Whatever Happened to Grandma's House?

I knew that I would be filling future blogs with stories and tidbits about the profound contribution my Grandmother made to my becoming the person that I am today, so I thought I would give you a glimpse into who she was by posting a reprint of an article that appeared in the local newspaper. It was written by me.

"My daughter told me the other day that she went past Great-Grandma's house and it was ready for demolition. I started to cry.


"My grandmother was the best person I have ever known. I grew up in that house on Lorraine Road in Glen Ellyn. No - I didn't live there, but Grandma Van took my cousins, my siblings and me for the weekend every weekend as far as I can remember. She worked full-time at the Wheaton Court House, worked part-time as the Glen Ellyn Rotary Club bookkeeper, kept active in her church (St. Mark's Episcopal), took care of all of her own needs, took care of her home (including mowing the lawn when women didn't do that), gardened, played the piano, played cards with her girlfriends, and took art classes. And, she took care of her five grandchildren most weekends. What a woman!


"My grandmother was widowed before I was born, so she spent most of her life alone than with a mate or companion. We were her companions - us five kids. Of course I was the oldest so I got the best of Grandma. Everything I have come to value, I've learned from her. Things like values, faith, honesty, integrity, wisdom, compassion, etiquette, and the passion for music and gardening. I'm a grandmother myself now, and if I can pass on only a fraction of what she gave to me, I'd feel as though my grandmother lives on.


"Paulina Van Steenkist passed away in 1990 at the age of 92 in a nursing home in St. Louis. But she lived at 216 Lorraine for her entire adult life. She came to this country from Belgium with my great-grandfather, Polydore Janssens (Paul), when she was just a girl. The house was built in 1915 and they were the first owners. My family has pictures of that home when it was the only home around on a dirt road. Grandma told me stories of how the horses would drink from the water fountain downtown Glen Ellyn when they would go to town. I bet you didn't know that the fountain in the center of town used to water the horses. Paulina married late and lived her entire married life there. Her and my grandfather raised my mother and my aunt in that house. And then she raised me. She lived there until she was about 90 years old.


"About five years ago, I brought someone down Lorraine Road to show him where my parents lived when I was born. It was a tiny home just two houses down from Grandma. The house was gone. I didn't know. In its place was a 'trophy home' that barely fit on the lot. But Grandma's house still stood - modest but proud. Now that could be gone too. I haven't had the strength to drive by to see if they've knocked it down yet. I wonder if they'll keep the beautiful Magnolia tree in the front yard. Probably not.


"Glen Ellyn is a beautiful town and I still love it. But the destruction of the historical homes that were the very fabric of her beginnings is terrible. And I'm sure I'm not the only one saying 'Gee - whatever happened to grandma's house'."

Today, the house is gone and many other things have changed. But I choose to remember it the way it was - a little heaven on earth for a little girl.