My paternal grandmother grew up on a poor farm in the rural south. Her father died when she was 9, so she, her sister and three brothers helped her mom keep the farm going. She met and married my grandfather when she was 16, wearing a dress she made in home ec. A POW vet from the Korean War, he was 25 and she was his second wife. They took off for the pacific northwest to let her brothers get used to the idea from a distance. A year and a half later, they returned to the south with my newborn dad in tow; my grandfather got a job in a steel mill and she began raising kids. They had a daughter and, soon after, took in my grandfather's first son from his previous marriage, when his first wife got into some trouble.
She took a job at Murray's, I believe as some kind of secretary or typist, where she worked until she got lupus and arthritis. During that time, she raised two boys and a girl, and dealt with her husband's inexplicable ptsd and night terrors (his memory from what had happened was scattered, and most of his papers were lost for a long time). They kept a room or two in the house always open for people to come and stay, whether family in trouble, or friends, or whoever. When her oldest (half) son was a 12 or 13, his mother showed up again and promised she'd never make him go to school or do anything he didn't like, if he would come live with her again. It broke my grandmother's heart when he left.
She made every penny count for everything; she didn't waste a cent, and can budget you down to your last loose hair. She began teaching sunday school, took the kids to church, and cooked full southern meals almost every night. Even though neither she nor my grandfather had gone to college (my grandfather didn't finish highschool, though that wasn't too uncommon in those days), they sent my dad and my aunt to top tier schools in their area and paid for it all with no debt.
When my uncle showed up again, she took him in with no questions; when he brought in a pregnant wife, she took her and the babies in too. When he disappeared on drugs, she stuck with the wife and watched the kids so she went to work; even after the divorce, she stayed invested in their lives. When I came along, she helped support my family through unemployment and everything else.
She stood proudly by my grandfather when he received the silver star for his actions in service - better late than never, she said. She used to fish, taught me how to water ski, helped teach me how to drive, and has an opinion about everything. She'd blushed and smile when she slapped my grandfather's hand away after he got sick, his inhibitions were low and he'd reach out for a butt pinch. She pored over math homework with us - which we were all terrible at, until our youngest cousin was born. Then, when my grandfather died after 60 some years of marriage, she looked at me and said, "Well... I guess we kept our vows."
She has worked to find a new normal since then; she still teaches Sunday school, still takes people in when they need it, and is generous with her money and her wisdom. She is kind and funny, and she really does know everything. I should call her.