Beloved relative followed area sports until the end

I have a confession to make.

I was feeling a little small this week. A little selfish.

I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to one of my favorite readers.

She died on Tuesday.

Helen Odell, 87, my wife’s grandmother, my kids’ great-grandmother, was sitting in her chair reading the sports section when her heart gave out.

Poor me. I didn’t get to say goodbye.

The truth is, if I would have had that chance to say goodbye, it would have been because we knew G.G. was going to die. That she was suffering and the end was near.

But her death was unexpected. She still seemed so full of life.

G.G. was born at Sacred Heart Hospital in 1918 and lived most of her life in Spokane. She had to be one of the area’s most loyal sports fans.

She couldn’t attend many events, but thanks to radio, TV and the newspaper, she kept up on all the teams. When the Spokane Indians won the Northwest League title earlier this month, she was elated.

A great football weekend was when the area colleges and the Seahawks all prevailed. But when they didn’t, she would focus on something positive.

Without a doubt, her favorite team was the Seattle Mariners. She owned a Mariners team jacket, and she was rarely without it.

She never missed a game on TV. If it weren’t on the tube, she would tune it in on the radio.

In her younger years, she would venture to Seattle and watch the games live. She would talk about those games for weeks.

During the season, when G.G. would visit our house for special occasions, I would always make sure the TV was on and tuned in to the M’s. And she knew it would be. We shared an unspoken bond – the love of sports.

I think she took great pride in knowing I had something to do with putting that day’s sports section together. I took great joy in knowing she was reading the section.

When her son, Steve, my father-in-law, informed us of G.G.’s passing, he made sure that I knew she died with the newspaper in her hand.

She was blessed, really. She lived a full life and celebrated living and then passed peacefully, a sports fan to the end.

It’s still so sad that she is no longer with us, but she wouldn’t want us to spend a lot of time grieving.

I suspect that if she were able, just to make me feel better, she would tell me that there are a lot worse ways to go than sitting in your favorite chair reading the sports section.

Goodbye G.G. Thanks for the love. Thanks for reading.