‘It’s okay to cry’: Las Cruces family celebrates great-grandmother’s 90th birthday through window

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- At 90-years-old, Frances Haussamen has survived the Great Depression, World War II and a century's worth of both economic prosperity and hardship.

The 2020 pandemic has been the most difficult by far, her grandson told ABC-7.

"I don't know how much longer she's going to be here, but I'm not going to wait to tell her I love her," said Heath Haussamen, her grandson. "We're not going to wait to go smile and blow her kisses."

The great-grandmother lives at the Good Samaritan Society's assisted living center in Las Cruces. To keep the virus out of the facility, no outside visitors are allowed inside.

"It's sad that we can't see her right now, and that on her birthday, we had to put our hands up to a window and sing to her through a window," Haussamen said.

To celebrate her 90th birthday, the Haussamen family visited Frances at the window of the facility and then called her to read birthday cards from her great-grand children all over the country.

"She said 'You can come read them to me when this is all over,'" Haussamen said. "We just said, 'No. This is happening now and today. Because every day is precious and we don't know how many more any of us have."

When Haussamen returned to his car, he said he grew overwhelmed with emotion.

"As we were driving home afterwards, I just started crying," Haussamen said. "It just came out. My daughter said, 'Dad, I was crying inside too.'"

The 41-year-old father told ABC-7 that it's important to allow children to process their feelings during this overwhelming world crisis. One day, he hopes their family can celebrate Nanny Frances with hugs and kisses.

"It's okay to cry," he told his 8-year-old daughter, Lily. "It's okay to feel sad. Daddy does it too."