Lois Grace Barlow

A beautiful, kind, and wonderful woman went to the other shore this morning. Lois Grace Barlow, Jim's grandmother, was the well-loved matriarch of the Barlow family and though she will be greatly missed, she is in a peaceful place.

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with the Barlows in South Carolina and went to visit Grammy and Grampy multiple times. We feel so blessed to have had that time with her. Erin and Christine (Jim's sisters) were there, as well as Russell (Erin's fiance) and Kim and John (Jim's parents), so we had a large reunion, of sorts, within their tiny room for visits.

While Grammy & Grampy really enjoyed seeing the family, Leif was the star of the show. Their faces lit up and they loved petting him. Grampy even offered to take him if he needed another home. Jim says that they always had a dog and cats around and you could tell that they just really enjoyed having a furry friend moving around the room.

Grammy was lovingly called "Prope" by Red/Grampy, which was short for Proper, her maiden name. She trained as a nurse and met Grampy when she rented a room from his parents' inn. She raised five children over a range of 14 years and Jim's dad, John, was the youngest of her brood.

Her intricate, crocheted creations are truly stunning and her needlepoints of nature are beautiful. She's also known for her wonderful cooking and love for serving her family.

Jim has many fond memories of his childhood visits to their home in upstate New York. He especially loved spending time in their outdoor paradise with a beautiful pond and pond house, trails filled with evergreen, and creek-walking in the cascading, stair-like slabs of rock with waterfalls. It was a young boy's dream and he always looked forward to being there.

Grammy was a night owl, not unlike many of the Barlow clan, and so Jim remembers many nights of staying up and talking to her late into the night.

She loved her husband, Red, and held his hand closely throughout much of our visit with them last week. They were married for 68 years and would have had their 69th anniversary in April.

One of the most touching moments of the visit came when Grammy told Jim, "You will make a wonderful doctor. You are so caring and kind." It was a beautiful moment between a grandmother and her grandson, one that we will cherish forever.

We will always be grateful for the time we had with Grammy last weekend and the many visits Jim was able to enjoy with her throughout his lifetime. 

Her love & faith live on.

The Original Barlow Crew

The Barlow Kiddos

The Whole Crew

Heaven gained another angel.

Rest in Peace, Lois Grace Barlow

aka "Grammy" & "Prope"
93 years old.