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Day 75: Rest in Peace, Janan

Brian's grandmother, Janan Gulbrandson, passed away on Thursday and the funeral was today. We will miss her very much, and family events will never be the same again.

Here is a picture of Janan that Brian's dad took at our wedding in 2009:


Some happy things I want to remember from this sad day:

  • After the funeral and back at the house, the family poured a glass of Budweiser into her favorite glass and set it on the table for her. 
  • Brian's dad, Bob, told us about the first time he met Janan in the late 70s, where she was making hamburgers "for the boys to hold them over until dinner." Only Janan would think of hamburgers as a snack when it came to her family. I'll bet those were some good hamburgers too.
  • The priest talked about how Janan loved to travel, including her "short trips to Iowa with Roger and Sue." He said he didn't know what that meant. All of the family knew that she loved going down to her favorite slot machines at Diamond Jo's Casino.
  • A lot of people sent flowers but the most impressive, I thought, was the small vase with a carnation that said, "From the Class of '46."

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