As Grandfather told it, Grandma was raised in a tight-knit Roman Catholic German community. Outsiders were treated with caution and an aloofness that mimicked the taut-lipped Amish, and it was a normal occurrence for generations to intermarry with distant cousins to keep the religion and German blood as pure as possible. When my Grandfather and Grandmother were finally introduced, Grandpa always said his heart didn’t skip just one beat, but several, as if she stole it from him in that moment. He claims he never got it back.