Grandma Josie

My grandmother, Josephine Starkweather, passed away this week at age 94. Grandma Josie did not adhere to the stereotype of the average grandmother. Instead of baking cookies, she sold mutual funds. Instead of knitting scarves, she organized Republican fundraisers. Instead of moving to Florida when forced into retirement in her 60s, she moved to Louisiana to start a new job selling stocks and continued working until her mid 80s. When I was seven or eight years old, I remember a friend showing me a doll that her grandmother bought her for Christmas and I responded that my grandma gave me stock in Pepsi.

I have always loved telling stories of Grandma Jo. My favorite is probably the one when she got carjacked in her early 20s and, being the phenomenal saleswoman that she was, she talked the guy into letting her go and giving back her engagement ring. After that, she promptly contacted the police and assisted in his arrest.

There was an intriguing complexity to Grandma Jo that most people cannot recognize in their own grandmothers. She was both notoriously frugal and exceedingly generous. She had a knack for getting what she wanted from people, but was also genuinely interested in helping them improve their finances and better their lives.

I will always be grateful to Grandma Josie for her support and encouragement growing up, her financial generosity, and her example as a woman of great strength and accomplishments.