Don't Mess with my Grandma!

Recently I've been in communication with a couple of cousins and it has sparked many memories and a few stories of our ancestors.  One of these cousins found a photo album from around 1940 that belonged to their dad - my Uncle Dale.  Their dad was my dad's oldest brother.  This album had pictures of their dad "out west". This was a surprise to them that he'd apparently traveled the US during that time.  Their parents, my uncle and my aunt, both passed many years ago, and my mom is the only surviving member of that generation for either side of their family.  They wondered if my mom would remember that trip or if she ever heard stories about it.  I told them I'd ask her, but they must realize, she wasn't around the family in 1940.  She and my dad did not graduate from high school until 1948, didn't meet until the next year and didn't marry until 1951.  
I asked.  She didn't remember anything about a trip, but, she wondered if it could have been around the time he enlisted in the Marines and maybe he was in training out west.  Further e-mails back and forth determined that was unlikely as he did not join the Marines until 1942.  He was discharged in 1945.  
For as long as I can remember, there was one story about Uncle Dale's military service that I've heard many times.  Another math lesson coming...
Our grandpa died in 1934.  He left my grandma with 4 sons and 1 daughter. Uncle Dale was the oldest at 12 and my dad was the youngest - not yet 5.  So Uncle Dale was the man of the house.  The only real father that my dad knew.  So jump ahead to my dad being a sophomore in high school in the mid 1940's.  The timeline from his graduation date would have made his 1st sophomore year around 1944-1945.  Yes, I said his 1st sophomore year. Why?  Because that was around the time Uncle Dale left for the service.  According to my grandma and aunt, they couldn't get my dad to do anything in school that year.  He passed PE, but that was it.  So, he had a second sophomore year. They all knew it was because Uncle Dale had left for the service.  His hero wasn't there anymore and my grandma and aunt had their hands full with a sullen teenager. In looking at the timeline from cousin Larry as to Uncle Dale's service dates, he joined the Marines around 1942.  But again, my dad would have been a sophomore the first time in 1944.  So now, I wonder, if this would have happened not necessarily when Uncle Dale went into the Marines, but maybe when he was sent overseas.  That could have been around 1944.  I just know my dad had 2 sophomore years and it was always determined that it had something to do with Dale being gone. 
I checked with another cousin, whose mom, my Aunt Melba, was the only sister among these boys, and as we know, moms tend to share more stories from the past than dads.  I asked if she remembered her mom saying anything about Uncle Dale taking a trip out west. She doesn't remember her mom saying anything about that.  But, she shared another story with me about Uncle Dale, high school and our grandma.  Apparently Uncle Dale did not want to finish high school.  Our grandma was doing all she could to keep him in school and one of my grandfather's brothers told my grandma that Dale did not need to finish high school and get a diploma. Our grandma told him that her son would get a diploma and he needed to butt out!  I just can't love this story enough.  She was one strong lady!
I don't think most of the 18 grandchildren of my generation truly understand what a remarkable thing our grandma did back in those days.  I try to share as much as I can about her and some of our other ancestors to the small group of the next generation that is "under my watch", but I'm not sure they will ever fully understand.  I'm really not sure any of us can comprehend.
But, here's the best story to sum up just what kind of woman she was. You see, as I said, our grandfather died in 1934 leaving her with 5 children. (One child had already passed 9 years earlier at the age of 1-1/2.)  Several years ago, I realized what a remarkable thing she did in keeping the family together. That was around the time I read a magazine article about some brother’s and sister’s in their 70’s & 80’s who had found each other after being separated in the 1930’s when their father died.  They were all adopted out because the mother alone could not care for them.  That's when I realized then what an amazing thing my own grandmother did to keep her family together. There was no Social Security then, but, the family hung together.  Somehow.  I'm sure my Uncle Dale, as the oldest, went out and found work, and probably wanted to work more to help make more money, and that's likely when my grandma stepped in and and told him he'd stay in school.  My grandmother took in sewing and with the help of various other relatives - some who took the boys in during the summers to work on family farms - she managed to keep everyone together.  Once summer was over, they were all back in school.  My mother-in-law knew my grandmother very well through their church activities over the years and she thought my grandma was an amazing woman.  She once said to me about my grandmother, “all those years she was a widow and you never heard one hint of scandal about her.”  I never thought of that before either, but, I’m sure there were men in the community who would have been more than willing to help her out financially.  That never happened. My grandmother knew her most important role was to be an example to her children.  Work hard, have faith in God and live an honest life.  Not only did they all 5 graduate from high school, but they were all confirmed in the church that their great great grandfather had helped to build. 
When my mom went back to work when I was 3, my grandma eventually became our babysitter.  My brothers were older and reached an age where they could stay home on their own sooner than I did.  I had a few years to catch up to them, so I spent a lot of time with her.  Probably more time than any of the other 17 grandchildren.  She was one of 6 sisters and 4 of her sisters also lived in Carlinville, so I spent a lot of time around all of them as well. Also, I spent a lot of time with one of my grandfather's sisters, who was very close to my grandma - my Great Aunt Zella. (shhh... don't tell anyone, but she was my favorite!)  All strong willed women and any one of them would have told Uncle Bud to "butt out".  
I have many, many memories, but my favorite is this.  After my Uncle Dale died suddenly at the age of 51, my grandma was broken hearted.  Four months later she suffered a stroke that left her unable to walk well and although she wasn’t confined to a wheelchair, it certainly made getting around easier for her. During the Easter Cantata at that same church where her 5 children (and now several grandchildren) had been confirmed, the senior choir was to sing the Alleluia Chorus. It is a tradition for the audience to stand for that.  I was in the junior choir and we were in the front of the church on the altar facing the audience.  The senior choir, was in the choir loft above and behind us.  There in the front row of the church, my grandmother rose from her wheelchair and stood for the whole Chorus.  Whenever I start to question God’s ways, I remember that mental image.  A woman who – through all the struggles of her life, did not question His ways for one minute.  And she stood to honor Him even when it was difficult to do so.