Moms memorial service was Friday. I wanted to write her eulogy and struggled with it most of Thursday night. I know I missed a lot of what I wanted to say but this is what my cousin, pastor John Smith read on my behalf (I could have never gotten through it and wanted it to be heard): Mom loved music! My grandparents loved music too, so she came by that love honestly. I recall as a child attending church at Beechmont Baptist Church in Louisville, KY with them several times while there on vacation and sneaking a glimpse of them standing tall beside me, with hymnals in hand, singing to the top of their lungs, or so it seemed. That’s when I probably started paying attention to Mom’s singing. She was great! I am convinced she is the reason I am in the music business today. We shared music interests and we went to many music events together. I have pictures of Mom with many stars, ones she loved. It brought me great pride to introduce her to her favorites. One, Tony Orlando even became a phone friend. Whenever we spoke he would always ask about Mom. I haven’t told him yet. He will be crushed. In her late teens Mom was blossoming as a confident singer. She was in her high school chorus and eventually word got out that she had real talent; the type that could actually go places. I wish I had explored this part of her life with her more before she passed. You see, I knew of her abilities and how popular she was, not from her, but from Grandmother Watson. Mom didn’t speak much about it. It wasn’t until 10 or so years ago that I heard a recorded version of a radio show she appeared on in Louisville and it floored me. When moving them out of their house a couple of years ago I found a reel to reel tape of a radio show she did on the famed WSM in Nashville that I never got around to having transferred to CD so we could listen to it. Mom asked me about it several times and I told her I would get to it. I am sad I didn’t. I will now. The music we have today is in celebration of Mom’s passion. She loved each performer today and I know she is smiling, cheering on “her boys”! Dad told stories of the period when they were dating and he was in the Air Force, stationed in Lake Charles, LA. Mom had a radio show on Saturday evenings and there was a spot on the lake where Dad could park his car and pick up the signal of WSM clear as a bell, and he could listen to her show live. He would bring friends and was very proud of her! Mom could have taken this talent further, who knows how far. But her love for Dad and desire to be a supportive wife as he left the Air Force to join the civilian work force led to a decision to forgo music, at least professionally. She never looked back and I believe never regretted her decision; one made out of love. After a few years in Louisville after marrying they moved to Marietta, GA when Dad took work with Lockheed and since 1957 made this their home. I mentioned this in Dad’s eulogy but it needs to be said again. Since we were old enough to understand right & wrong we knew what he expected of us and tried to measure up. Mom had a big job raising us and even though we were not truants by any means, Glenn and I challenged her, seeing just how far we could push before she dropped the bomb. The bomb? That was the call to Dad to inform him of our transgressions that would be dealt with upon his return. You see, Dad supported Mom; they were a team. It took us a while to learn that, but eventually we did. Jennifer, she was the easy child. Coming last, they needed and deserved that! Mom was a master seamstress, like her mother. She made many of Jennifer’s dresses as a young girl and I was reminded of the fact that she was the wardrobe mistress for the Georgia Ballet when Jennifer was a member. When we were a little older Mom took a part-time job, at Davidson’s which later became Macy’s (after she left) I believe. It was for fun, for discounts. I am certain she spent more than she made, but enjoyed getting out and doing something away from the home. I don’t remember how long she worked, doesn’t seem like it was for many years. Dad traveled for a living, Mom was the homemaker. He would get home from a long week and she wanted to get out of the house. So they bought a travel trailer, a small one. We took it on short weekend trips, state parks mostly. But this fueled a love of trailering that followed them the rest of their healthy years after Jennifer left home. Once Dad retired they embarked, like many retirees do, on lengthy road trips, gone for weeks at a time. They graduated from a small trailer to a medium size motor home, then after several years to a larger one. They were hooked! We were thrilled for them. Mom’s parents did the same thing when Granddad retired, selling their home and buying a new Airstream trailer and Chevy Suburban. They traveled for 8 years before selling that and settling down in Florida for several years of sunshine living. Mom & Dad didn’t sell their home; too much connection here with us and our growing families. But they did buy a spot in an upscale travel park in Orlando and spent 2-3 months a year there in the winter. They loved that! Their trailering partners expanded their circle of friends, but never replaced those in Marietta. Mom became active in church activities, volunteering as the Director of the English school here at the church for several years and later joining the Marietta Garden Club. She loved both and maintained close friendships from both. They loved their Sunday school class and friends there. In her later years Mom took on a new volunteering task. She worked one day a week at the Marietta Welcome Center. She loved it, loved interacting with both locals looking to learn more about their town as well as travelers intent on knowing everything they could about this great town and the history realized here. She laughed when asked by travelers where the Gone with the Wind home was in town. Most asked question of all she said. Mom & Dad loved their grandkids and great grandkids. They took great pride in watching them grow, hearing stories and especially getting their new school pictures. Each one has their own memories, some more extensive than others. Loving grandparents until the end. As most of you know, Dad developed Parkinson’s Disease several years back. It is an ugly disease and progressed rather quickly. As he struggled with this we began to notice a change in Mom. Subtle at first, it grew and became evident one night when we were all over for Dad’s birthday celebration. Mom encountered one of us and called us by the wrong name. She had been showing signs of forgetfulness for some time but we waved it off and normal aging. This was more. This scared us. I went with her for testing and after two series of extensive tests taken over a 15 month period it was clear. She had early dementia. We watched her closely and when it was time to take the car keys it was a sad day. They had moved from their home near the Square in Marietta to a lovely assisted living facility in East Cobb and lived there a little more than a year. Then our world changed forever. Dad passed away, after a long hospitalization and unsuccessful rehab assignment. Mom was showing advancing signs of decline so it was time to move again. We moved her closer to us in a temporary setting but knew we had to find the right environment where she could live out her remaining years happy, engaged, with daily loving assistance that gradually increased as her needs dictated. You see, as bad as we wanted her home with us it just wasn’t practical. She needed skilled care. Jennifer found that “perfect” place. In a stroke of fate, at a pool side chat, she discovered that a neighbor of hers was the Director at a wonderful facility in Sandy Springs. We visited and fell in love, not just with the facility but with the staff. Mom was hesitant to relocate but we urged her to visit. She loved it. But would we get accepted in time? This is a highly sought after property and there was a waiting list. We believe God intervened just in the nick of time, because when we were being pushed for a decision about whether we would stay and sign a full term lease at the second facility, that we always hoped would be temporary, we got the call that Campbell Stone had an opening. We could have searched & searched and never found a better, more loving place for Mom to live than Campbell Stone. We can never thank the staff enough for the way they took Mom in and made her part of “their” family. Cliff Pepper and Cheryl Leitz, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the difference you made in Moms life, and in turn our lives. We can never adequately repay you for making the final 9 months of our mothers life safe and loving. I could go on forever. How does one recap a life as special as your Mother? I am sure I missed things know I did. It was late last night when I authored this, memories swirling and tears falling. Thank you all for being here, it means so much to our family. You all knew her, loved her and know how much we loved her. She is free from her illness and in Dads arms today. We celebrate that and look forward to the day we can hear her sing again. Did I tell you………Mom loved music!
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 02:28:37 +0000
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