Heaven gets another angel

Nona Justine Frank (1913-2006)


Our Nona to the Left our Lola to the Right


Nona with her sons and her beautiful big 1st grandchild - my husband Jim at our wedding last May 2004 :)


Nona turned 92 this past December 28, 2005. This photo taken at wedding rehearsal May 14, 2005.


My mom-in-law Patt, Nona, My tita Bessie, My Lola, and my Tita Cora.

This past Saturday we attended Nona's funeral service. It was in Redwood City (3 hours from Lake Wildwood) it was only a short 15 minute service. We paid our respects, said the Lord's prayer and went our separate ways. Dad went to a chinese restaurant, we went to Jim's favorite childhood deli sandwich place near Nona's house where he first discovered his favorite hot copa sandwich. Nona outlived most of her friends so it was just family and a couple of family friends, Jim's Dad and his family, the 2 sons and their family. Uncle Joe's family from Sonoma. And Jeff lives in Lake Wildwood as well. Nona wanted it to be simple. She had a simple pine box/coffin. We laid red roses over it and said our goodbyes. I left her one of my rosaries, since she gave me one of hers.

She was a great sweet woman - lived life to the fullest. She was hospitalized during the holiday season because of a bleeding ulcer but you can just tell she wasn't the same. We were hoping to take her home recovered, but even she said "she wanted to good lord to come and take her." It's just hard to imagine just a week before thanksgiving she was taking walks everyday. She's a funny lady too, even the last time I visited her at the hospital she was witty and funny. She was pulling her IVs out in the middle of the night coz they were hurting her she said and the nurse had to put these big glove mitts on her to prevent her from doing so. And they look like these big white boxing gloves. And she was so cute she would say I promise I won't pull them out if you take them off, and when the nurse walked away, she goes to Jim and said "I'm bad huh? w/ a smile".

My last visit I cut her finger nails and brushed her hair and she was oh so thankful, she's cute she still had earrings on even if she was hospitalized she was always a classy lady. I asked her how she met Grandpa Curly, and she said she was 18, a waitress, and he came to the counter and ate and she waited on him. He asked her out and she told me she said no coz "she was playing hard to get" She's funny. And then I mentioned I was going out to mexican food w/ Dad and the family and she's like "do you want some red wine?" and I'm like "Oh nona, I'm fine, and I asked her if she wanted any?" and she's like "oh no not right now." Classic Italian Lady - her and her red "vino" - that woman drank at least a glass of red wine everyday and she lived up 'til age 92. She was always so sweet to me and I remember when Jim first introduced me as his girlfriend she thought my name was "Shanghai" - that was funny for the rest of the family for a while.

She would tell me stories of how Jim (being her first grandchild) that she remembers when she used to hold him in her arms when he was a tiny baby. But boy look at him now Nona - he ain't so tiny anymore - 6'2" feet tall and 220 lbs. heavy.

Everyone loved and adored her and always talked of how sweet she was. Jim and I are bummed that she won't be around to see our baby born. But we know she's in a better place now. We'll have another angel/spirit watching over our soon to be born child. She made it to 2006 and died peacefully new year's day morning. We will always remember her and forever have her in our hearts. We love you Nona.