"You're too old to call me Grandma Jo," she told me a few years ago, but I continue to think of her as Grandma Jo. She certainly acted as a grandmother to my daughter, even taking her and a horse to Spokane to have her senior pictures taken. I first met Grandma Jo at the swimming pool. "You're a teacher? You must know my son Frank." But I didn't. The second member of the family that I met was Kelly, then a toddler, when her grandmother brought her to the pool. Kelly wasn't interested in the water, but her grandmother persisted. "Everyone needs to learn to swim." Kelly and my daughter would play together while G'ma Jo and I talked. Grandma Jo and my daughter shared a love of horses, and Grandma Jo made sure that Julia knew how to take care of them. Not only did she learn to feed and water and exercise them, she was expected to join G'ma Jo (then not yet eighty) on the roof of the barn to patch the leaks. G'ma Jo instilled a work ethic by example and a joy in living. When our lives hit a snag, she gathered us into her family, including us in their celebrations. We enjoyed many a Brim/Ayers family Thanksgiving. Our lives have been greatly enriched by knowing her.