1000 Mile Road Trip - Grandma Mimi's Memorial

The purpose of our big road trip was to gather with extended family for my grandma's memorial service. Since we couldn't have a funeral (covid), her celebration of life was delayed until the following summer.  All of her 25 grandchildren were there and most of her 76 (and counting) great-grandchildren. It was amazing to have the family together and to hear so many stories about her and my grandpa Roger. I am so grateful to be the recipient of so many blessings that have come from being part of their legacy. We will miss her terribly, but feel peace and joy knowing she has at least been reunited with her sweetheart. Love you forever Grandma <3

 The Lambert Branch of the Parkinson Family

How lucky am I to have come from such strong and faithful grandparents

Trying on some hats on display at the memorial

Sophie wearing one of Mimi's necklaces (she loved jewelry) and enjoying a piece of her legendary brownie cake

Until We Meet Again

My dearest Grandma Mimi passed away on November 15th in her home, surrounded by her children. I don't even know how to express all I feel or explain how wonderful she was in just a few paragraphs. I will simply say that my grandma was truly one of the most beautiful people, inside and out, and I hope that I can honor her legacy by living and loving with the same strength and spirit that she possessed. 

I will miss her birthday cards, doing puzzles at her house, going out for lunch, telling her about my days through letters, and hearing her sweet voice.  I am heartbroken that she is no longer on this earth, but know that many sweet reunions, some long overdue, were awaiting her in heaven. I know this is not goodbye, but until we meet again. Thank you so much for being the most wonderful grandma.

There was not a formal funeral due to Covid, but hopefully the family will be able to gather together this coming summer to celebrate and remember her wonderful life. We were able to view her graveside services over Zoom.

The white roses on the bottom left were from my siblings and me, as a way of being there, when we could not actually be present.

Not the best picture of me, but Grandma knew how much I loved Harry & David pears and had a box sent as a surprise just the month before she passed. I sent her this picture of the golden pear to let her know how excited I was about her gift!

Grandma in her youth

Grandma with Roger, with whom she is now reunited after so many years apart

Grandma and me in New York in 1989, with the Twin Towers in the background

In grandma's beautiful backyard

Grandma dressed as Professor McGonagall for one of the family Harry Potter parties

Grandma at our wedding in 2006

Grandma was able to meet 3 of my 4 children in person. They all loved her so much! She was also able to see Griffin over Facetime just a couple weeks before she passed.

Four generations - I am part of a great legacy of women

One of our many, many lunches at Chuck a Rama. We loved seeing her often during our time in Utah and she was also so good about treating us to lunch.

Saying goodbye to Mimi before moving to Texas

After moving away, I was able to go back and visit her twice. Once with Charlie when he was about 6 months old, and again the next year for her 90th birthday celebration.

Her obituary, to have here for my own records:

Jean Romney Parkinson Isaacson Lee

February 24, 1929 ~ November 15, 2020

Jean Romney Parkinson Isaacson Lee passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her children, on Sunday, November 15, 2020 due to natural causes. She was the matriarch of a large and wonderful family. She lived a long, beautiful life.

Jean was born to Vivien McDonald and Owen Thomas Romney on February 24, 1929 in Provo, Utah. She was the youngest of three girls. Soon after her birth her family moved to Guthrie, OK; then to Tulsa when she was four. As a young girl she learned the value of hard work. At the age of 14 she started working at the public library near her home. She had a passion for books and loved to read, a legacy she passed on to her entire family. She was a gifted seamstress, sewing all of her own clothes from Junior High age through her college years, including her own wedding dress.

