A Tribute to Mother
My Tribute to Mom
She was born on Christmas day in 1928. Eighty years later, Mom died on March 25, 2009 after a long fight with Multiple Myeloma. She never gave up. I thought I would share and celebrate the life of a truly beautiful woman. She was not only beautuful on the outside, but on the inside as well.
Her devotion to her Faith and family were the key traits to her success. That's why I never gave up the good fight myself! So as I share this pictorial history of Mom, think about your mother and remember the good things about her. After all, everyone has/had a mother!
Little Girl from Quanah, TX who Grew Up!
I assume this was taken while she was
still in high school.
Doesn't she reflect
the times?
Mom was quite a looker.
She retained her good looks until
the last two years she was on
this earth. She stayed in
contact with her school friends
until the end.
The Quanah Girls
remember!!!!!!
School Days in World War II
Mom remembered when
Pearl Harbor was bombed.
She talked about it from
time to time. She also remembers
the Depression Era of the 1930s.
After all, she was a child then,
growing up in a dusty little town
in West Texas.
She told me about a little boy who
showed up at their home with a cut
foot. They doctored and fed him,
then he went on his way, never to
be seen again.
Mom & Dad Met in College
Mom said she had a class with Dad
while they were in college at
Texas Tech in Lubbock. She said
she finished a test and walked into the
hallway. She turned to him and said,
"That sure was a hard test!!" And that's
how they met. They dated for two years
before they got married. She said Dad was
quite a charmer back then. He loved to
party, but Mom was more reserved and
never drank a drop of alcohol.
Mom & Dad got Married
They waited until
after graduation to marry.
After the wedding,
Mom said they stopped
at a diner called the
'Rabbit Ear Cafe'.
Don't know where it
was, but it was somewhere
in West Texas. Don't they make
a handsome couple?
They had good looking
kids, too!! Ha-ha!
Mom in the Fifties
Here she is with her first-born,
my older sister. She
was born in 1954. Looks like she's
headed to a pot-luck dinner.
I was conceived around this time.
Look at the suit she's wearing.
Baby Boomers, remember those?
Dad was an architect.
Mom taught school until my sister
was born. Then she stayed home
to raise us. I was born in 1958, my
brother in 1961. We were all
Boomers, raised middle class
in a traditional American
neighborhood. We played
outside and Mom called us in
for lunch and supper, just
like calling in the cows!!!
Family Portrait in the 1960s
Here we are assembled at
my grandmothers on
Thanksgiving or Christmas.
We rarely did things as
a complete family, but I
thought it was normal.
Mom in the Bahamas!
Talk about Bahama Mama!!
She looks like a
peppermint in this dress.
But she was absolutely
stunning!
I remember it well!
When they went on this trip,
I missed my Mommy so bad!
She brought me some cool
souvenirs. I looked forward
to that!
Mom When She Started Teaching Again
Mom went back to work
teaching in 1969.
It was a difficult time for
us to adjust to a working
Mom. She taught third grade
for many years before she
retired. All her students
remember her as the nicest teacher
they ever had.
Here's How I Best Remember Her
Mom was always supportive.
Almost always. She never
hesitated to correct me in
some way. Maybe that's why
I looked for her approval so
much! But it was all good.
Wish I would have listened
to everything!
Mom and Her Older Sister
Mom always said,
"She was the pretty one,
I was the funny one".
Yeah, Mom was
the funny one, for sure.
I think they're both
pretty.
Before Mom Got Sick
I'm not going to talk about the illness.
Mom died from Multilple Myeloma,
bone marrow cancer. She survived
nearly 5 years. This is one of
her best pictures before she got
sick. Still looking good!! She continued
teaching a Sunday School class until
she was too sick to continue. Thank
God for adversity!
Dotisms
A list of sayings Mom left as part of her legacy.
"Let's talk about roses.. "You don't need that!" "Tomorrow will be better".
"Oh, poo-doodle!" "We're off like a herd of turtles and a bucket of buttermilk!"
Think about your mother today. No, it's not Mother's Day. It doesn't have to be. Think of it as every day being Mom's day!