Mary J Samuels

Mary Samuels affectionately known as grandma pearl. I remember not knowing her name for a long time because it was always grandma Pearl to me..You only get 4 grandparents. Some of us are born not knowing any of our grandparents. I was blessed to know and love all 4 of mine. But there was something extra special about grandma pearl. She lived her life to the fullest and enjoyed her life with the ones she loved the most, her family….her beloved sons Robert and Pedro affectionately known to her as Bobby and Pete, her sisters and brother, friends and a host of grandchildren. She would go above and beyond for her grandkids. She may have lost touch with some along the way, but she loved each and every one us beyond the moon and the stars. Born and raised in Panama she made the move to NYC in 1957 and sent for her boys in 1958 where they would live the American dream. She wasn’t your traditional grandmother - she always did something silly or humorous to make you laugh. She was jovial like that. Whether we celebrated her birthday or the birthday of family members she always enjoyed being out with her loved ones. Her laugh so infectious, her singing so irresistible, albeit off key a lot but before you knew it you would be singing off key right along with her and then laugh uproariously afterwards. That was my grandma Pearl. When my dad moved to Atlanta from NY my grandmother was in tow. She spent her latter years in Atlanta, where she ultimately called home. I traveled with her to Paris one yr because she loved the French language so much. It brought joy to my eyes to see her have such a fantastic experience. Many times I would call her and she would just begin to speak French as if it was her native language. And there were many other trips that she embarked on with family where she was the life of the party. She was all about having fun with the ones she held near and dear to her heart.

As much as she loved us, we loved her the same. But she always worried about her boys…her beloved Bobby and her beloved Pete. They were mommas boys. She wanted nothing but the best for them. They were the center of her heart. Even with the loss of her oldest son last year, she remain steadfast to the one thing she did best….pray. She started and ended her day with a prayer. She was a prayerful woman. My dad went above and beyond for his mother to the point where she was worried he was doing too much. Even then…she prayed. She leaned on him just as he leaned on her when he was growing up. You can never do too much for someone who did everything for you to make sure you had the best life possible. And that’s all mothers want for the children….to see the fruits of their labor make lives for themselves with every life lesson you have ever taught them. That was Grandma Pearl. She wouldn’t want us to mourn her passing, but celebrate the her life and all the love she’s given us and all the love we’ve given her.

“God looked around his garden

And found an empty space

Then he looked down upon this earth

And saw your tired face

He put his arms around you

And lifted you to rest

Gods garden must be beautiful

He only takes the best”

Ma Will, Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Bev, Uncle Bob and Uncle Pete take good care of our grandma Pearl…..We love you all.