Speech for Evelyn Olga Phippen May’s 80^th birthday party

Nov. 1, 1997

Audubon, Iowa

Hi. I’m Joan Bundy, daughter of Steve May and granddaughter of Evelyn.

I would like to share a few thoughts about my grandmother.

One of my earliest memories in life is that of visiting Grandma at her home, then at 508 Hill Haven Street in Exira. I still have a picture of me sitting at that kitchen table drinking orange juice--the entire scene reflected in her toaster!

Grandma has meant a lot of things to me over the years, but one aspect of our relationship has never changed: her love.

She has always been there with kind words of encouragement, a hug or one of her famous finger rubs (Grandma has THE SOFTEST skin -- shake her hand and find out for yourself!).

Grandma may not be able to solve all of my problems -- or yours for that matter -- but you can bet she will worry PLENTY about them anyway!

Humans aren’t her only concern either. Grandma has a special place in her heart for the four-legged creatures of the world. Whenever she visited the farm where I grew up, she would always check to make sure we were providing enough food and water for our dog Skippy. Now that we both have cats as pets, we swap feline stories everytime we chat.

Grandma has touched many lives: at home, in the workplace, at church, and wherever else she goes. To some, she is a relative; to others, an acquaintance.

To me, though, she will always be … just, “Gram.”