Learning to get by without grandma

The world lost a great woman on July 8, 2012, my grandma Colleen Archibald. For me, this was my first experience with death with someone I was close to. It was harder than I thought it would be. I know it will take time and I am sure the holiday's will be especially hard but I know she is in a better place and no longer suffering through cancer. She passed away from lymphoma cancer, which she has been fighting for the past 10 years. 
She will be forever missed by those who knew her. She made a big impact on my life and I know I am not alone in those words.  Grandma lived a good life, she worked hard and never gave up through out all the trials in her life.  One thing I will always remember was every Christmas she would give me a porcelain doll, each one being special in their own way. I picture her picking out the most beautiful one in the store every December. I have kept every single doll and will hopefully pass them on to my daughters. Grandma was also a great cook and I loved going to her house and smelling watching her in action as she put together a fabulous meal (my favorite: ham, potatoes, and rolls). One thing I got from her was her love of puzzles, I could sit for hours and do puzzles all day long, as could she; and her favorite color was pink (as you will see below) which, who doesn't love pink in my mind, always a great color!

We love you grandma and will miss you!

Her is her obituary, a great tribute to a great lady:

On July 8, 2012, Heaven welcomed another angel when Colleen Archibald Gubler passed from this life at 83, surrounded by her loving family, after a short battle with lymphoma. Her wonderful parents, Robert and Ann Eliza "Annie" Leishman welcomed her into their home Aug. 9, 1928. She was one of a combined family of 15 children.
Colleen attended elementary and junior high school in Wellsville and graduated from South Cache High School in 1946. She met the love of her life, Elmer H. Archibald, and waited patiently for him to return home to Wellsville at the end of World War II. Elmer and Colleen were married for time and eternity June 27, 1946, in the Logan LDS Temple. Elmer passed away in 1970. Colleen spent the next 16 years raising her children.
She then met and married Ernie Gubler and spent 13 years enjoying his companionship. They loved to travel and visited many states and countries, which she loved. Ernie died in 1998.
Colleen and Elmer lived for a short time right after they were married in Grace, Idaho, where Elmer taught school and Colleen was the librarian at Grace High School. Returning to Wellsville, Utah, they spent the remainder of their lives in the town they grew up in.
The most important job Colleen had was being a mother and she spent countless hours raising, teaching and nurturing her five children, Lynn, Marsha, Dennis, Paul and Craig. After Elmer's untimely death in 1970, Colleen took on the role of both mother and father, besides being the breadwinner and managing her home, a big yard and Dad's farm and cows.
She worked at Wellsville Elementary for many years as a reading aide and absolutely loved working with the kids. At lunch she helped in the cafeteria and many of her grandkids have memories of her helping them and making them eat everything on their trays.
Colleen loved to travel and she and Dad took many memorable trips. Some of her favorites were Yellowstone and Miami, Fla. In the 1950s, she and dad traveled to Michigan and drove a brand new Pontiac right out of the car factory and back to Utah.
Colleen was a faithful member of the LDS Church. She had a strong testimony of the gospel, which never wavered, even in the face of adversity. Through her life she had many, many struggles, but her faith in her Heavenly Father kept her moving forward and he was her strength.
Colleen served in many church positions during the years, some of which included ward Mutual president, ward Primary president, ward Relief Society president and stake Relief Society president. She served with diligence, honesty and she always gave her all in her callings. She loved attending the temple and because of poor health hadn't been able to go for the last few years. Just weeks before her death she said, "I want to go back to the temple."
Colleen enjoyed being a member of the Junior Literary Club in Wellsville. She helped build many, many floats for the clubs and organizations of which she was a part. Many Founder's Day parades included floats which she had helped build and in which she was very proud of.
Later in life, Colleen was faced with many health challenges, which prevented her from doing many of the things she enjoyed. Through every struggle she had, she endured, never grumbling or complaining. She was an exemplary mother and she taught us valuable lessons about enduring to the end and never losing our faith.
Colleen was preceded in death by her eternal companion Elmer, parents and many brothers and sisters. She is survived by her children Lynn (Jeanne) Archibald, Marsha Archibald Larsen, Dennis (Rosalie) Archibald, Paul (Stephanie) Archibald and Craig (Amy) Archibald. She is also survived by 20 grandchildren, whom she adored, Amy Larsen, Melanie Gunnell, Eric Larsen, Brett Larsen, Mindee Larsen, Caleb Archibald, Mya Archibald, Stockton Archibald, Jeremy Archibald, Jennifer Crawford, Emily Larson, Brian Archibald, Michael Archibald, Kelsey Pallardelli, Natalie Smoot, Ryan Archibald, Kaitlin Archibald, Matt Swenson, Jodi Schwartz and Cammy Telford. She also leaves 23 beautiful great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her sister Jean Jensen (who is also her best friend); brother Norman Leishman; and cat Tinkerbell.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 13, in the Wellsville 4th Ward chapel, 200 South Center St. A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 12, at Allen Hall Mortuary, 34 E. Center St. in Logan, and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. prior to services at the church.
The family would like to thank Dr. Barton Avery for his care through the years and especially the nurses who cared for Mother at Logan Regional Hospital (TCU) during the last weeks of her life. A special thank you to all the ladies who work at the Infusion Center at Logan Regional Hospital. These ladies have given kind and gentle care to mom for many years and always greeted her with a smile. Also thanks to Kathy "Katie" Turner who has been mom's hairdresser for many, many years. Thank you for making mom even more beautiful than she already was.