Grandmother obituary examples for inspiration

Evelyn Kowalski, 91, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, died peacefully on February 5, 2026, at her home with her oldest granddaughter holding her hand. Evelyn was born in 1934 in Racine to Arthur and Ruth Pearson. She married Frank Kowalski in 1955. They were married for 62 years before Frank's death in 2017. She told her grandchildren she'd missed him every single day since, and nobody doubted it. Evelyn worked as a telephone operator for Wisconsin Bell for 18 years, back when that meant physically connecting calls with plugs and cables. She later worked part-time at the Southgate Public Library, where she was known for recommending romance novels with zero shame. She was the grandmother who always had butterscotch candies in her purse, who watched every Packers game in a cheese-shaped hat she refused to throw away, and who sent birthday cards with exactly five dollars in them to every grandchild and great-grandchild, every year, without fail. Evelyn is survived by her children, Frank Jr. (Carol) Kowalski, Barbara (Jim) Nowak, and Patricia Kowalski; nine grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren; and her sister, Marion Schmidt. She was preceded in death by Frank, her parents, and her son, Thomas. Visitation will be Thursday from 3-6 p.m. at Krause Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Adalbert's Church. Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Mildred Louise Thompson, 88, of Lexington, Kentucky, passed away on January 30, 2026, at Baptist Health. Born on March 15, 1937, in Floyd County, Kentucky, Mildred was the daughter of John and Hazel (Slone) Adams. She graduated from Prestonsburg High School and married Robert Thompson in 1956. They shared 60 years of marriage before Robert's death in 2016. Mildred was a homemaker who raised five children in a house that was always open to whoever needed feeding. She later worked as a cafeteria aide at Bryan Station High School for 15 years. She was a lifelong member of Calvary Baptist Church, where she served in the women's ministry for four decades. She was known for her chess pie, her vegetable garden that fed half the street, and her ability to remember every birthday, anniversary, and grudge in the family history going back three generations. Mildred is survived by her children, Robert Jr. (Linda) Thompson, James (Patty) Thompson, Carol (Bill) Stevens, Mary (Dave) Howard, and Linda (Sam) Banks; sixteen grandchildren; twenty-one great-grandchildren; and her brother, Earl Adams. Funeral services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church. Visitation Sunday from 5-8 p.m. at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home. Burial at Lexington Cemetery.

Yuki Hoffman, 79, of Portland, Oregon, died on February 12, 2026, in the garden she spent 40 years building. Yuki was born in Los Angeles in 1946, two years after her parents, Hiroshi and Kazuko Tanaka, were released from the Manzanar internment camp. She didn't talk about that history often, but it shaped everything. Her garden, her insistence on putting down roots, her belief that beauty was a form of resistance. She studied botany at UCLA and married Richard Hoffman in 1970. They moved to Portland in 1975 and never left. Yuki taught biology at Grant High School for 30 years. Her students still bring her plants. The garden at 4215 NE Alameda Street was her real work. Japanese maples, peonies, ferns, and a koi pond that took her three summers to get right. Neighbors walked by just to look at it. She maintained it herself until the very end. Yuki served on the Portland Japanese Garden board for 15 years and helped establish the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center. She is survived by her husband, Richard; her children, Emily (Mark) Sato, David (Lisa) Hoffman, and Anna Hoffman; five grandchildren; and her sister, Michiko Tanaka, of Los Angeles. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, February 22, at 3 p.m. at the Portland Japanese Garden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center.