Grandma Racie
Maybe I get the ability to laugh at myself, from my Grandma Racie*.
Grandma Racie died when I was quite young but I still have fond memories of her. She loved to laugh and tell jokes. The thing was . . . she was not very good at telling jokes. So she would feel the need to explain the joke after she told it. My Mom said this was the funniest part of the whole experience, and Grandma Racie would laugh at herself, the hardest.
My Norwegian heritage comes from her. She was German and Norwegian; and it is the Norwegian heritage that I most favor. Maybe the Norwegian sense of humor also comes to play. Apparently Grandma would tell "Ollie and Lena" jokes. About a month ago I saw a license plate, in my town of Leesburg, that read "Ole Lena." It made me think of her.
Just so you get a sense of how bad the Ollie and Lena jokes were, here is a sample:
Ollie and Lena got married. On their honeymoon trip they were nearing Minneapolis when Ole put his hand on Lena's knee. Giggling, Lena said, "Ollie, you can go a little farther now if ya vant to." So Ole drove to Duluth.
Ollie and Lena went to the Olympics. While sitting on a bench a lady turned to Ollie and said, "Are you a pole vaulter?" Ollie said, "No, I'm Norvegian...and my name isn't Valter."
Grandma Racie died on her 57th birthday....she was out at the pub for a night of dancing with Grandpa. But that was a big deal, as they didn't do many things together in their later years....my Grandfather later mellowed, but he had been a very difficult man to deal with (German temper, you get the gist). But it's like they were at a point where he was rediscovering (or discovering) that they could have fun doing things together. This made it a very special birthday celebration for Grandma.
I am a little fuzzy about the details of what she actually died of. I don't think I was more than five or six. I think it was a heart attack, but the coroner confirmed she died before she hit the ground. Other than passing in my sleep, I think that is how I would like to go. Celebrating life with the ones that I love.
* I originally thought she got her name because she was from Racine, Wisconsin, but my Mother later told me this was not true.
