In the early 2000s, my parents moved from McCook to a lakeside retirement community in Arkansas. Even at the time, it didn’t make sense because they had moved from Omaha to McCook just a few years earlier. Not because I lived in McCook but because of something much more persuasive: the grandkids.
As the U-Haul pulled out of the driveway headed south, my parent’s move made me realize that we had taken the situation for granted. My kids had been very fortunate to have all four grandparents alive and living in the same town.
Not surprisingly, my mother missed her grandkids and they returned to McCook after just a year away. For another few years, my kids again enjoyed having all four grandparents at every school program, every sporting event, every birthday party or just hanging out together.
But that ideal situation ended in 2006 when my mother, Linda, died.
For several more years, the remaining three grandparents were in the front row at every event or sitting around the dining table during the holidays. But within four months of each other, both grandfathers, Pete and then Ron, passed away.
This left our kids with one lone grandmother, Dolores Graff, as their final link to that generation. In those final years, she shared stories about her childhood as one of 10 kids, attended Mass at St. Pat’s as often as she could for as long as she could, and refused to let go of your hand as you left her room. But time and her health took its toll and she died earlier this week.
While it is never a perfect time, it was her time to go and it is the end of an era.
There is a part of me which is sad because they have lost that unconditional love from grandparents which cannot be replicated. But I am glad my kids got to know their grandparents and will continue to be influenced by them through their legacies..
Dolores' impact will be felt by both our family and the community for years to come. During her 88 years. she was a force to be reckoned with. After all, if Dolores wanted to see something happen, she made it happen.
Unsatisfied that McCook didn’t offer recycling in the mid-1990s, she started her own recycling center, which was eventually taken over by the city of McCook. She liked to joke that she knew people made fun of the banker’s wife playing in garbage, but she didn’t care. She knew what she wanted and she made it happen.
Dolores was also thorough, much to the chagrin of others. She served two terms on the McCook School Board, even after all her 11 children had graduated from high school. She valued education and simply wanted the best school system for her community.
And she devoted herself to that role. While others “crack” open their packet for the first time at the school board meeting, Dolores would arrive having read and reread every page. She had things underlined, paragraphs highlighted and questions ready to be asked. If she didn’t know the answer, she was going to keep asking and learning until she understood and could make an informed decision.
And Dolores had a penchant for names and faces, not only remembering someone she met years before but also their kids names, where they were going to school and how many dogs they had. Meanwhile, I struggle to remember the name of someone I met five minutes ago. Dolores also loved introducing people to others. Even in her final residence at Hillcrest Nursing Home, she took great pleasure in asking if her nurse or aide knew my husband or me. Never mind that we had met them dozens of times by then, Dolores wanted to make sure everyone knew each other and felt comfortable.
I must admit that there is a twinge of jealousy when I see people able to hug their parents or invite them over for dinner. Or when grandparents fill the stands to watch their grandchildren or simply sit around with a grandchild on their lap.
Instead, I will continue to be grateful for the years we had together, for the meals which always started late and for the many, many stories, from using aloe plants to heal BB guns injuries, to being lost in a blizzard with just one priest to bless us.
Whether it is your parent, your grandparents or just an elderly family friend, don’t take them for granted. Reach out to them as often as you can, whether it’s a phone call or just a text. Heck, maybe even go as far as write them a letter to tell them how much you appreciate them.
And while we’re at it, don’t forget your friends...the family you get to choose. Let them know how grateful you are to have them in your life. My days wouldn’t be as rich without my morning coffee club, my pseudo volleyball team or my Taco Tuesday cohorts.
While this Thanksgiving will look like no other, it is still the perfect time to show gratitude for all of the important people in your life. If your family is near (and it is safe to do so), give them a hug and tell them you love them. If your family is being kept apart, make that phone call and tell them how grateful you are for them.
And if you still have a grandparent around, don’t take it for granted. Instead, be grateful because it will come to an end all too soon.
McCook's last hometown bakery closed this past week, leaving a void not just for donuts but for connections.