Jean attended Brigham Young University where she was a Cougarette, Homecoming attendant, and active in Y Calcares Honor Society. It was at BYU that she met Roger West Parkinson. From the moment he first saw her, he knew Jean was the girl he wanted to marry. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 6, 1949. After their marriage they moved to Bethesda, MD so Roger could attend George Washington University Medical School. Jean worked as a secretary at the Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. for 4 years supporting their family. In 1954 they moved to Salt Lake City where Roger was an intern and resident at LDS Hospital. In 1958 Roger was called into the Army Medical Corp. and the family moved to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. In 1960 they moved to Salt Lake City, UT where Roger started his OB/GYN practice. They had been married for only 16 years when Roger was tragically killed in November 1965 in an airplane crash leaving Jean to raise their 5 children.

In 1967 Jean married Richard A. Isaacson. Together they raised her children, traveled the world and were actively involved in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A devout member, Jean served in many capacities in her Ward and Stake. She served for 4 years as a Hostess at the Church Office Building. Jean was a life-long learner and instilled in her children the value of education. She loved to sew, quilt and do needlepoint. She expressed her love through service, especially to her family. She enjoyed gathering extended family for fabulous dinners at her home and in Park City. She was famous for her pound cake, Valentine sugar cookies, brown sugar rolls, and caramels. Affectionately known as Grandma Mimi, she cherished her time with her grandchildren and always tried to engage in things they found interesting. She hosted memorable Harry Potter parties. She was a long-time member of Ex Libris Book Club and the Salt Lake Country Club. Jean was an avid traveler, visiting over 30 Countries and journeying around the world twice.

Richard passed away in 2003. Jean married John Franklin Lee in 2005. They enjoyed taking road trips and cruises. They were married for seven years before he passed away in 2013.

Jean’s greatest love was spending time with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren as well as numerous friends, many of whom she had had since kindergarten. She will be deeply missed.

Jean is survived by her children David Parkinson (Cynthia), Alan Parkinson (Christina), Susan Jackson (Robert), Karen Blake (David), Mari Anne Lambert (David), 25 grandchildren and 73 great grand-children. Preceded in death by her parents, husbands Roger Parkinson, Richard Isaacson, John Lee, and sisters Marilyn Beck and Shirley Pardoe.

A Trip to Utah for Mimi's 90th Birthday Party

My grandma turned 90 in February! The family had a big birthday celebration planned for her the first week of March, and I was so glad I could attend. My mom and sister were also there, so it was a bit of a girl's trip too! Charlie and I flew out on a Friday afternoon, her party was on Saturday, and then we spent a couple more days in Utah before returning home. 

Trying to keep this guy entertained on the plane. We had a 5 hour travel day and he didn't sleep for any of it. Our first leg had open seats, but the second flight was completely full and so I had to hold him on my lap the whole time. which made him very angry. There was lots of screaming between Las Vegas and Salt Lake, but we survived.

It was so good to see my grandma again! Charlie just loves her. He loves to hold her hands and always gives her the sweetest smiles. I'm hoping that next time I can bring the whole family out to Utah so they can all see her again. We have missed Grandma Mimi so much since moving to Texas. 

The party was held at my Aunt Susan's house in Provo. I was able to see several cousins that I have not seen for years! We had a yummy meal catered by Cafe Rio, followed by cake, and then a presentation about grandma's life. 

Charlie was the youngest one in attendance (great-grand kids weren't invited, but he was an exception) . He was really good the whole night and just bounced from relative to relative without complaint. 

Happy Birthday Grandma!

It was so fun to hear stories and see photos from her life. She is truly one of the most beautiful people I know. This is her with my Grandpa Roger. 

Beautiful Grandma

Group photo - it's hard to believe this is only about 25% of the family. She has an amazing legacy!

On Sunday we were able to spend more time with my grandma at the house and then we went to lunch at Little America with her, my parents and my sister. After lunch we had to say our "see you soons!" which is always hard :( I really hope I can make another trip that way sometime in the next year. 

We then drove up to Park City to see my Uncle Brent and stay with him for a couple nights at his condo for some skiing! I was so glad I could extend my trip by a day so I could have a day on the mountain with my sister, dad, and Brent. It's been a long time since we all skied together! It was a beautiful day with blue skies and a couple inches of new snow. I was really worried I wouldn't be able to keep up since I've only skied a couple times over the last several years, but my legs held up well and I had a great day!

