We have A GoodGrandmaâ„ Spotlight of a wonderful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Cenia is mother of four, grandmother of 18, and great-grandmother of 33, with twins on the way! Cenia was born in Idaho and worked at the age of nine driving the tractor, while her dad ran the bailer. In addition to driving the tractor, she also herded 70 goats on the family farm.
Cenia had only lived in Idaho, until she married Richard. Dick worked for the Air Force and the Army. Over the next several decades, Dick and Cenia lived in Morocco, Wyoming, Norway, California, Texas, Thailand, Washington State, and Utah. Through their years of moving, they had three of her four children born overseas. Cenia is also well read and knows how to spell medical terminology through working the front desk at a doctors office. She has beautiful handwriting and is faithful in her religious beliefs.
As with anyone’s life, there are ups and there are downs, happy times and sad times. Cenia dealt with her unfair share of heartache. She was third of six children. Their family lost one of her younger sisters and her younger brother earlier in life. Today, Cenia has her older brother and two younger sisters still living. Cenia not only lost siblings too soon, but she had two of her own children pass away. She lost a son in his early 20’s to cancer and her oldest daughter when she was in her 50’s to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Cenia also comforted her youngest daughter when she lost a child of her own. Yet, with all the sadness in Cenia’s life, she continued on and never wavered.
Cenia felt it was very important to keep in contact with ALL of her grandchildren. After the passing of her son, Cenia and Dick made sure to visit and spend time with their son’s two children as often as possible. They wanted the kids to know that even though their dad was gone, they still had their grandparents who love them and support them. One tradition Grams and Gramps started was a “Family Fun Week,” which they held each summer. This is something everyone looks forward to and loves to participate in with their every growing family.
Cenia, through her life’s trials and successes, has created a remarkable legacy for her posterity. Her family loves her and appreciates her, probably more than she knows. We asked several of her family members to share their thoughts about her, as well as a few pictures…
Cenia has always been an involved grandma. She has tried to attend sporting, school and church events whenever possible. She wrote the boys regularly on their mission. She made each of the kids feel special on their birthdays, baptisms etc. One thing the kids mention often is how nice Cenia always looks and smells. They love her Red Door perfume. – Jill
I remember that she saved some of my toys and how much the grandkids enjoy playing with them. It was a special treat to play with her toys. She is great about sending birthday cards to the family on their special day. Always there to give good advice. – Laura
When I look back at major events in my life I can always see Gram there; on time and ever supportive. She is still an important person in my life. She makes phone calls to check in on me and my girls. I try to visit Gram and Gramps whenever I can. It’s something my girls and I truly look forward to. Gram shows so much interest in my life. She cares about all the details that seem like nonsense to others. Gram has kept up with the times and is on Facebook, Instagram, and Marco Polo. I know she does these things so she can stay close to her posterity. It’s another way she shows love to us grandkids. It breaks my heart that she has lost two of her children, but I hope she knows how much we all love, look up to, and adore her. – Jenny
I love gram. She’s as reliable as they come. She’s always there for every family event and never misses a social media event. Grandma has spent her life being there for everyone in the family every single time. She is a perfect example of putting family first and I respect her so much! So thankful for everything she does. – Todd
Grams is truly one of the sweetest people ever! She LOVES her grandkids and great grandkids. She calls just to check on you and see how your kids are doing. And the comments she leaves on every picture both on Instagram and Facebook are one of the highlights of my day! She is so excited to see what is going on with the kids and follow what they are doing in their lives. I have no doubt that she loves me and my family and truly wants the best for us. She is an incredible example of love and devotion to her family! And she makes the most delicious gingersnaps! I’ve tried to make them and they just never turn out as wonderful as hers! I love her! – Mary
Grandma has always been good about staying in touch with me and be genuinely interested in my life. She’s always right there cheering me on and has always been very supportive in whatever I’ve done with my life. – Danielle
My favorite thing about my Gram is she is so involved in our lives. She has always supported me in my activities and hobbies- attending every dance concert, piano recital, school program, graduation, etc. And now I get to watch her be just as involved with my own kids. She loves to spend time with them and support them in all they do. All my kids love to visit Gram and Gramps house! When we come, the toys are already out and the candy jars are filled. We have always felt welcome and comfortable in their home! She is wonderful and phone calls to check-in, cards on holidays and special occasions, and commenting on our social media accounts! We love Gram! – Karrissa
I have a great memory of Grandma taking care of me after my motorcycle accident. She has always been there for me. – Brian
Grandma is a constant beacon and example of service to others. She has treated my wife like one of her own granddaughters and is always calling to wish her great-grandchildren a happy birthday. Even though I grew up far from her and Grandpa, she made sure to be very involved in my life, requesting each Christmas for videos of my sisters and my activities throughout the year, as well as hosting us for a week or so every summer for a fun-filled week with aunts, uncles, and cousins! She is the epitome of “being there,” even when she is not physically there. – Jake
We love Gram! She is always so thoughtful and thinking of us and calls to check on us to make sure we are okay. I love knowing we have her in our corner. And I love that she cares about her great grand kids and keeps up with what’s going on in their lives. – Miranda
She has always been such a supportive grandma! She went to her grandkids dance performances, concerts, gymnastics meets, soccer games, etc. whenever she could. And now does the same for her great grandkids! I love that about her. She checks up on me and asks how I’m doing often and really loves to stay connected to my kids too. – Alysha
Gram has always had a focus on her posterity and how she can help us have good relationships with each other and make memories together. I have fond memories of the Parsons Family Fun Week (PFFW) outings to Tinpanogos Caves, The Peppermint Place, Chuck E Cheese’s, a hotel in Salt Lake City, etc. Gram provided those opportunities for cousins to make connections and memories that keep us close even though we see each other less often as adults. When we lived in Utah for a brief time, Gram and Hannah formed a special bond. Hannah loved to climb on Gram’s lap and have a little snuggle. Recently I’ve seen how Gram, as a great grandmother, gets so much joy from staying connected to her great grandchildren through the wonders of instagram. She is quick to leave loving comments that show how much she cares about each of her great grandchildren and loves to know what they are up to. – Laura Ann
Cenia, you are an amazing lady, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. We love you!
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