For Mom

On Monday, July 15, 2019 I lost my dear sweet Momma. She was the light of my life and had nothing but pure unconditional love and support for me from the first time I looked into her big brown eyes. She loved deeply and was my biggest fan by far. I wanted to share a few things about the woman who gave me life and who nurtured me into the woman I am today.

She was born in 1924 and was 1 of 8 children; she grew up on a farm in rural Missouri and as the oldest daughter she was a "little Mom" to her younger siblings. Her Dad had a drinking problem so that made times tougher for her family than they were for the rest of the nation during the Great Depression. I never once heard her complain about her early years.

She dropped out of high school in 10th grade to move to St. Louis and worked in a factory cracking eggs that went into the meal kits for American GIs. This was the first of many hard jobs because women didn't get the best jobs, certainly uneducated women didn't.

After many years of happy single life in St. Louis sharing apartments with siblings, cousins and friends, she met my Dad on a blind date and married him 3 months later. Both were in their late 30s and it was love at first sight. They were married 45 years.

Well after what was considered childbearing age (back then) she gave birth to my sister and I, two years apart. This was after trying and being told it wasn't in the cards for her to have children. Keep in mind, this was well ahead of the days of IVF and the modern fertilization techniques of today.

She was a stay at home Mom, and she threw herself into raising us while our Dad worked long hours at McDonnell Douglas (the predecessor of Boeing in St. Louis). He took every overtime opportunity he could so that we could have a good life, not wanting our Mom to work. Sundays were off limits for work, so Dad always spent the day with us enjoying church and food/fun with our extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.).

Both my sister and I were good students and attended Purdue University (undergrad) and we both earned advanced degrees. I'm in Software and my sister is in Pharma and even though our Mom didn't completely understand the work we do, she was super supportive and a cheerleader for both of us.

Her favorite role was being Nana to her five grand kids, she was so proud of them. After our Dad passed, our Mom moved in with both of us (I'm in St. Louis and my sis is in Denver) and she went back and forth every 4 months. The grand kids loved having their Nana around and while you can make your children to say "please" and "thank you", you can't make them care and love someone. They loved their Nana from the bottom of their hearts. She was a second Mom, but the fun one!

She passed after a rough go of it for the past 4.5 years. She never complained, not one single time. The last 8 days were spent in hospice and she stopped eating and drinking. I was shocked that her little body kept going as long as it did, the adage "looks are deceiving" described this tiny powerhouse to a tee. She had a great zest for life, and she wrung every moment out of this beautiful/crazy thing we call life. What an example of how a woman and Mother should live. Thanks for the memories Momma and Godspeed. She joined our Dad on their wedding anniversary, and none of us were surprised.

Thanks for listening and if you're so inclined, call or even better hug your Momma, you'll never regret it.