Virginia LeBlanc

My grandmother, who would have been 85 on Feb 21st, passed away this morning, and I thought a nice way for me to remember her would be to write about some of my favorite memories of the times we spent together.

When I was growing up in CT, we would spend a good chunk of the summer up at my gram's house in Randolph, MA. She had a pool and when I was really young, an awesome husky dog named Sheba. I owe my love of baseball and the Red Sox really to my Gram, as it was the nightly tradition to watch the Sox games in the summer...and I remember her always falling asleep on the couch by the 8th inning and I would wake her up when it was over. I am so glad that she lived to see them win, not just one but two, World Series.

We also had really amazing times in Nova Scotia, when we went to visit her Aunt Thelma...we would take the overnight ferry from Portland, ME up to Canada. It was so fun b/c it was a gambling boat and my Gram would let me pull the lever on the slot machines. Plus I could play bingo and actually, once we were up in Canada, I went with her and my mom a couple of times to these big Bingo nights and won some serious cash! The house we stayed at was pretty much in farmland in the Anapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, and it was so beautiful. Right near a river and blueberry fields...we loved to pick the fresh berries and bake pies!

The biggest thing about my Gram and how my memories are tied to her are through her and The Corner store. She ran her own "mom and pop" grocery mart for 49 years in Randolph. I loved running in the back door and grabbing lunch everyday that we were there. She'd sometimes let me help her make the egg salad sandwiches for the deli...and I remember how much the house stunk like eggs after they'd been boiling all afternoon. I didn't get to run the cash register often, even when I was high school...somehow she never saw me as being old enough to handle it. We went to the warehouse places to buy supplies and make orders together...I got to sometimes help her restock. I remember I loved being able to go in the freezer with her or other employees and help. It was so much fun...and such a part of her life. I mean, Gram was a hard worker. She almost always opened and closed that store - 6am and 9pm. And I know that in some ways that lead to problems in the family over the years, her being almost overly devoted to the store, but at the same time, I respect that she was so independent and very committed to the business.

I loved her and I'm so glad that Chris got to meet her a few times. Especially glad that we saw her so recently on New Year's Day. Love you Gram!