Edith Engstrand, was the only daughter of Oscar and Alma Engstrand, both Swedish immgrants; she had three brothers. She and her husband, Arthur Waldemar Elander, were born and raised in Worcester, MA and they lived in Massachusetts until the early 1950's when the family moved to the Detroit, MI area, to be near son Arthur's family.
"Grandma" Elander was an interesting and sweet woman. She was very involved in her Swedish Methodist church in Quinsigamond Village, Worcester, MA, and at Pilgrim Evangelical Covenant Church in Lunenburg, MA, serving as a deaconess for a time. Her piano talents were passed on to both sons, Arthur and Richard, and she continued to play even when she lost her eyesight in her 80's from cataracts and fuchsdystrophy. She memorized pieces to play at the American House, Westland,where she spent the last years of her life, playing for church services held there. Arthur and Edith enjoyed many visits to see their son Richard's family as they lived outside of Michigan. She loved to knit and crochet and made booties and scarfs for charity in her years at American House. One of the highlights of her senior years was serving as the captain of the first Senior Olympics cheerleading team in Michigan. I seemed to have inherited her love of indoor plants and green thumb.
Edith owned a cat business for a number of years in the 1960's. Her Persian cats were well-known in cat circles and she owned a national quadruple grand champion, Sno-Pixie of Joy. That cat was pictured in the World Book Encyclopedia as an example of that breed of cat. She closed the cattery when she and grandpa moved to Florida in 1971.
She truly surprised us one day, about 1960, when my she picked up a trumpet and played a scale and a couple of hymns. It seems that she had played while young in the Worcester MA Salvation Army band where she met Grandpa, who played a baritone! I enjoyed spending time with her at the ice cream parlor, staying at her home (as a child), for weeks or days at a time, visiting her with my family in her Florida home, or just talking things over at dinner after church. I was blessed to have her as one of my two loving grandmothers and so thankful that she was an important part of my life for almost 40 years.
"Grandma" Elander was an interesting and sweet woman. She was very involved in her Swedish Methodist church in Quinsigamond Village, Worcester, MA, and at Pilgrim Evangelical Covenant Church in Lunenburg, MA, serving as a deaconess for a time. Her piano talents were passed on to both sons, Arthur and Richard, and she continued to play even when she lost her eyesight in her 80's from cataracts and fuchsdystrophy. She memorized pieces to play at the American House, Westland,where she spent the last years of her life, playing for church services held there. Arthur and Edith enjoyed many visits to see their son Richard's family as they lived outside of Michigan. She loved to knit and crochet and made booties and scarfs for charity in her years at American House. One of the highlights of her senior years was serving as the captain of the first Senior Olympics cheerleading team in Michigan. I seemed to have inherited her love of indoor plants and green thumb.
Edith owned a cat business for a number of years in the 1960's. Her Persian cats were well-known in cat circles and she owned a national quadruple grand champion, Sno-Pixie of Joy. That cat was pictured in the World Book Encyclopedia as an example of that breed of cat. She closed the cattery when she and grandpa moved to Florida in 1971.
She truly surprised us one day, about 1960, when my she picked up a trumpet and played a scale and a couple of hymns. It seems that she had played while young in the Worcester MA Salvation Army band where she met Grandpa, who played a baritone! I enjoyed spending time with her at the ice cream parlor, staying at her home (as a child), for weeks or days at a time, visiting her with my family in her Florida home, or just talking things over at dinner after church. I was blessed to have her as one of my two loving grandmothers and so thankful that she was an important part of my life for almost 40 years.
Edith Engstrand, was the only daughter of Oscar and Alma Engstrand, both Swedish immgrants; she had three brothers. She and her husband, Arthur Waldemar Elander, were born and raised in Worcester, MA and they lived in Massachusetts until the early 1950's when the family moved to the Detroit, MI area, to be near son Arthur's family.
"Grandma" Elander was an interesting and sweet woman. She was very involved in her Swedish Methodist church in Quinsigamond Village, Worcester, MA, and at Pilgrim Evangelical Covenant Church in Lunenburg, MA, serving as a deaconess for a time. Her piano talents were passed on to both sons, Arthur and Richard, and she continued to play even when she lost her eyesight in her 80's from cataracts and fuchsdystrophy. She memorized pieces to play at the American House, Westland,where she spent the last years of her life, playing for church services held there. Arthur and Edith enjoyed many visits to see their son Richard's family as they lived outside of Michigan. She loved to knit and crochet and made booties and scarfs for charity in her years at American House. One of the highlights of her senior years was serving as the captain of the first Senior Olympics cheerleading team in Michigan. I seemed to have inherited her love of indoor plants and green thumb.
Edith owned a cat business for a number of years in the 1960's. Her Persian cats were well-known in cat circles and she owned a national quadruple grand champion, Sno-Pixie of Joy. That cat was pictured in the World Book Encyclopedia as an example of that breed of cat. She closed the cattery when she and grandpa moved to Florida in 1971.
She truly surprised us one day, about 1960, when my she picked up a trumpet and played a scale and a couple of hymns. It seems that she had played while young in the Worcester MA Salvation Army band where she met Grandpa, who played a baritone! I enjoyed spending time with her at the ice cream parlor, staying at her home (as a child), for weeks or days at a time, visiting her with my family in her Florida home, or just talking things over at dinner after church. I was blessed to have her as one of my two loving grandmothers and so thankful that she was an important part of my life for almost 40 years.
"Grandma" Elander was an interesting and sweet woman. She was very involved in her Swedish Methodist church in Quinsigamond Village, Worcester, MA, and at Pilgrim Evangelical Covenant Church in Lunenburg, MA, serving as a deaconess for a time. Her piano talents were passed on to both sons, Arthur and Richard, and she continued to play even when she lost her eyesight in her 80's from cataracts and fuchsdystrophy. She memorized pieces to play at the American House, Westland,where she spent the last years of her life, playing for church services held there. Arthur and Edith enjoyed many visits to see their son Richard's family as they lived outside of Michigan. She loved to knit and crochet and made booties and scarfs for charity in her years at American House. One of the highlights of her senior years was serving as the captain of the first Senior Olympics cheerleading team in Michigan. I seemed to have inherited her love of indoor plants and green thumb.
Edith owned a cat business for a number of years in the 1960's. Her Persian cats were well-known in cat circles and she owned a national quadruple grand champion, Sno-Pixie of Joy. That cat was pictured in the World Book Encyclopedia as an example of that breed of cat. She closed the cattery when she and grandpa moved to Florida in 1971.
She truly surprised us one day, about 1960, when my she picked up a trumpet and played a scale and a couple of hymns. It seems that she had played while young in the Worcester MA Salvation Army band where she met Grandpa, who played a baritone! I enjoyed spending time with her at the ice cream parlor, staying at her home (as a child), for weeks or days at a time, visiting her with my family in her Florida home, or just talking things over at dinner after church. I was blessed to have her as one of my two loving grandmothers and so thankful that she was an important part of my life for almost 40 years.
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