Meda L. Heywood

My grandmother’s hands held generations. They nourished the lives they touched and grasped firmly onto love. Never wanting to be a burden, these hands held weight; weight that raised a family and provided for those she loved. Though these hands could never have been a burden for she was so loved in return. She was daughter of Frederick E and Meda (Gramm) Brown, and sister of Elizabeth (Brown) Stiller and Frederick G (Barbara) Brown. Mother of Christopher (Karen) Heywood, Craig Heywood, Brian (Shannon) Heywood, and Anne Heywood who she raised with her husband, Robert M Heywood whom she met at UW Madison during her reign as Blue Jean Queen and remained by his side for 53 years. Grandmother to Eric (Christine), Sarah, Anna, Nathan, Elizabeth, Mackenzie, Claire, Wesley, Emily, and Benjamin (Hannah). And Great Grandmother to Lucille, Eleanor, and Ada. Though these hands raised the lives of more beyond that. She taught empathy, thoughtfulness, and honesty. She will be remembered for having milk in a bag instead of a carton, always having snacks for her children at their various practices, small tea sets that she trusted even the little ones to use, and her made-with-care costumes for Halloween and beyond. She was a talented woman, intelligent and witty; her warm quips will be missed. I’ll miss my Grandma Meda. Warm, soft, gentle, and poised, I’ll miss her unsteady hands in mine, feeling her warm love through a tremble. Nothing will replace this hearth that has gone, nor would I want it to as my grandmother was one of a kind. I am grateful for the time I had with her, and there is comfort in the peace in which she passed. Never a burden, always a home; a home I was lucky to have lived in. You are so loved, Meda, thank you for your time on earth.