One Fabulous Lady!

This is my Great-Grandmother Martha Lane Brink. She turned 94 today. For the past week and a half she has been on a downward slope. I was hoping to go see her one last time but by the time I was able to go she was too incoherent to even know I was there. Before she got to this point she told everyone she wanted to make it to her 94th birthday, and that she did.

This morning she passed away after seeing her son, my grandpa, one last time. I have decided that in memory of her I would write all the things I could remember about her so that she would always be in my heart.

The #1 thing I think of when I think about my Great-grandmother is a story teller. She could talk to you for hours on end and still have plenty to say. She loved history, and would love to share stories from her past. She knew in her final years she wanted to be remembered so she would tell her stories over and over and tell us not to forget. This is the one thing she wanted in her life is to be remembered and have her stories passed down to the generations that would go on past her.

You could call my great-grandmother a pillar of strength. She had been through many hard things in her life and it made her an incredibly stalwart person. She worked hard to get her art degree from, I believe, (family correct me if I'm wrong) The University of New Mexico. She lost her first husband at the young age of 27, only a year older then I am. She had a very young son at the time (my grandpa). Her husband, strong of valor, died in the battalion death march in Japan during World War II. It was after this that my Great-Grandmother found the gospel.

She began a legacy that I will be eternally grateful for. If she had never found the gospel, my grandfather would have never had it, he would have never converted my grandmother and my mother never would have known it. Had my mother not known it I would not be able to be sealed to my husband this day. How grateful I am for this. To have been born to a mother who through many advertises never stopped having faith, and lead me to the knowledge of the truth. This would not have been possible where it not for my Great-Grandmother.

My Great-Grandmother was never afraid to share the gospel. Two years ago I had the privileged of going to see her so that she could meet her 1st great-great-grandbaby, Austin. While there we took her to The Albuquerque Museum of Art and history. I was wheeling her around a suit of 1500's Spanish conquistador armor. She then proceeded to, with a couple standing next to us, in her loudest voice possible, testify that "The White God" the Native American's where looking for was in fact Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon testifies of his visit to the America's! The couple gave us polite smiles and continued to look at the exhibit around them as if they hadn't heard a thing. This was the type of person she was.

Shortly after she joined the church she had a distinct impression that she was related to Joesph Smith. That's when her fascination with Geneolgy began. She discovered that she was in fact related to Joesph Smith, a 3rd cousin 4 times removed. (if I did my calculation correctly) Lucy Mack's grandfather was a brother to my Great-Grandmothers great-great-great-grandfather. Wahoo!

Anyway something else I wanted to mention about Great-Grandmother. She was in good health and mostly good mental health (she just got people mixed up sometimes) until a week and a half ago. This woman wasn't big on exercise (although she did swim occasionally) and she wasn't big on eating healthy but she sure lasted a long time. No heart attack or cancer did her in, even though I once saw her put extra butter and salt on a microwave TV dinner of mac and cheese. So who says you can't enjoy your food?

She also had a talent in art. She loved to paint Native Americans, and very stylistic landscapes. her last painting that I know of was of the Albuquerque Temple dedicated just 10 years ago. She knew many talented people and loved painting to her dying day.

She loved New Mexico and once told me that she would never leave, and that she did. She was the type of person that if she set her mind to it, there was no faltering and no changing, she believed what she believed she did what she believed in and she never apologized for that. I admire how strong a person she was right to the very end. I love you Grandma!


I am so glad you had the chance to hold one of my children, I can't wait until Austin is old enough for me to show him this picture and tell him all about you.
Love,
Your Great-Granddaughter.