God Speed, Granny Franny
God Speed Granny Franny My mom called today to deliver the news that Grandma Fran passed away. Her health had been failing; she recently went to a nursing home. She had a good life. When I turned 13, she became my Grandma. She didn't like children and didn't hesitate to remind us, yet she took us in her heart and loved us. Completely. My parents worked fairs and traveled much of my youth. We moved to North Carolina when I was 13, and so began my relationship with this remarkable woman. She was brilliant. She worked for Taylor, and while there invented the mercury substitute for thermometers...no kidding. Pretty brainy! We took a tour of the Biltmore House and then went to visit Grandma Fran, who told us incredible stories of being raised by the Henry Ford family and playing with the Vanderbilt child. She was hiding in the Halloween Room, with Gloria Vanderbilt , in a game of hide-n-go-seek. It was mesmerizing, and I never grew tired of hearing her story She drove a powder