This cache is an easy find in a spot very dear to my late grandmother. Take a moment to sit on the bench built in honor of her and enjoy the shade from the nearby tree.
Her name was Cynthia Blount but we called her Grandma Berry. We spent the spring and summers in the very place she loved, the Marion Museum. It was at the Marion Museum she discovered her true passion for history. Initially, my grandma co-volunteered with her parents, Jack and Ella Swain, my great grandparents, during the summers. She eventually became the Museum Director, and with her parents' help, she developed professional exhibits and a genealogical research center. She worked tirelessly to help research visitors' ancestry, trade anecdotal stories, support community events, and promote Marion's history whenever she could. My grandma lived to laugh, and her laugh and sense of humor was contagious. She could always hold an engaging conversation, even to strangers.
After her passing, my cousin and I spent our summers in Marion searching for geocaches together. We even visited the museum again. The same place we had spent hours running around, playing in front of the exhibits, feels a little less complete without my grandma at the front desk watching us play and laugh. Though she has passed, a part of her remains here. And so, we still visit on the days we miss her most.
She would’ve loved geocaching and enjoyed one being so close to the museum. Once you fill out the log and trade whatever treasures are inside, return the cache where you found it. If the museum is open, stop inside and take a look around.
Happy travels and safe caching!
With love, Arina.