{"id":17258,"date":"2012-01-16T22:30:05","date_gmt":"2012-01-17T03:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=17258"},"modified":"2012-01-16T22:44:40","modified_gmt":"2012-01-17T03:44:40","slug":"a-life-lived-fully-and-a-day-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/01\/16\/a-life-lived-fully-and-a-day-to-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"Annette Long: A Life Lived Fully, and a Day to Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Life Lived Fully, and a Day to Remember (Annette Long)<\/strong><\/p>\n

By JENNIFER COLTON<\/p>\n

December 14, 2011<\/p>\n

Hermiston Herald<\/p>\n

Wednesday night, my family will decorate the Christmas tree, an annual
\ntradition that has been, as long as I can remember, on Dec. 14. I don\u2019t know
\nwhen or how the tradition began, but for as long as I can remember, my
\nparents have decorated on my grandmother\u2019s birthday, followed by a phone
\ncall to Tucson or Texas or wherever she was celebrating.<\/p>\n

This year, however, will be different.<\/p>\n

Born to deaf parents, my grandmother began interpreting sign language at the
\nage of 5. Her mother was a seamstress, her father a house painter. She was
\nborn in Texas, but the family began traveling when her mother came down with
\ndust pneumonia. They eventually moved to Hollywood to find work during the
\nwar, and grandmother rode the trolley to high school every day. On her 16th
\nbirthday she eloped to Tijuana with my granfather, but she continued to live
\nwith her parents until she was 19, when they had a proper church wedding.<\/p>\n

She worked in a bank, as a model and as secretary in an Army office in
\nOkinawa. When she and my grandfather moved to Arizona in 1970, she returned
\nto interpreting and founded the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf.
\nGrandma Annette became a professional sign language interpreter, long before
\nlicenses and certification were available. She helped form the national
\nRegistry of Interpreters for the Deaf and the Conference of Interpreter
\nTrainers. She worked as an interpreter and instructor, traveling throughout
\nthe country and U.S. Territories, and she founded the interpreter training
\nprogram at the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n

During junior high and high school, I would spend weekends at her home in
\nTucson. We would eat at international restaurants and go shopping and
\nsight-seeing, but what I really remember from those weekends is sitting in
\nher living room watching movies, both modern and classic. I once catalogued
\nthose movies for her, rows and rows and rows of VHS tapes with everything
\nfrom \u201cArsenic and Old Lace\u201d to \u201cThe Rock.\u201d There were almost 300 then, and I
\nknow she continued to collect films for years afterward.<\/p>\n

In those movie nights \u2014 and mornings and days and afternoons \u2014 she cheered
\nduring classic Westerns, sang along with musicals and cried every time she
\nwatched \u201cHow Green Was my Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took advantage of technology, whether it was WebTV, playing solitaire on
\nthe computer for hours or even setting up a Facebook account. My grandmother
\nhelped me set up my first e-mail address with Juno, the free dial-up my only
\nway to get online. She bought me my first CD, along with a tape\/CD player to
\nlisten to it.<\/p>\n

Grandma Annette was far from perfect and even further from the
\n\u201ctraditional\u201d grandparent. She disliked children under the age of 8, was
\ncynical and had a wicked sense of humor; she smoked like a chimney, always
\nhad a rescued dog underfoot and never had friends her own age.<\/p>\n

She had a half a can of Coca-Cola almost religiously every morning, and I
\nhave only one memory of her actually cooking because she preferred to eat
\nout, order in or microwave. She hated eating fast food, but sometimes she
\nbought Sonic hamburgers as a treat for her dogs to eat at dinner.<\/p>\n

Grandma Annette always had an opinion about everything, and she always
\nwanted to know what was going on in the world, even when she couldn\u2019t
\nexperience it herself.<\/p>\n

Despite her lifestyle, my grandmother fought through every health problem
\nshe faced. She had double carpal tunnel surgery in the \u201890s, and I spent the
\nsummer of 2004 with her when she had double cataract surgery. She had both
\nshoulders replaced, and several years ago, a fall while in care after back
\nsurgery left her unable to walk. She fought back, and 18 months later, she
\nwas able to walk again, although she used a cane or a walker most of the
\ntime.<\/p>\n

Somehow she always seemed immortal, even after my grandfather suffered from
\nemphysema, a triple-heart bypass surgery and lung cancer.<\/p>\n

