The Fine Game of Nil

It has been too long since last posting, and there is a lot of stuff to put up. But I’ll start with the most recent, and saddest post. I didn’t even get around to posting that my mom had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) on August 24, 2009, with immediate admission the the hospital to start chemotherapy. It’s too long and too fresh to post all the details, but my mom died on October 6, 2009, at 12:01am. 42 days from diagnosis to death. I can’t believe how fast it went. And I’m having trouble believing it’s real at all. I can’t believe almost exactly 2 years ago we were making a similar post about Alex’s mom. I can’t believe Penny died when Liam was 3 1/2 months old, and my mom died when Dor was 3 1/2 months old. The funeral was in St. Louis on October 17th. There is a memorial mass in Bellevue, WA tomorrow, and a walk on Mercer Island in her memory on October 31st. I’m at work so can’t access pictures right now, but here is a copy of the eulogy from her funeral

Tina was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, a sister, and an aunt. To many of us she was an anchor, a constant presence that was there whenever we needed to be held against a storm. She shared in our joy and our pain, and encouraged us at every step. I like to think that we in turn were able to provide the same support and consistency to her when she needed it. On a personal note, my mother taught me how to quilt, to knit, to cook, and how to be a mother. I’m still working on that last one, and am saddened that she will not get to see me through this next stage in my life. One thing that my family and I have seen and learned since my mother’s passing October 6, is that she was many things to many people, not just her family. She touched many lives. I hope that she knew that. In this difficult time, we take comfort in reviewing the kind words and memories that people who knew her during different stages of her life have chosen to share with us.

From her City House classmates:
Tina was a remarkable woman with great intellect, wit, charm, thoughtfulness, and many more wonderful attributes. We wanted so much to celebrate a victory over her disease and so we sent her our thoughts and prayers, our cards, and, most of all, our love. She was so bright and loving and peaceful when we were in high school. She was a true child of the Sacred Heart and we will miss her.

From friends and neighbors from St. Roch, Parkview, and St. Louis:
She was such a friendly, good hearted and generous person. I always enjoyed talking with your mother. She seemed to have such interesting perspectives on things and often unique and very funny ways of expressing her thoughts. It would give a lift to my day when she stopped by. Your mother and I enjoyed many laps around Steinberg skating rink and I always thought of her as a lovely, frighteningly intelligent woman who was devoted to her husband and her wonderful children.
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From fellow walkers, Interlake High School colleagues, and Seattle friends:
Our scheduled walkers meeting was very sad but uplifting at the same time as folks shared the fun things they had done with Tina and the wonderful way she treated them. It was always Tina who made everyone feel welcome. She always appreciated and thanked everyone for helping. I have been privileged, entertained, and blessed to share the past 10 years with Tina. She was a lady with passion about what she was interested in and she was always able to share it with us. I remember how passionate she was about her genealogy research, moving on to her knitting projects which she happily showed us as each project progressed, and on to her love of walking. Tina had a large personality and an even larger heart. Each day was an adventure with her (and to her). She was so thrilled and proud of her grandma status. She was all about family, projects of some kind, energy, and love. It has been an honor to know Tina and I will miss her deeply.

To us, Tina is a saint who was devout in her faith, sacrificed for her family, cared for her mother-in-law and volunteered at St. Madeleine Sophie, her parish, in Bellevue, Washington. As a reflection of how highly her Seattle friends thought of Tina, the Interlaken Trailblazers walking club is dedicating a bench and plaque in her honor along one of her favorite walks on Mercer Island, Washington. For Tina, each day was too short for all of the thoughts she wanted to think, all the walks she wanted to take, all the books she wanted to read, and all the friends she wanted to see.
At the end, she battled her disease with great dignity in a courageous and upbeat way. She remained constant in her faith and was supported and comforted by the loan of a St. Rose Philippine Duchesne relic and holy water from Lourdes. We take solace that she has gone home to eternal life. The pain of her disease forever gone and her memory forever in our hearts

I truly truly miss her, already, and my heart hurts in a way I didn’t know was possible.
More updates soon.