"Growing up in the rough part of Pine Bluff, Ark., Torii Hunter always knew he had his grandmother looking out for him.

"She helped raise me. She always took care of us," Hunter said. "I remember I ran away from home one time, mad at my mom. (My grandmother) took me in. She told my mom to pretend like she was mad at me so I couldn't come home. I was 9 or 10 years old. After like a week, I started missing my mom, so I went home."

Hunter left the Angels on Tuesday in order to go back home and say his final goodbye to his grandmother. Edna Cobbs, 80, died Friday morning as Hunter was traveling to rejoin the Angels for the weekend series in Baltimore.

"I'm sad. But she's been suffering for awhile, and I'm kind of happy she's not suffering anymore," Hunter said of Cobbs, who had been hospitalized with health problems over the past five years. "She's gone home with the good Lord. She'll be missed"

Hunter was activated from the bereavement list and returned with a two-run double in his first at-bat Friday night. Reliever Jason Bulger was returned to Triple-A Salt Lake.

"It's been rough, man," Hunter said. "But I'll be OK. This is my safe haven. For those three or four hours you're playing, there's not much else you think about."

Hunter said he and "30 or 40" family members watched the Angels' 14-11 victory over the Cleveland Indians on TV at his mother's house on Wednesday.

"When (Jeff) Mathis hit that grand slam, we were

all going crazy," Hunter said. "Mathis made the whole family jump for joy during a rough time with that grand slam."

Hunter will leave the Angels again next Saturday to attend his grandmother's funeral in Pine Bluff. He will miss at least two games (the final two of the series in New York against the Yankees) but could rejoin the team when the Angels start a homestand Aug. 4 against the Orioles.

He would be eligible to go on the bereavement list again, allowing the Angels to call up a player to replace him. But players on the list must miss at least three games. The Angels are likely to just play shorthanded for the two games in New York.

"It's obviously a difficult time for Torii and his family, and that's our priority," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We'll see where we are (regarding the roster) and what his needs are.""