It was about a year ago when an emergency room visit prompted the discovery
\nof a long untreated infection, and in February, she began dialysis.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, March 16, I called my mom to ask a question about our dryer, and
\nshe dropped a bombshell: My grandmother had died less than an hour earlier.
\nShe was 79.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if it was the suddenness of the announcement or the fact that
\nGrandma Annette had always been my favorite relative, but I was speechless.
\nIn a way, I still am because I can\u2019t express anything the way I want to. She
\nhad a full and interesting life, and I hope to accomplish as much with my
\nlife as she did.<\/p>\n

So after the tree is lit and the Star Trek ornaments are turned on \u2013
\npurchased annually by my grandmother \u2013 there won\u2019t be a phone call. But
\nGrandma Annette will not be forgotten, and I hope somewhere she\u2019s enjoying a
\ncoke or a plate of strawberry blintzes, the traditional kind with preserves
\nand sour cream.<\/p>\n

Maybe she\u2019ll catch up with old friends and watch a movie.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be thinking about her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Life Lived Fully, and a Day to Remember (Annette Long) By JENNIFER COLTON December 14, 2011 Hermiston Herald Wednesday night, my family will decorate the Christmas tree, an annual tradition that has been, as long as I can remember,…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[1629,7705,23,12149,12150,12146,40,12151,8530,327,4951,3502,12147,12148],"class_list":["post-17258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-american-sign-language","tag-annette-long","tag-asl","tag-coca-cola","tag-community-outreach-program-for-the-deaf","tag-conference-of-interpreter-trainers","tag-interpreter","tag-juno","tag-registry-of-interpreters-for-the-deaf","tag-rid","tag-training-program","tag-university-of-arizona","tag-vhs","tag-webtv"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-4um","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13602,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/03\/20\/pioneering-sign-language-interpreter-annette-long-passes-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":17258,"position":0},"title":"Pioneering Sign Language Interpreter Annette Long Passes Away","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE \u00a0 Media Contact: David H. Pierce david@davideo.tv \u00a0 March 17, 2011 \u00a0 PIONEERING SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER ANNETTE LONG PASSES AWAY \u00a0 San Antonio, TX- On March 16, 2011, Annette Marie (Pois) Long passed away in San Antonio, Texas at age 79. She is survived by two siblings,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5845,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2009\/03\/24\/obituary-annette-bonafede\/","url_meta":{"origin":17258,"position":1},"title":"Obituary: Annette Bonafede","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Obituary: Annette Bonafede Please pray for the repose of the soul of Annette Bonafede who died peacefully on Sunday, 3\/22\/09, in Plano, Texas following a lengthy illness. 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It is the perfect way to describe how many people in the Rio Grande Valley feel about South Texas College's new Interpreter Training\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12906,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/01\/13\/annette-long-the-interpreter\/","url_meta":{"origin":17258,"position":3},"title":"Annette Long the Interpreter","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Annette Long - the Interpreter Annette Long born in Texas and has taught, worked and played in the state for a lot of years is seriously ill. Annette is one of the old guard, that helped develop the interpreting field in Texas, nationally and internationally. She helped established the legal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28374,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/08\/26\/interpreter-preparation-program-for-the-deaf-advisory-board-open-call-for-members-dfw\/","url_meta":{"origin":17258,"position":4},"title":"Interpreter Preparation Program for the Deaf – Advisory Board Open Call for Members – DFW","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Collin College: Interpreter Preparation Program for the Deaf - Advisory Board Open Call for Members Collin College is pleased to announce an open call for membership applicants to its Interpreter Preparation Program for the Deaf (IPPD) Advisory Board. We are looking for organizing, passionate people who will contribute to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22506,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/04\/07\/sign-language-professor-transcends-the-spectrum-of-sound\/","url_meta":{"origin":17258,"position":5},"title":"Sign language professor transcends the spectrum of sound","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"April 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Sign language professor transcends the spectrum of sound By Aisha Bouderdaben April 3, 2013 UH is the only university in Texas to offer a four-year degree plan for American Sign Language Interpreting. \u201cLamar University in Beaumont offers a degree in ASL but not interpreting,\u201d said Sharon Hill, the coordinator of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DN_logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17258"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17271,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17258\/revisions\/17271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}