Her name means Independence in Armenian.
Sunday, August 16, 2009 by Beth Stephenson (grandduaghter)
My grandmother was someone who reminded me time and time again that proper grammar never dies, that fruit salad goes with every meal, and that playing scrabble in three different languages simultaneously eliminates your competition (pretty much everyone I know except my mother). She was a living example of how one could challenge the likes of google with a simple encyclopedia… and win, that three meals a day can run like clockwork, that all it took to pick up men was writing letters (how she met my late grandfather) or going square dancing (how she met her second husband) and that you are never too old to send emails and fill inboxes with chipper news and updates.
She never grew tired of reading, playing crossword puzzles in large print or watching UCLA play (win or loose) basketball and football. Her friends were friends for life, going as far back as middle and high school. To keep in touch, she stayed on top of technology and even had a car phone when they looked very similar to bricks. Mind you she crocheted a case that not only masked its brick like shape but also matched her steering wheel cover. And if you ever found yourself riding in the passenger or backseat clearing your throat or coughing, she always had a purse full of honey or eucalyptus flavored cough drops to do the trick.
Saturday mornings were set aside to call her three children. Don’t worry about sleeping in, because she was probably the wake up call reminding you Saturday mornings were like any other day in the week- early. I remember breakfasts at her old house in Paso Robles on the weekends- Belgium waffles were thrown into the mix as an option. And she made a mean waffle. Her cooking skills were extraordinary, as she often cooked for many- many people or many days; which were pretty much considered one in the same. Baking was not her forte, so making chocolates and mints with candy molds sufficed, and always made their appearance on the dessert table for the holidays, with plenty extra for everyone take home a bag or two.
She was nothing short of learning, discovery and positivity. …no pun intended. One day in the hospital she learned that watching the lakers play in high-def was much more exciting than on her regular television. (her tv was quickly replaced with an HD flatscreen). I wish I could reenact the moment she discovered that her Christmas gift one year was not a new rummy cube board game, but a keyboard to a brand-new computer, or recreate and share with all of you her mindset that her cancer pills and medication were curing cancer for a second time. I distinctly remember one day on the phone when she described eating dinner sitting upright in a chair at a table vs. eating her meals in the hospital bed. For all I knew it could have just as easily been her biggest triumph.
My grandmother was strong, courageous, curious and loving. All qualities you can see in her children and grandchildren today. …Although, I am certain that I am the only one that inherited her sense of direction (or lack thereof). Her positive outlook on life was contagious, her name will forever be remembered but it is her radiance that will carry on indefinitely.
Angagh Kalpakian MacKellar-Elwood
December 26, 1918- August 6, 2009