Jadzė

Jadzė was my maternal Grandmother. Unlike Tatjana, Jadzė was Lithuanian, and I don't think she ever left the country during her life. She may have visited Poland. Her Mother, Zigmunta, was Polish. How that came about is a story for another post.

Jadzė's life was short. She died of melanosarcoma of the optic disk shortly after her fortieth birthday. She died before her husband, Jake, and my Mom fled Lithuania. As a result, I never met Grandmother Jadzė. Based on what my Mom has said about Jadzė, I know I would have loved her as much as I loved Tatjana.

Now, this blog has a "cancer" tag.

1910, Mariampolis, Lithuania. Jadzė as a young girl. The large hair bow was a customary accessory for young, Eastern European girls. You'll see it frequently in the photos to follow. Tatjana once tied such a bow in my hair in 1967. The bow gave life to accelerated teasing, as if my Lithuanian accent and cat-eye glasses weren't sufficient justifications for adolescent cruelty.