Many organizations and businesses in McCook offer the opportunity to recycle, reuse and repair items that may just end up in the trash.
Organizer for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and former librarian named Oct 2025 volunteer of the month.
McCook's Third Thursdays were created to get businesses and organizations involved and designed to create life-long memories for the community.
Long-time community advocate Barb Ostrum received the Sept 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month award.
We need to celebrate our young people while they are here and encourage them to return.
While some like myself appreciate a rainy day, others dread them for a variety of reasons. We need to be empathetic as interact with others.
MCFF Fall Grant Deadline is Oct. 1. Complete list of former recipients on MCFF website
With so much going, it is time for a “This, That and the Other Thing” column, where we will cover several topics, not very deeply but hopefully with a sense of humor as we clean up and prepare for a busy week in McCook. *** McCook again made state and national news this week for ice. This time, it was in the form of hail that pounded the community for hours upon hours. Conversations this week begin with “where were you….?” or “how many windows did you lose?” And while they may be legitimate and are offering their services, it is like vultures with all the roofing repair and dent removal businesses which have descended upon McCook following the storm. As city officials noted, do your due diligence with any company doing repairs for you and follow the old adage, which is old and still around because it’s true: If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. And one last note on the storm, we need to be careful what we ask for. As storm after storm approaches McCook and then splits in two to go around the town, we finally got one to roll right over us. The storm liked McCook so much it slowed down and just there. I was in Lincoln during the storm and trying to determine when I would drive home. I thought the weather app had frozen or the radar was broken because every time I looked, the storm was still sitting over McCook, doing its damage. I guess we can be thankful the next time a storm seemingly just goes around us. *** We are in the thick of McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. Congratulations to all the Heritage Days Royalty, which was announced at the MNB Bank Mixer this week. A special shout-out to Bill Donze, better known as Mr. Bill and his wife, Kathy, who were honored as royalty for their impact in McCook. As many know, Mr. Bill is fighting cancer and the prognosis isn’t good. The chances of him selling snow-cones and candy out of his van next summer near the McCook Aquatic Center are not good. One judge of his impact was the response to my column about Mr. Bill a few months ago. The post was shared thousands of times, viewed nearly 70,000 times with just as many comments by people sharing their fond memories of Mr. Bill. So when you see Mr. Bill riding down Norris in the convertible this weekend in the Heritage Days parade, send extra prayers and well-wishes to the man who has brought so much joy to so many kids - and adults too - over the years. *** Continuing on the Heritage Days theme, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the McCook Rotary Club is tossing all egos and formality out the window this weekend. As the president of the McCook Rotary Club, I invite everyone to at least watch, if not participate, in the Rotary’s first inflatable costume relay race on Saturday as part of the festivities in Norris Park. These are those giant, blow-up costumes you usually see around Halloween. The first costumes were usually T-Rexes but now there is everything imaginable available as a design. With the idea for the race originally conceived by Melanie Goodenberger, she has purchased everything from corn on the cob to a cowboy riding a chicken. This is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club with a cost of just $20 for a team of four to participate in the relay race. But it is also a chance to giggle, perhaps make a fool of yourself and just have fun. Come to the park Saturday afternoon for the Wiener Dog races and stay for the Rotary Relay races. While the dogs will already be close to the ground, the relay race participants will likely just end up on the ground. *** With so much going on in McCook this week, I debated whether there should be another activity the next week but the response has already been great for the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska’s next production in McCook. Hosted by the McCook Creative District, the Omaha Street Percussion ensemble will perform at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There is a matinee showing at 10:30 a.m. but I will be up-front…we are testing the capacity of the Fox with every seat already claimed with students. If that is the only show you can make, please come and we’ll find you a seat but it may be those up in the rafters. Otherwise, please plan to attend the 7 p.m. show on Sept. 24. And even better, there is no cost thanks to the Kimmel Foundation and the Friends of the Lied. This is a busy week and a busy weekend but this is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy a fun, entertaining evening of live music.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
