My heart throbs with hurt and grief but deep down I feel absolute happiness knowing that my beautiful Grandmother is in the same paradise that created her heart. This is a woman that grew up during hard times and yet when she enters a room, her presence could instantly wash all your worries away with just the look of pure love she would give you. God made her with a unique design. He made her out of the red dirt of Carolina into a wonderful woman with class to simply show love. She found love with my Grandfather Raymond L Shackelford and she never let go. When she says she loves you, it's not just for the moment, its for a lifetime. She followed my Grandfather every place the Army would allow her to and managed to take care of her three wonderful kids at the same time. My father Raymond Jr, my aunt Vickie and my aunt Terri. They had themselves these two wonderful role models to build them into who they've become and for that I am very grateful. Grandma taught them what love is and they spread that throughout their children. No matter where my grandparents resided at the time. Whether it was in Virginia, Florida, Carolina or Kentucky, you knew your weren't just going to go on a trip. You knew that when you got there, Grandma was not going to let you go hungry, without a lesson or two, without photo album time, without comfort and most of all without love. I forgot to mention that you would never leave those two without a hurting stomach from all the laughter. It was like living in a live comedy show. No matter where you went, they could make fun out of literally nothing with them just being themselves, especially when Grandpa would say something out of the ordinary and you would hear Grandma snap back with a embarrassed look on her face shouting "Raymond". There are too many memories of Grandma to fill this up with. She left us with so much joy in our hearts but I am personally thankful for the thirty years I have had in my life with her. I know she is beyond happy reuniting with her parents and siblings but I can honestly say that there is no doubt in my mind that she is keeping an extra special caring and loving eye on all of us from Heaven. God knows I miss her, but He also knows that her job is done and it was done tremendously well and that his servant is well deserving of great rest and paradise in His Kingdom. My heart goes out to my Father, my two aunts, their spouses and to the rest of the grandchildren that got to share the honor of calling this wonderful woman Grandma. Most of all my heart goes out to Grandpa. God made man and woman to marry and they were to become one flesh. They did and they planted a seed upon this world of nothing but love. God blessed us when he brought those two together. I love each and every one of you and this is a vacancy in all of our hearts that will forever go unoccupied but the moments and memories that she gave us will forever fill remind us of what life and love is supposed to be. I love you Grandma and miss you dearly. The best news of all is that we will all meet again. Love Doozie