Meet My Grandma's

Vera Cameron Adams Ross Hallman

Meet my Dad's Mom, Vera Hallman. She was born November 29, 1911 in Rhode Island. When my Dad was 16 yrs. old, she left her husband and family and traveled to Prescott, Arizona. I did not officially meet my grandmother until 1971 when we traveled from CT to AZ on a family vacation.

My Grandma was a cook her whole life working in restaurants and truck stops. Needless to say many of her old recipes would feed an Army! She is pictured to the left in her Apron. My funniest memory of my grandma was making apple pie for Thanksgiving dinner. She kept telling me I was piling my apple pie filling too high and it was going to boil over ~ well it did. I of course, tried to tell her that was all part of pie baking. She passed away August 17, 1996.



Alice Law Simmons


Meet my Mom's Mom, Alice Simmons. This is the Grandma I grew up seeing all the time until we moved to Arizona in 1973. She was born May 23, 1911 in Rhode Island. I will always remember her wearing a dress and her Apron. I never, ever saw her wear pants or shorts.

Every Sunday after Sunday School and every holiday we would go to Grandma's house. She was a fabulous cook! You always knew going to Grandma's that you would find some sweet treat waiting for you. I especially loved her cookies.

After we moved to AZ, every few years she would travel to visit us or we would travel to visit her. How I loved my visits with her! On one of my visits with her, while she was living in a care facility, I interviewed her for a Grandmother's History Book I was creating. I learned so much about her life during that visit. She passed away January 9, 2004.

Carrying on their legacy...... Both of these women, just like my Mom had such a presence in my life and I loved them dearly. But they could not have been more different! One only wore dresses and the other only wore pants. One remarried more than once, and one never remarried. But they were both such strong women who grew up in difficult times. My hope is to honor them both by continuing on with the traditions they started which includes mastering their practical cooking skills. How I love pulling out their handwritten recipe cards; it feels like they are right beside me guiding me as I cook. I look forward to sharing some of their recipes with you!

I miss both of them dearly.