At the top of Jupiter Bowl (I think)

My dad said this one was frame worthy

Riding the one of the chairlifts. Park City resort is HUGE! We rode about 12 different lifts that day and I never had any clue where we were. 

My sister and I at the top of the Thaynes, where my mom spent a lot of time on during her youth

The ski day was made possible by Grandmari who loaned me all her ski gear and stayed back to watch Charlie. They had a good day together (except for getting locked out of the condo once) and she even got this picky eater to have some soup for lunch. 

A soak in the hot tub after a ski day is always the best

Headed home on Charlie's birthday! Luckily our trip back was much smoother than the trip out. We had an entire row to ourselves for both legs and after some exploring, Charlie took a nice, long nap. 

To Grandma's House I Go!

At the beginning of August I realized I had some Southwest flight credit expiring soon. I felt bad about it going to waste, but had no reason to go anywhere in the next month, especially after we were just wrapping up a five week vacation. As I thought about it more, however, I asked Dave if I could use it to go visit my Grandma Mimi in Utah. I hadn't seen her in over a year since we had moved away, and was really missing her. We looked at flights, found a schedule a few weeks out that was reasonable, and so I booked the trip!

Charlie and I left on a Wednesday afternoon for our flight to Salt Lake City. There are so many people in Utah that I know and love, and it was hard to figure out how to spend my short time there. For my trip I stayed at my grandma's house, but also made trips to see a good friend who had recently moved to Utah from Amarillo, spend a morning with two of my Lambert cousins and their boys, visit the school where I used to work, and stop by Heather's house, by best friend of almost 25 years. There were many other family members and friends that I didn't have time for though, and I guess that means I'll just have to make another trip back sometime soon.

The Amarillo airport is the greatest (other than the lack of flight options and expensive tickets). No crowds, no lines! I made it from the curb to the gate in just 5 minutes. 

Goodbye flat and dusty Amarillo

Hello mountains! This was as we flew over Draper, and I was looking down on the neighborhood where we used to live.

For most of the flight Charlie was wide-eyed (and loud), but he did finally sleep for the final 25 minutes

I was so happy to see my grandma again! I have missed her so much, and it was so fun to do all the same things we used to do together - eat out, watch movies, do puzzles, and tackle a few projects. If I had stayed another night, we would have been able to watch the BYU game together as well, and see them finally win!

I was also so glad she could meet Charlie, and he just loved her! She put so much thought into our visit and, even thought it had been years since a baby had stayed at her house, we wanted for nothing. She had picked up diapers at the store, borrowed a crib, blankets, and towels from my aunt, and even set up a changing station on her little pool table. She thought of everything!

Charlie and Grandma Mimi

Eating at Chuck a Rama (where we used to go all the time) and one of the puzzles we worked on

Watching "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" together on Netflix

Charlie sitting in a high chair for the first time at Corner Bakery - he was so good at all the restaurants we put him through

Bath time in great grandma's tub

We found these diapers and wipes in her bathroom cupboard that were probably from when my brother was a baby

Us in front of my grandma's house. I love this house and have so many wonderful memories here!

In their matching yellow

Saying "Until we meet again"

Kathy Lewis and I worked together in YW in Amarillo. Her husband was also a professor at WT and she knew the pain and drama of the PhD process. We are missing her and her family in Amarillo!

Visiting Noah Webster - it was so great to see all my old friends, both kids and teachers! This school was a huge part of my life and I'm glad everyone there is doing so well. It was especially great to see Caradon, who used to work with me in the office, but is now teaching 6th grade!!

Headed back home. We had our own row for the flight, which apparently was shocking to Charlie!

Back to Amarillo - at least there were some pretty clouds to great us!