MEMORIES
I have thought about what I might write here for the past 4-months. Most likely I could write a novel. That which I've written here would be just the tip of the iceberg for memories of a woman who was strong, demanding, determined, active, and in control; our mother; a daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother and friend to so many. She touched many lives during the course of her own.
I did tell her how much she did to shape, mold, influence and guide me to get me to the person I am today. I don't think she ever fully realized just how much she did! I owe my mom more than words could ever convey or even that I can imagine myself.
Early memories, those prior to age 10, are pretty much non-existant except a handful. I do, photographically, remember the day John Kennedy was shot, 5th grade, Robert E. Lee elementary school, mom was at work, I had to sit at the neighbors until she got home, when she did, she cried. She was the only one in the house that had an air conditioner in her bed room; having to leave work one day to come get me from school because my hair was too long...it was touching my collar; family gatherings, always with her brother, my uncle Richard and many times with her sister, my aunt Cecile; the day I was apprehended for shoplifting and having to go to court; I went with her to the hospital the day my grandmother (Nana), her mother, died; sneaking airplane liquor bottles to her sister when she was in the "elder care" facility; she set and arranged the entire 9th grade prom dinner at the Sirloin and Saddle,
Marriott Key Bridge hotel and it was a great success; meeting Mark Siebels, a bellman at the hotel, who would later become my mentor and manager with Honeywell and life long friend to this day; family day picnic at Fairfield Farms when she introduced me to Mr. Marriott; we moved from Arlington to Fairfax in 1968 and I had to have my dog put to sleep because nobody would take her; she came home from work one day to find the monkey that my brother brought home, out of it's cage and swinging from the dining room chandelier; getting smacked on the leg with a hairbrush for doing something wrong (at least one of which broke when she smacked me); the first time she let me drive her car, alone, I think she was worried sick; Eddie and Brenda Dwiggins, neighbors upstairs; Jerry Butts another neighbor; mom made friends of everyone and this continued until her last day; the first time I said to someone else while in her presence "I left home when I was 18 for a reason". She didn't like that but as years went by, she saw the humor and accepted me saying that.
On a visit to my home in Alexandria one day, she arrived while I was in the shower and a friend, Ted Borsukiewicz was there... she looked in the refrigerator and said to him "where's the beer? I always have beer for my son when he visits!" Ted was at a loss for words; Kim Lewis answered the phone at home one day, it was mom who wasn't expecting to hear a female voice and instead of hello, she said "Who's This?" ... to which Kim replied..."Who is THIS?" ... the comedy continued; stories of riding in the "rumble seat" after wrapping bricks from the fireplace to keep warm;
Hiring a limosine for her 80th birthday and the surprise dinner at the best restaurant in Cocoa, Florida...she often spoke of the driver, Pinchon; her never ending concern and support for Joe during his later years; the day at a restaurant we had all gone to have dinner and when we left mom says "go behind, make sure Joe left enough of a tip"...he was getting forgetful and would leave a $3 tip on a $150 bill; flying home from California and bumpy landing during a storm in Orlando, my arm is still dented where she held on...and she said "well, if I'm gonna die, at least I'll be with you!" It was a rather bumpy trip I'll admit.; Her best friend later in life, Mary Schmidt, aka "Sunshine"; mom loved Maryland crabs, we used to spread them on a picnic table covered in newspapers; the day she evacuated to Jacksonville to avoid a hurricane in Cocoa and ended up with me and no power because Cocoa was sparred and Jacksonville was hit; she loved the "old train car" journey from Houston to Galveston;
Aunt Cecile would always ask..."when are you going to get married" - finally mom had enough of her asking and told her sister - "damn it Cecile, leave him alone, he's never getting married!"; her infinite love and affection for Tom Saunders; the look of peace and happiness in her eyes every time she had her two sons together with her; how upset she became when Joe just wanted to sit on the porch and enjoy the view and she wanted to "get up and go" do something; the day she asked me if I'd like to go on a cruise and of course I said yes...until she said, "we'll have to share a cabin" ... uh oh, on second thought, no mom..
Mom could hug you and lay a guilt trip on you the likes of which you've never seen. She was certainly a unique and special person that cared deeply for everyone she came in contact with. While she didn't see them often (or often enough in her words) she certainly loved not only her two boys but her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well. There are just so many memories, most good with a few not so good, but that is life. And THIS is life, it begins and it ends. She was not quite the last of a generation, we still have Donna and Betty Jane Bressell, her cousins she loved, but she WAS the last of this family.
