I survived my first Mothers Day without my mom, but it certainly was one of the hardest things I have ever had to endure. My friend, Pam Gilbert, told me back in August that the firsts would be the worst - she knew, and she was right. The nursing home where my mother last resided had a lovely service for her and asked for one of the family members to say a few words. Everyone who knows me knows I am not a person of few words, but I was able to put together a eulogy and was actually able to deliver it without going to a million pieces. I have wanted to share it with the friends I dont always see, but have never quite been able to do so. I think, for some reason, today, I am ready. So, meet or again become acquainted with the wonderful woman with whom I was blessed to call mom. Marilyn Anne Rooney – Mom to her kids Mimi to her grandchildren Anne to most people One woman, so many names - Loved her family, loved Notre Dame football, loved having an opinion about everything, and loved letting everyone know it. She was funny – with a dry sense of humor, not everyone understood, but once you learned to understand her, you learned to love her. She was very competitive; she loved euchre, and obviously loved to win – which she did – a lot. A couple things you may not know about my mother – She was once a model, and loved to wear beautiful clothes and 4” heels. She once told me that when she modeled, it was the “fashion” to wear two different colored heels. At the age of 80, I guess my mom went back to some modeling, because she again wore two different colors on her feet – they were no longer heels, but socks. My mom was a head-turner and had the grace of a butterfly She was chairperson of the Grandview Memorial Parade for 15 years. Everyone knew it was actually “her” parade, not Grandview’s parade, but “hers”. When she contacted various dignitaries to serve as Grand Marshal of “her” parade, she wasn’t turned down. Of course she may have nagged them until they said Yes, but come parade day, they were in “her” parade. At one point early on, she had the idea of a military fly-over for her parade. Everyone said she was crazy - there was no way a mere housewife and mother of five children from Grandview Heights would be granted a military fly-over for a small town parade. Residents were amazed as the jets soared over Grandview for my moms parade - that year and every year thereafter. Her family and close friends, with tears streaming down their cheeks, were not completely surprised. When my mom set her heart on those jets, we knew there wasnt much doubt that Grandview would see jets for the Memorial Parade. She always said, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. In her last parade as chairperson, SHE was selected as the Grand Marshal. It was then OUR turn to say, it’s not what you know, but who you know – we knew HER. The next time you see a beautiful butterfly, if you knew my mom, think of her and smile. Chances are good, she will give you a fluttering smile right back.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 18:18:00 +0000
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