the other end.

Grandma: Hello?
Other Party: Muffled blah blah blah.
Grandma: What?
Other Party: Would you like blah blah blah.
Grandma: What?
Other Party: Would you like a free hearing test today?
Grandma: No thank you. My hearing is just fine.

She thought that was hilarious.

• She loved funny birthday cards and cartoon strips.
• She really got into BYU football and would get worked up over the games when she was in her early seventies (possible before, I'm not sure on that one.)
• She wore big clip-on earrings and liked costume jewelry.
• She loved bold print patterns on her clothes and designed many of her own dresses by combining  patterns.
• Since I mostly saw her in her own home, I mostly remember seeing her wearing loose fitting house  dresses.
• She kept her home scrupulously clean. Except for the basement that didn't have the kind of stairs she  trusted so she mostly just tried to keep us out of it. We thought the basement was awesome with it's  treasure trove of stuff and ping pong table.
• She was squeamish about using restrooms anywhere but her own home.
• She was also squeamish about trying my mom's awesome pasta fruit salad because it was called "frog eye" salad. She had no problem with the term "toe jam" though. (Which makes me cringe.)
• She would lose names a lot. If she was telling a story and forgot the name of a person involved she would stop the story and not continue until she remembered the person's name. Forgetting names drove her nuts. ( I forget names and common words the way Grandma forgot names, and I've learned to talk around them until it comes to me since I remember it drove me crazy too that Grandma would stop a good story for ten minutes to try to get Grandpa to remember the name she wanted.)
• She wore her wristwatch on the inside of her wrist, and often tucked a hankie into it.
• She attended Grandpa's many musical concerts even if they ran for multiple days.
• She hated to drive but didn't mind telling Grandpa how to do it.
• She suffered from anxiety and allergies.
• She taught Gospel Doctrine in Sunday school for many years.
• She lost her first child to heart problems when he was a baby and didn't like to talk about it.
• She made the best lemon meringue pie ever and a wonderful mustard ham.
• She always had a selection of pickles at meals.
• She didn't get to see most of her grandchildren very much since they lived far away, but she loved  them.
• I feel very lucky that I lived close enough to spend many Sunday evenings with her and Grandpa.
• She was wonderful and I miss her.

Nell and Max Shirts late 1980's or early 1990's

Feel free my family to share any memories of Grandma Shirts in the comments.