I love you so much Auntie Grace and miss you terribly. ❤❤❤. Tell Kathleen hello, I love her, and I miss her so much!!!

Happy Birthday Auntie Grace!
I love you and miss you.
I am so grateful you were so important in my life, and giving me 2 wonderful cousins!

Happy Birthday! Auntie Grace
Have a great time with those gone before us, as they Celebrate and Dance with you today!

Grace I'm thinking abiut you and every day. Just spent the weekend with Danielle and Nick and your great great grandkids. You woukd have loved them so much. You sure loved children and I know you would have truly loved your great grandkids

GRACE. When I think of Grace- the word amazing always comes to mind – just like the song AMAZING GRACE. From the day I first had the honor and privilege to meet and call Grace family, I was truly in awe of her. 

She never tired of doing for others, giving no matter the personal cost, making people always feel cared for and appreciated and always making any situation better. 

Grace’s son, Skip, is married to my daughter, Kat and when people would ask how Grace and I were related we never knew how to answer as there is no “official name of for us”. So we came up with the name “Out-laws” and that’s how we told people we were related.

Grace was my gambling partner. She loved to play the slots and hated losing.  Even after her disease took her memories, I would take her to the car wash were they had machines and she would play. She always told people we won (though often we did not) and had fun playing no matter.

I miss her daily and still say hello to her when I drive by the home where she lived last.  I would like to say rest in peace Grace; however, knowing Grace as we all did – she is busy, cooking, playing cards, making projects, walking, feeding the pups, and enjoying all her family and friends who have gone before her.  I pray she saves me a place at the card table for when I get there.  Love you Grace  

Grace was a very kind and loving woman who always had a smile on her face everytime I saw her. And that is what I truly loved about her.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kat, and I was Grace’s daughter-in-law for 25 years and she lived with Skip and I for 22 of those years. Grace was a second mom to me. Grace accepted me into the family with open arms. This couldn’t have been easy as I was not Skip’s first wife and I’m sure she must have had thoughts like “Will this one last?” But I never heard any of it from her. She just accepted me and celebrated in our love. She even offered to do all the food for the wedding. It didn’t matter that she was working full time or that her kitchen was being remodeled, she still made all the food for over 100 people at our wedding. 
Grace was someone I aspired to be like. I remember her door was always open for a card game or to eat or to just hang out. I don’t think she ever said I’m too tired or can we do it another night. Everyone just walked over and walked right in. (Did she even have a doorbell?) I don’t remember anyone using it. 
Grace loved to play cards. She wasn’t always the best sport but she loved to play and was always up for a game. Even as she was passing away, I had to warn her she couldn’t cheat or throw her cards in heaven.
When Dakota was just three months old, Grace moved in with us to help us with the kiddos while I worked. While I was still on maternity leave, Grace gave me the full introduction to the family by teaching me how to sew quilts (which she made for every child and grandchild). I have to say she was so patient. I would mess up over and over again and she would help me pull out the stitches while I wanted to throw the thing in the trash and go buy one at the store. 
I don’t know what I would have done without her. She was such a blessing. When she moved in, she started helping with boys especially at night as I had to get up so early. I think Dakota slept in her room the first 5 years of his life. In fact my favorite memory of Grace is all the kids in her bed. There’s a picture with her, Chey, Dakota, and Dallas (Matthew back then). She was involved all the way through with school for both Dakota and Dallas. She used to get awards from all the schools for being one of the best room grandma. I even remember when Dakota broke his arm, she went to school with him to write his answers as he whispered them in her ear during tests.
Grace was such an active grandma. My grandma, who I loved dearly, was the kind I just sat on her lap while she told stories. Grace had stories but they were given while she was moving, taking the kids to Disneyland, Knotts, the park, etc. Even cleaning house was an adventure with Dallas riding on the vacuum. 
She loved every holiday, but especially Easter. Grace would spend days putting together Easter baskets and hiding them on the roof, in a tree, or wherever it would take the kids hours to find them (And by kids she made one for each one of us too). It didn’t matter how old you were you were getting an Easter Basket. 
Grace was also one of my best friends. She was always up for an adventure. I remember once we left Dakota with Skip and just headed for the state line to gamble for 2 hours and then turn around and come back.
Grace’s family meant everything to her. She was always involved with the Reafsnyder dinners and holidays. She also would spend hours talking on the phone to all of her brothers and sisters. She was a Read but she was also a Reafsnyder through and through.
I remember one of the hardest things for her was when we lost our home in Corona, we had to move to Vegas. I know it was a difficult decision for her to move to Vegas when her daughter and grandkids and brothers and sisters were in California. But I was so grateful that she did follow us as she was having heart trouble and when she got to Vegas we found a wonderful Cardiologist who have her a new heart valve and she was good to go for another 10 years.
Grace loved babies. She helped in Sunday School when she was young and when she moved to Vegas she would go to church with me every week and help me in the nursery and the kids loved her. 
Grace’s mind began to deteriorate the last 4 years of her life and it was so hard to watch her slip. Then when Kathie passed away, I think in a way it was a blessing that her mind left. I know now that she and Kathie and her mom and dad and brothers and sisters are playing cards in heaven and having fun. That is what I hold onto until I can see her again.