The three witches of Chicago!
Me, Midge, and Mom..the 3 musketeers!
One of many selfies!
I will miss sitting at your kitchen table Mom. Love you
Friday, May 29, 2020
A Very Sad Day
This morning my beautiful Mom (94yrs young) passed away. She was at home with my sister and my niece Amy and granddaughter, Driana at her side. She was doing really well at home and yesterday Driana called and told me they were having a great time making some Greek food. She even sent me a photo of her and my Mom and sister making Dolmadas. (stuffed grape leaves) I talked to Mom and she asked how I was doing. So typical of a loving mother! I said I was fine and I asked how she was and she said she was doing fine too and was happy we were all well. I told her I loved her and after hanging up I was filled with a peace that I can't explain. I was really happy hearing her voice and seeing how she was enjoying herself. But God has his plan and today he took her home. She was a strong lady and the smartest women I ever knew. She loved our Dad and they had a wonderful relationship. Dad died when Mom was only 50. She never remarried but went on to live a full and adventurous life. She traveled the world, worked for 32 years at Memorial Hospital and then after retirement she worked at various other jobs as well as catering many events at her church. She was a fabulous cook! I learned so much from her over the years. She and Dad raised 6 kids, and she lived to see 15 Grandkids and 33 Great-Grandkids. I hope I have all those numbers correct! I might have missed a few! I have many wonderful memories of my childhood and her lessons on life to keep in my heart. One of my fondest memories was the year she met Jack and I in New York city. Jack had a conference for work so Mom and I headed downtown and took a tour of the city. We took the ferry to Ellis Island and she was able to see where her parents came to America from Greece. I had my Grandparents name put on the wall at Ellis and she was able to see that and it brought tears to her eyes as she sat on a bench and wondered if her own Mother could have sat there waiting for family to come and get her. It was a touching moment for me to be a part of. These last years have been a bit more difficult as she navigated the gates of aging. She never thought she'd live past 80 since none of her family had. She had always been so active and lead a healthy life style that brought her well over that age. But our bodies give out and falls and hospitalizations took a toll this year. When my sister fell ill and then Covid came and Mom found herself in the hospital with a fractured leg the whole picture changed. Without family in the rehab center she was having cognitive issues. She lost a lot of weight and her strength lessened. We were all happy when she could come home. We had high hopes of getting together this summer as she was eating better, gaining some weight back, and seeming to have better memory issues. But it wasn't to be. So today I'm sure there's a happy reunion with Dad, her parents, her siblings, and her Grandson Jono, and many other family and friends who went before her. RIP Mommo..you will be so missed.
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18 comments:
So sorry for your loss.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Praying for you and your family.
Oh YaYa, I am so very very sorry to learn of your dear mother's passing. I need to collect myself. I will express more in a bit. My heart goes out to you and your family.
Oh Yaya, I'm so very sorry for your loss. I was so happy for you and the family that your mom was finally home and things were going well. She will leave a big hole in your lives but you can still count yourself blessed to have such good memories of your mom. Every time I eat Greek food, I think of your mom and you. I think I wonder what they would think of my Spanokopita.
I'm glad that your mom didn't die alone away from her love ones and that you had the chance to speak to her before she passed.
You and your family are in my thoughts.
Hugs, Julia
Hugs to you and your family Yaya. I am so sorry for your family loss. What a great legacy your mom left behind though. I think God was merciful in her passing and so kind to you to have that last phone call with your mom last night. It will not make up for your loss though. Loved all the pictures and stories you shared about her in the past. A remarkable woman she was! Prayers for you all.
Betty
So sorry for the loss of your mom. It is so hard to lose your mom. She sounds like a wonderful person. God be with you at this time of loss.
