With mixed emotions I wanted to write about my wonderful grandma, whom I call Bomma. She is an amazing woman, whose life ended peacefully on March 21, 2009. Bomma has always been the one grandparent I was closest with. Papa, her husband, died on my sixth birthday, resulting in faded memories and images from stories told by others. My fathers parents live on the other side of the country. Growing up in a large family made it so that traveling to their house only happened once in my entire life. Therefore, Bomma was the grandparent I knew, I talked to, I saw, I thought of when I took care of elderly people in the hospital, I cared about, and loved. She was always the fun energetic and spunky little old lady. She drove fast and would curse when she messed up. When we roasted hot dogs on Memorial Day she would call them wienies, and never understood why we snickered. At Bomma's house we always ate eggo waffles for breakfast, and crackers of all kind were available in a plastic tupperware. 
She had the coolest lava lamp in her basement and pictures galore that I could have looked at for hours. She loved animals, especially cats, and I loved her Skip and Targa. 
Bomma's health was always pretty good. A few years ago it started on the decline. It went from her living by herself to needing an aide in the house, to moving to an assisted living facility. My mom would visit her often and give us updates and we knew the end was coming. In the last month, Bomma developed congestive heart failure, was placed on hospice, started wheezing when she breathed, and required oxygen. The night before Bomma passed, my uncle gave her a blessing stating that it was okay and she could go whenever she desired. The next day family gathered at her side. Later that evening my mother and my aunt sat at her side and just talked. They talked of life memories and laughed. At about 10:30pm they stopped for a minute and sat in silence. Bomma had always loved listening to her daughters talk. When they paused for a few minutes she decided it was time and passed into the next life. I know Bomma is happy because she is with her husband again. 
I was able to travel out to the funeral. It was great to see so much family. All of my siblings were there and only one spouse. It was kind of fun to hang out with the girls. Then at the funeral there were so many cousins. Some cousins I hadn't seen since I was eleven. We talked, caught up, laughed, and had a great time. It was sad that my Bomma has passed, but it is for the better. She used to tell me that her mother lived till she was 96, then get teary and tell me that she did not want to live till she was 96. I am happy that she was able to live a good life, that she is now able to be with Papa, and that she no longer has to be in pain. I love you Bomma and I will miss you, but I know that you are in a better place.
Now for the pictures:
This is Bomma's grave site and carrying the casket. After the site was dedicated, they said that we would take a pedal or flower from her arrangement. The great grand children love this and my mother ended up with lots of beautiful flowers.
After the funeral we had a luncheon. Then started taking family pictures. First my family:
This is my parents in front and all he siblings from oldest to youngest.
Donna, Pam, Bryan, Karen, Sandi, Sharon, Debbie, Kristin, Kammi
Then my family with the one in-law present and the children:
Here is my mother with her siblings. Tom, Dorothy, Janet, Bob
Bob's family: Jessica, Bobby, Lesli, Bob, Nichole, Ashley
Tom's Family: Wendy, Tom, Nga, Jason, Shirley, Nate, Jonathan
Then Janet's Family: Hailey, Chris, Sarah, Janet, Marc, Sammy, Sean, Lindsay, Krista, Janie, Jesse, Kyra
This picture is special to me because it is me with two cousins of mine. We are all the same age and I don't even remember the last time we were all three together. Maybe my grandfathers funeral when I was six. Yeah it is that bad. So here we are, Wendy, Ashley, and I:
Then a random picture that I wanted to put in because it was cute. Here is Declan:
Then I like this picture because you can see Karen's belly. In this picture she is 36 weeks along, and looks great!
Here is a copy of Bomma's obituary:
Leila Allen Alexander 1918 ~ 2009 Leila Allen Alexander, known as Bomma to all her family, passed away March 21, 2009 at the age of 90.Leila was born in Salt Lake City, October 20, 1918 to Frank Stewart and Inez Allen. She and her family lived in Coalville until she was seven years old. The family moved to Salt Lake City where she attended school and graduated from East High School. Leila met and married Albert James Alexander (Alex) who was in the Army Air Corps, on August 16, 1941. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. When World War II broke out, he was sent to the South Pacific for four years returning in 1945. Through the years after that, Leila and Alex raised their family of four children in California, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia. While living in Salt Lake City, Leila served 11 years as a guide in the LDS Church Office Building and the Church Museum. She also served in many ward and stake positions throughout her life. She has always been a source of energy and spiritual strength to others. Leila was a tremendously unifying influence in her family and loved having them around to share special times. A typical family get-together for her would be a breakfast or picnic in Mill Creek Canyon with her brothers and their families. She has also loved and been very attached to her pet cats. She was kind hearted and enjoyed helping others in need, even during hard times for her own family. Leila was preceded in death by her husband Alex and is survived by her four children - Robert James (Betty), Dorothy (Larry) Hunt, Thomas Frank (Shirley), and Janet (Marc) Johnson; her brother, Frank (Lola), 21 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
