Barbara Lynn Davidson - February 17, 1935-April 20, 2012

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 11, my grandmother, also known as G.G., suffered a massive stroke. After nine days of fighting to stay with us, she went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, April 20. The funeral service was yesterday, and I was one of several who spoke about her. Here is my written speech (although I know I deviated from it a bit).

I am Talyse, one of her granddaughters. I was blessed enough to not only be her granddaughter, but also to attend the high school where she taught. I was in the ADAPT Club (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team), and attended every TLC (Teen Leadership Connection), and every TI (Teen Institute) that I could. I always loved having her as a grandmother, but it was even more special to be her granddaughter in ADAPT and at TLC and TI. Everyone loved her so much, but I was the one who was lucky enough to be her granddaughter. I was as proud to have her as my grandma as she was to have me as her granddaughter. I knew how much she loved me, and how much I, and others, loved her, and I have been reminded of exactly what an impact she made on those around her during the past few days. Upon posting the news of her passing through e-mail and Facebook, I have been flooded with comments that I think say so much about the people she touched during her lifetime. Some of the people had not seen her in years, but still remembered how she made them feel about themselves. Here is a sample of what people had to say:

I remember her very well helping at school. She was such a sweet loving lady.

Your grandmother was an amazing woman

She was an amazing person and full of spunk!

She was a sweet lady who loved many generations of children at Spring Valley.

She was a wonderful person with a beautiful heart

She was amazing and such a great role model!

Your grandmother was so proud of all of you. She was a TI legend and will be missed

She was a loving and caring woman who influenced so many, including myself. She will be sorely missed by everyone who had ever met her.

No one could have given out more love in a lifetime.

I have great memories of her from the summers that I was privileged to know her. So certainly her family has extraordinary memories to carry them through.

She was full of love. Special lady.

She was such a special person. I have many fond memories of her from TI.

She was such a wonderful and loving lady - and the love will live on through all of us who knew her.

Very special woman.

She will be missed and left a legacy of wonderful family and TI family that have made such a big impact on our community.

She was truly one of a kind.  We need more Momma's like her in this world.

Hugga was a wonderful person who cared deeply about young people. You knew when you were in her presence. I think she enjoyed most hugging people who were hesitant

Really love that wonderful woman.

She was a major influence in my life.

Mama J was a wonderful lady. Takes a special one to hang out with a bunch of silly teenagers!

Mama J was one of the best inspirations in my life.

She was loved by many.

She was such a special person

She was such a wonderful woman .

Mama J was a wonderful lady who influenced a lot of people.

Mama J was a fabulous woman. She impacted so many lives, to include mine. With everything she taught, I taught to my own daughter who has been alcohol and drug free all through high school.

She definitely was a special person who touched a lot of lives.

I was blessed to have her influence my life.

She is one of those special women that we don’t get to meet every day, much less have as part of our lives.  Her tenacity for life and caring for others is something that I aspire to be like.  What an amazing woman.

Mama J was not only a wonderful teacher, but a mentor to many. She was a kind and loving person. I will miss her, as I know many others will too.

Influence. Fabulous. Special. Wonderful. Amazing. Caring. Kind. Loving. Legacy.

Those are some of the words that stick out in my mind as I read through these, but there aren’t enough words to describe the life she lived or the loss felt by the people she loved. I will miss her tremendously, and I am honored to be a part of her legacy.