We enjoyed Sunday dinner with Great G-ma and G-pa M at Bob and Janene's house last week. As I do each Sunday afternoon, I pulled up a chair along side Ruth while she sat in her favorite spot - the soft chair near the dining table. We talked about the fantastic week she had enjoyed being able to return home after spending the long summer at a local care facility. Her health has been declining in recent years and she had an episode in May that we thought would take her. However, the Lord decided to extend her life a little bit longer. Ruth always had such a love for life and she was determined to return home. The phone call came on Monday afternoon informing me of her passing. It came as a surprise as her recovery had been so miraculous - and she was doing so well. She and LaVerne had plans to return to St. George the following week where they live during the colder months of the year. Aaron was out of town so I drove to LaVerne's place and enjoyed a few quiet moments with him just an hour or so after Ruth had passed on. She had gone to the kitchen to get a drink and moments later LaVerne came out from the bedroom to see she had fallen. Perhaps a heart attack - but her passing was instant and merciful. Living so near them has been a tremendous blessing to us and we will always be grateful that our children have had the opportunity to really know their great-grandparents so very well.
Born - March 8, 1924
Died - September 9, 2013
Friday evening Aaron and I traveled about an hour south along with Bonnie & Bryant to attend the viewing of Ruth. We enjoyed being able to reconnect with many of Aaron's family members - particularly with Kelli. Knowing what it takes to train for a marathon, I could appreciate the struggle Kelli (Aaron's cousin) entertained in trying to make a tough decision. She had been training for months hoping to compete in the last qualifying marathon before the Boston Marathon. With Ruth's sudden passing, Kelli was faced with the decision of running the marathon or attending the funeral of her dear grandmother whom she adored. In discussing this with LaVerne, he gave her his blessing to run knowing Ruth would want nothing less than for Kelli to finish what she started - and to do her best. I couldn't help but feel the power of the moment when Kelli's dad, Greg, received the text with her finishing time of 3:27 (qualifying time is 3:30). It came in just as the funeral services were concluding.
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| Kelli - in pink on right |
The funeral services were held Saturday, September 14 and many family members gathered from around the country to be together. LaVerne asked if I would be in charge of the musical number - Ruth had requested "Love One Another" to be performed at her funeral. The Lord blessed me to find the perfect arrangement for the grandchildren to sing. Included in this were Claire on the flute and Audrey on the violin - it was beautiful.
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| Brinley, Anna, Lillian |
A wonderful luncheon followed the services.
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| Garrett, Jantzen, Jameson |
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| Jordan, Bennett |
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| LaVerne and Shelly (oldest grandchild - age 46 - Ray's daughter) |
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| Audrey (youngest grandchild - 15 - Kevin's daughter) and Andrew |
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| Rachell, Pam, Christi |
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| Marc, Melissa, Jeff |
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| Brandon, Janene, Bob |
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| Chesney, Kimball, Sue |
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| Christi & Randy |
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| LaVerne, Shelly, Nancy, Travis (Ray's family) |
Particularly poignant for Nancy and her children was the fact that Ray was killed on September 14, 1979. He was a captain in the United States Air Force and died in a crash 34 years ago. His headstone is next to Ruth's in the M. Cemetery.
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| Kim & Mason |
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| Bryant, Bonnie, Breanna |
We enjoyed a few extra days with Bonnie & Bryant's family as they brought their oldest up to start college this week! Perhaps now we'll be seeing more of them throughout the year...
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| Tanner |
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| Quinn, Aaron, Heather |
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| Julia, Chris, Whitney, Matt |
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| Brinley |
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| Erica |
Somehow Cameron, Kasey and Jagger missed the camera...but we enjoyed spending time with them back "home".
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| Andrew, Claire, Gena |
Now that Kevin and Gena live in the Seattle area, our visits are very infrequent. I enjoyed having Gena and the girls come over for a few hours on Friday - so great to catch up a bit!
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| Kathy, Sue, Pam, LaVerne, Bob, Kevin, Nancy (for Ray) |
The children of Ruth and LaVerne - they have three boys and three girls (just like us).
John & Kathy, Greg & Sue, Marc & Pam, LaVerne, Janene & Bob, Kevin & Gena, Nancy
Some of the 30 grandchildren of Ruth and LaVerne.
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| Orin, Selar, LaVerne, Ethel, Shelby, Dale |
Of LaVerne's 12 siblings, 6 were together today. Serious longevity in this family. Tanner took notice of the way they all whipped out their iPhones. Wow -- an impressive bunch on many fronts!
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| Pam and LaVerne at graveside |
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| Stacey & Mallory |
It was a remarkably peaceful September day.
We love you G-ma Ruth - "til we meet again"....
4 comments:
Thank you sweetie. Such a great post and tribute to Grandma. So grateful we lived so close and said goodbye to her the night before she passed. I was able to give her a kiss on the forehead and tell her I loved her...I will forever be grateful for this dear lady who influenced so many. We love you Grandma!
I am so sorry to hear that Ruth finally passed away, but I am sure she is in peace and is watching over her family from a new vantage point. Big hugs to all of your family.
What a special lady Ruth is. I'm thinking that she is enjoying her reunion with many friends including my mother, her dear friend, Aloha. Nice family post and tribute.
What a beautiful lady. I was grateful to meet her a few times. I loved listening to her talk about her friendship with my mother and father. A beautiful posterity she has.
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