Although my maternal grandmother, Dorothy Fey, died nearly 30 years ago, she has played a key role in her grandchildren’s weddings in the years since.
Thanks to my Aunt Doris, Fey brides spend their special day wearing an heirloom necklace made for my grandmother with the engagement diamonds of her mother.
Grandma was the only child of the beautiful but fragile Laura (Miller) Swegman, for whom I am named.
My mother and her sister Doris get their strength and longevity from the Fey side of the family, but they get their grace and fashion sense from the Miller girls, Ida, Susan and Laura Margaret.
My sister Kathy wore the necklace that represented both families at her wedding this past weekend.
Kathy and I shared the same thought when Aunt Doris presented the beautiful heart-shaped pendant poolside on the day before the wedding.
“Dear God, don’t let us lose it.”
The 75-year old necklace looked perfect above Kathy’s elegant, modern gown and it reflected the setting sun as she made her way down the sand aisle at her beach wedding. I know this because I kept my eyes trained on that sucker from the moment I clasped it around her neck until the second I unclasped it (before the really wild dancing began at the reception) and gave it back to Aunt Doris.
The necklace, purchased and designed by my grandfather, really was beautiful, its monetary worth reflected in those sparkling diamonds. But its real value to us lay in the history it represented, that of a beloved grandmother and her beautiful mother.
