Entry for July 17, 2006

Entry for July 17, 2006

07/17/2006 08:26 pm
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0 Pageviews You think you can tell about a person's life from their obituary.



When I first read Helen's obituary, I though - that's it? It doesn't cover all the stuff she's done, does it?



Yes, she was a supervisor at Westinghouse in Bath - but I never knew her to work there - of course, she was 55 when I was born.



Yes, she was the treasurer of the church for MANY, MANY years - I don't even know how many years. She was also the organist for MANY, MANY years. Involved in every thing possible with the church - board member, women's ministries, church dinners, dinners for visitors, funeral dinners - any dinners that the church had. She was also a part of the "trio". Most of the time the trio was known as the "Glad Tidings Assembly of God Trio" - later (before my mom past away), they were known as the "Faded Roses" as Pastor Dravneek used to call them.



Yes, she had too many nieces and nephews to list - even if they listed just the 1st generation nieces and nephews. Not all the siblings were listed that have past - only the ones from 1980s on - there were also some that I never met - George (who died when he was about 10 after getting hit by a car), Philly (who died in 1940's with TB), Carmen (who also died from TB in the 1940's).



No biggy though - people who knew Helen usually knew her past. And peole who see her obituary will see - wow, she was 92!



But what about how many lifes a person has touch? That doesn't show in a obituary. Helen was the best aunt I could have even asked for and shaped my life like I never though someone could - probably more than either one of my parents ever did. She's the reason why I became a secretary - AND so organized AND so detailed. Every Sunday, I would watch her do church paperwork - counting money, filling out the journals - BY HAND and usually without a calculator. I still have the typewriter she used to let me "play" with. At 10 I was pretty good at one finger typing.



How about how good of a cook a person was? I don't know how many people Helen touched with her cooking. A countless number of people - she even cooked for the Oak Ridge Boys when they had a concert at our church (and where still considered a christian group). The Christmas dinners, the Sunday dinners, the cookouts and picnics, the Easter cookies, the Easter pie, the Calzones, the grilled cheese sandwiches - no one could make a grilled cheese sandwich like hers. I never got the cooking gene (or should I say lessons) from her - it was her kitchen and no one else cooked in it. I got my mom's cooking gene - fast and easy. Luckily, Dan got to experience the Christmas cooking lessons from Helen. Joanne too, but still it's not the same and I'm sure Dan and Joanne will agree.



An obituary doesn't show how good of a person someone was. In the last two days I've heard so many good comments and stories on how Helen touched that person's life. It's not even the calling hours yet - wait until then. That's when I start tearing up (like now), I think about all the good things she has done - for me, Dan, my brothers, Joanne, my nieces and nephew - she would have gived us the world. I guess she has because she meant so much to us. Luckily, she knew we loved her with all our hearts. Even people that weren't related to her, she loved them dearly - her next door neighbor (Mary) , Pastor Dravneek (who I consider her last pastor), her PA (Sandy) and some of the nurses aides at the nursing home (Howard, Carol).



What about a person's hobbies? She could tell you everything that happened on Young & the Restless, Bold & the Beautiful, As the World Turns and the Guiding Light back in the day. She got my mom hooked them and then me. How about all of the flower gardens she's grown. Because of her, I have a liking of Lily of the Valley, Poppies, and Johnny Jump ups.



What about the little things? Every year, we'd go berry picking at her house. I'd always end up getting stung by a bee, but it was worth it. She'd freeze berries for me and make me berry icecream. She'd pick me up from school everyday and then take me to McDonalds. She'd cook me plain spaghetti with butter because I didn't care for sauce - now I'm really picky about my sauce and will only eat sauces that compare to Helen's. What about reading the comics to me every Sunday and doing the Mini-page with me?



I could go on and on so many memories in one paragraph.



There could have been more....