So sorry to hear about your mom. She was a beautiful and tough lady. Loved the photos. That was so sweet, the moments sitting on a bench on Ellis Island. WOW
Prayers for you and the family
Sherry & jack
Dear Kathleen, I am back now, but typing through blurry eyes, my emotions caught in my throat. I don't know if I can adequately express how heavy my heart is at this moment. I don't know if I can convey to you how much I loved, admired and respected your mother and all that she stood for. As it was with Margaret Schneider, I felt as though I came to know your mother over the years. You posted new pictures of her every time you and she visited, and the woman never seemed to age. Year after year went by and she still looked the same as the day I first logged on to Whispering Pines and started getting acquainted with your wonderful family.
Like you and the rest of your family, I was relieved when your mother was released from that nursing facility. Like you I was hopeful she would regain her strength at home with familiar faces around her. You were granted a special gift yesterday when you had that last telephone conversation with your mother. She focused outward and expressed concern over your well being as a good mother always does. She assured you she was doing fine so you wouldn't worry. You let her know that you love her and both of you were at peace as the call ended. It was a golden moment that you will treasure, along with those precious memories of her from your childhood and that very special day with her at Ellis island.
In the pictures you posted today showing your mother in her younger years, she looks a lot like my mother, especially the swimsuit pose. I hope you will take some small comfort knowing that your mother is now happily reunited with your great father who left you so long ago, and with other departed family members. Take comfort knowing that she lived a rich, full, productive life after your dad died and that she lived much longer than other members of her family. Take comfort knowing that she lived her final days in the company of loved ones rather than lonely, confused and isolated in that facility, and that she spent her final hours happy and busily preparing Greek food. If this sad day had to come, and it must indeed come eventually for all of us, every living thing, your mother finished strong and on the upswing, something we all wish and hope for.
When the 2020 volume of your blog goes to print at the end of the year, it will surely be remembered as the toughest year of your blogging career, a series of difficult challenges, one after another, culminating in the devastating loss of your mother. The fact that you are able to stay strong and work through all that life keeps dishing out speaks volumes about who you are and the way your mom and dad raised you. My admiration for you knows no bounds, Kathleen. I will remember and love your mother always.
So sad to hear about your mom. I thought for sure she was on the road to recovery. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. Janice
I am so very sorry God bless her she wanted to be home once more before she passed.
Thinking of you and your family
Cathy
Heartfelt condolences.💖 Such a lovely tribute to your mother. May your days be easy and your burdens light.
Your beautiful, wonderful Mom! I am sincerely sorry for your loss. That photo of her in that bathing suit, she looks like a Miss America!
There will be so much to go through and think about in the next few weeks but how nice it is that you have such a loving family so that you can help each other in the grief.
Take care. Sending you love. xx
I am so sorry for your loss. Reading through your lovely remembrance brought to mind my own memories of my parents who both passed away in 2009, both in their 90s. Isn't it miraculous that we so many pictures in reality and pictures (memories) in our minds to bring up as we go on living?
Yaya, I am so very sorry! But I am so thankful you got to have a good conversation with her before she went to her heavenly home. I have heard of so many people who seem to just rally and then the pass. In fact, my stepfather did that. You have such wonderful and beautiful memories of your mother and I know you feel blessed to have had her for so many years. My heart hurts for you. Right now I am sending up a prayer for your peace and comfort. Love and hugs.
I'm so sorry for your loss. At least she came home from hospital and was happy with her family again, but it's a bitter loss for you all. Great photos, I hope happy memories bring you some comfort.
Sorry for the passing of your mother. She will be with loved in heaven. I still miss my mom, she will have been gone 14 years in this Sept. The pain eases, the longing seems to never go away for me. One more hug, one more, "I love you", one more chance to tell mommy,"Thank you for your strength in raising all of us ." Remember all the good times. Prayers for you and your family. Bless you, xoxo, Susie
Im must be emotional today. I teared up when I read this and then saw the photo of your mom at the table. I only have a couple photos of my mom because she refused to let us take any pictures of her so she always hides. I have managed to sneak a few and they are mostly of her at the table. I still have my mom. She is in her 80’s and still works. But I know we never know the day God will come take them away. I dread that day. Moms teach us everything except how to live without them.
Your mom is beautiful. Hang on to those memories and let her live on through you.
Hugs.
Lisa
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