My Story

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1909 to 1996
aged: 86
From: Aberdeen, Scotland, Uk


Annabella Thompson Groat was my grandmother, she was born on August 31 1909 and died on April 10 1996 at 8.20 pm, she was 86 years old. My gran was the sweetest, kindest, most loving, understanding and wonderful person I ever knew, we had a very close bond, we weren't just like grandmother and granddaughter, we were closer than a mother-daughter are, we were like the same person, we loved each other so much and I have so many wonderful memories of our time together.

My gran was the oldest of 12 children, consisting of 6 girls and 6 boys, she took care of her siblings helping to raise them and was close to them all, especially her brother, Billy, who died aged only 17 when he was hit by a car, this was devastating to my gran and she talked about him often. Then in 1936 she married my grandad, John Groat, they had 4 daughters - Lilia, Avril, Julie and Mary (my mother). Sadly Lilia died from sceptisemia when she was just 4 years old, this was devastating to my gran, she once told me losing a child is the worst pain ever, she talked about Lilia alot, the last time was just a few months before she died when she told me how much she loved her little girl, how much she missed her and the tears were in her eyes. As well as raising her own children she also raised me, her neice who is my Godmother and some of her grandchildren, she absolutely loved children. My gran had a hard life, she endured many problems including having her leg amputated when she was 77, breaking her hip the year before she died, working hard all her life even when her children were infants, her children each having health problems, losing most of her siblings to cancer, the list goes on and through it all she remained the sweet, special lady that she was. She was never bitter about anything, she loved everybody, she never had an unkind word to say about anyone no matter how nasty they were, she was always happy and smiling, she never gave up, she always had faith and she never ever complained about anything. My gran was a true fighter, she loved being surrounded by her family and she loved me more than anyone could ever imagine being loved, I was so lucky that I had such a wonderful, loving and sweet grandmother. Unfortunatley, I had a very bad relationship with my parents and my sister, I spent every weekend and holiday with my gran from the age of 7 until I went into my first relationship when I was 18. There was no one ever like my gran except me, my fiancee, Shaun, tells me all the time that I am exactly like my gran, he never met her, but knows everything about her because of me and he can't wait to meet her when he goes to heaven one day. Unfortunatley, my gran's children were nothing like her at all, the whole family was so cold-hearted and cruel, the whole family fell apart when she died.

When my gran passed away it was a cruel, devastating blow to me, I had never experienced such pain, it was like a knife in my heart. Two days before she died she was in hospital, I was with her all the time, I remember the night she died, I was sitting in her room beside her holding her hand, I turned to look at her, she squeezed my hand and smiled at me then I told my mother I had to go to get a drink, when I came back she had passed away. I couldn't believe it, I was in so much shock and so devastated I didn't know what to do or how to console myself. It's been 11 years since she passed away and it still hurts so much to know I will never again see her in this life. The pain has eased over the years, but it's still there, there isn't a moment in the day that I don't think about her, I look at her pictures all the time and remember how wonderful she was, I know she's looking down on me and she wants me to carry on with my life and I know one day we will be reunited again. Losing a loved one is the hardest thing ever to go through, my love for my gran will never die.....

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