This month's calendar                         Archives                            Our Google Calendar                   

June 6, 2008

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!

This has been a very sad week, as my dear mother passed away on June 1st and I have been taking care of funeral arrangements, notifying friends and relatives and cleaning out her room at the assisted living place where she had been residing.

Last week was my mom's 87th birthday and my younger sister, who lives in Phoenix, decided to come up to see her. I had told Jeanne that Mom's condition had worsened and that she had been put under hospice care. When she saw her, she couldn't believe the decline in her health. We gathered all the grandchildren and suggested that they come and visit their grandmother on Saturday, as we didn't think she would be around for another birthday. Thank goodness most of them came and it was kind of a final goodbye for them. My sister and I were there for most of the day on Saturday and when we left she had some color to her complexion and was resting peacefully and again when we called on Sunday morning the caregivers said she was fine. Then on Sunday night, we got a call telling us that Mom had passed away. What a shock!

So tomorrow is the graveside service and hopefully things will settle down a bit. I knew the day would come when Mom would die, but you are never really prepared.

My Mother -

Mom liked her country songs. In her younger days, for entertainment on Saturday nights, my parents would go up to Pumpkin Ridge where they meet up with their friends and dance the night away to country music.

Mom loved to play pinochle and cribbage and would stay up till the wee hours of the morning playing cards with friends.

Mom liked to watch baseball games on television and her favorite teams were the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners.

Having grown up during the depression, Mom was thrifty. She saved everything. She was recycling before it became popular. She would save everything from rubber bands and egg cartons to plastic bags and newspapers. Her favorite places to shop were the thrift stores. In Prineville, half of her home furnishings and clothing came from her favorite store, "Neat Repeat". When the house was cleared for her move from Prineville to Milwaukie, there were endless trips taking things right back to "Neat Repeat". We spent a week cleaning her collected "treasures" from the house.

Mom loved to garden and would spend many hours working in her yard tending her flowers and vegetables. She would spend her summers reaping the harvest and canning everything. A visit to her home would always include the "poink" sound of canning lids sealing. The sound always brought a smile to her face! We could always be thankful for the various vegetables and fruits that she processed from her labor of love.

Mom loved dogs - especially Airedales. The first two were Bill and Molly and then came her beloved Bozo. It was while she was out walking with Bozo that she broke her arm. He took off after a rabbit and she was dragged by his leash. She forgave him, and Bozo became a great companion, especially after our father died.

Mom was a caregiver. She was always caring and compassionate of others. While in Prineville, she volunteered for the Meals on Wheels program and delivered meals to the elderly and shut-ins. You could always spot Mom coming because she would wear a red baseball cap. She enjoyed caring for the elderly and worked in a nursing home for many years.

Mom enjoyed meeting people. She would ride the bus from Prineville to Portland and would sit behind the bus driver and talk to him all the way. Everyone she met was her friend and they would know her life story by the time they arrived at their destination.

Although Mom worked hard all her life, she was wonderful wife and mother to her family. She kept everything going and her children always came first. She made sure that her children ate a good breakfast before heading off to school and had their lunches made. She was a wonderful cook and always made each daughter their favorite meal when they came to visit.

Wanda Wyatt is survived by her three daughters, Judy, Jan and Jeanne. She was blessed with nine grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.