Your great grandmother loved Arizona and moved to Fountain Hills in the fall of 1989. The pictures below are a collage of those years.
Mary and Annie Christmas 1990
E. Mary, Barb & Ashley at McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale
Ashley's a bit taller now!
GG E Mary and Harry in beloved Arizona (Note from your mom: your dad has a fondness for Arizona because of GGEM...And when we spent some time in there in 2004 I gained an appreciation for it as well, except maybe not the creepy crawlies that lurk about).
Mary’s first Christmas in Ft. Hills 1989
Mary at Saguaro Lake 1996
Mary loved to go to Saguaro lake and she and Harry went often. It is eight miles from Ft. Hills.
Annie, Pat B. and E. Mary at Pavilions
Pat B is a cousin to E. Mary on her Dad’s side. I am a cousin on her Mother Verna’s side.
Annie’s Personal Tribute to Mary
As the minister suggested at Mary’s services, that we each take a trait of hers we especially admired and try to incorporate into our life as an honor to her; what first came to my mind were the words: “No Complaints!”
When Mary was about forty-eight years old, she was stricken with Guillaine Barre’ syndrome while the family was vacationing in Florida. Barb was about eight years old and the boys, just teenagers.
If you know about this disease, you know it is a paralyzing disease (though, thankfully, a temporary paralysis and when one recovers, there is no residual). However, as the virus ascends the spinal cord, one first loses sensation and use in the feet and finally in the hands and arms. If the respiratory center is reached, there is No Recovery! It recedes in the reverse order.
Mary was first hospitalized after diagnosis in Florida for at least two or three months, then flown home to continue her recovery at a hospital in Park Forest for the better part of a year. As you can imagine, this was a very trying time for the entire family, but Mary (as she told me later) made a promise to God, that if He would ‘let her walk again’ she would never complain about anything in the future!
She didn’t, even in the final two years as disease slowly overtook her body despite all efforts (which were many) undertaken. I remember the day she asked my help, so sick, to meet her at the emergency room, to the day following in her hospital room where she said, “You’d better sit down, annie, the news isn’t good.” Yet, I must tell you that she joked with the young men who came when I was there to take her to her first (of many) radiation treatments. I also recall going to the oncologist’s office and joining her in the room with others receiving chemo. By the time I joined her, Mary knew them all and of course, they all Loved her. That was Mary!
When I start to complain (and I do, I must confess), I am reminded of her vow and how faithfully she held to it over the years between age 48 and age 77 and I am humbled anew to try and do better the next time.
But, most of all, my memories are a kaleidoscope of joys shared over the years from my first memory of Mary to my last and I can say with her:
Life has been good!
1 comment:
My apologies for the ornament in front of Mary's face! I had so few pics of the two of us together as most were ones I took! Ken took the other one of the 'three cousins.' annie
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