May 8, 2013 - Happy Birthday, Gram

Today is the 95th Anniversary of the Birth of my maternal grandmother. Lois Bailey Thomason was born in Stonington, CT on May 8, 1918, the youngest of 5 children. Her parents were Raymond Wesley Bailey from Greenbush Maine, and Anna Caroline Joseph from Stonington, CT.

When she was 16 years old, she met Joseph Thomason when his Coast Guard ship was in dry dock for repairs at the Stonington Shipyard. He was 23, an older man :) Within 3 years, they had a son, my Uncle Bob, and a daughter, my Mom, Nancy. 15 years later, they had another baby girl, my Aunt Bonnie.

My Gram, as you can see, had a fabulous smile and loved to share that with the world. She also made the best peanut butter fudge on the planet! Everyone in our family looked forward to receive their own batch that they did NOT have to share, but always did. She also made the best Gingerbread boys at Christmas time, and Gingerbread Bears on Thanksgiving to celebrate The Turkey Day football rivalry between OUR Stonginton Bears (yes, my grandmother, mother and all of my siblings attended the same high school) and the Westerly Bulldogs. I keep these 2 pictures with my copy of the recipe, which is written in her hand. My Grandmother and my daughter making Christmas cookies, years a part but connected by heart xoxo

I will update this blog as the day goes on, but I wanted to post it this morning in honor of my Gram xoxo who is loved and missed by many everyday xoxox

Source: Uploaded by user via Jackie on Pinterest