My Mommy

at the age of 2 or 3

Now Gone

Today Uncle Jack passed away, with many of his family members surrounding him just before he passed on.  

I have begun collecting stories about him for some scrapbook pages I am working on, and haven't had time to put them to paper, but wanted to share them in his honor today.

From his grandson Josh:

One of the things everyone notices about Grandpa is that he has amazing eyebrows. I recall several Christmases in the late 80s and early 90s when all the grandkids got a first-hand look at just how amazing they were.

On occasion, Grandpa would secretly go into another room and back-comb his eyebrows so they were as large and bushy as possible. Then he'd turn his collar up so it would almost be touching his ears. And he'd come roaring out where all the kids were playing with his hands like claws in the air and his teeth bared, doing a fantastic Dracula. We'd all scream and laugh and run around. It was funny every single time.

From his granddaughter Kaye:

I remember so many family meals at their house. One that stands out in my memory was for a Thanksgiving day meal. We were all seated, the food on the table smelling wonderful and Grandpa had asked someone to say the prayer. The prayer began and my brother, tempted by the wonderful smelling rolls thought he would sneak the first while others had their eyes shut. Grandpa being ever aware shot out a fork and promptly poked Dave's hand mid- swipe. I did not think I could suppress the laughter any longer, thank goodness the prayer was short. Sorry if you read this Dave-had to share!

From his granddaughter Heidi:

What stands out most to me is how multi-faceted Grandpa is. One moment her is talking your ear off about the smart ways to invest and the next he is showing you how to tap dance. I remember one summer when we were staying with him, he thought Beth and I spent too much time indoors. So he decided to teach us to tap dance. Every day for a week he would take us out on the front sidewalk and drill us on the few steps he had taught us. I never did learn to tap dance, but I remember those sunny afternoons fondly.  I also vaguely remember going to see Captian Kangaroo with Emily and Mike beacuse of Grandpa.(Jack was a lead character on a children's television program.)

From his great grandkids, Heidi's children:

My children best remember Great Grandpa as the man with all the hats. He and Grandma came to visit once and he brought in a big black garbage bag full of hats. He sat all the kids down around him and read them a story about the different hats we wear. They thought he was the coolest old man they had ever seen.

From his granddaughter Beth Minda:

Grandpa has for me always been a source of inspiration. I learned to dance because of him. I learned to teach because him. His beautiful voice taught me to love stories. His wisdom though scary at times to a shy little girl was always awe inspiring. What I most remember though is his beautiful way of encouraging everyone to be the best at what they do. Strong, smart and very goodlooking no wonder grandma fell hard for him.

From his daughter Janell:

My favorite memory of Dad is the Saturday morning he asked me, at age 9, if I'd like to walk in the woods. I spent most of my waking hours in the woods so I was very happy to go. He said, "We'll need to take a few things along. Get a small frying pan and three eggs." 
I had no idea what this was all about. We scrambled through the woods until we found an old corrugated metal window well. Dad flipped it in the upside down U position and proceeded to build a good boy scout fire under it. Then he made us scrambled eggs. Boy is food tasty in the woods! He told me stories as we ate.

Uncle Jack

My Uncle Jack, who is married to my mother's sister, is not doing well these days. Recently he was moved to Our Lady of Good Counsel Hospice Home.

I have little personal knowledge of my Uncle; I'm not sure why but we didn't venture back to Minnesota often as I was growing up and once I moved here personally the connection never formed. It's probably my fault and I'm sad about it. Uncle Jack and Aunt Ginny gave birth to six kids, and my cousins and their children have always fascinated me as they are talented and very real. Of course like any family they have had their share of sadness, but overall they have stayed together and stayed true. I have many photos of my Uncle Jack, but few stories, so I asked my relatives who are on facebook to tell me what they remember. Primarily I'm getting stories from Uncle Jack's grandkids, so I need to do a couple more pages to hold those memories.

I'm counting on my mom for some from the early days. She lived with her sister and husband in her late teens when her parents went on a long vacation (a year? two?) Ginny is 18 years my mom's senior.

Above are some empty pages, awaiting their memories...

Barbara Darlene White Shultz

Darlene did pass away Friday, March 6 at about 4:30pm. Her daughters were all at her side when she passed.

Over the last two days we have received telephone calls which indicate that Scott's mom is in her final days.  I do not think Darlene was ever very fond of me, and I think overall I'm pretty unpopular with her daughters, but I'm still a bit nostalgic.

Joyce, Darlene's youngest, sent Scott a journal entry she found in one of their mother's notebooks.  It seems the best sort of eulogy a person could wish for.  

I knew very little about Darlene, I met her just a handful of years before her last husband died.  She was still walking at the time, but with a cane for longer trips.  She had stopped driving at this point.  She had already been diagnosed with MS for several years at that point.  She was an avid painter and loved all kinds of crafts, before her vision took this away from her.  She loved books and listened to hundreds on tape once she could no longer see to read them.  

 In 2002, a little over a year after her husbands death, she agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to move to Minnesota from Missouri, as three of her four children lived here.   I got to know her a little better at family gatherings and weekly visits to her apartment in the assisted living facility, and was struck with her kindness.  She did not strike me as a lover of children, her grandchildren did not seem to hold much interest to her, other than a topic of conversation with her new friends at the facility.  But she seemed kind, forgiving, and if she treated me with a reserve that saddened me, it was not a harsh one.  She was always happy to see her "Scottie" come to visit, and was always sweet to him.  Although she was clearly unhappy at all the various health facilities she has lived in these past 7 years, she did always seem to look for the silver lining in things.  

A family rift occured when her mother was moved here from Texas in 2007, and I haven't seen Darlene since that Christmas.  At the time I last saw her, her condition had stolen a good deal of her mental faculties, and it wasn't clear whether she knew us.  She cut the visit short, asking to go back to the comfort of her room.

I am sorry for those years of pain she has suffered.  Her life has not been an easy one, and the last 5 years or so have been, I think, particularly hard on her.  I am happy that she is about to get a new body in a new place, and if there is any mercy that is what is next for her.

Here are some excerpts from her journal:

 

My Most Loved People and My Favorite Things

 

 

Blessed Trinity

God the Father

Jesus the Son

Holy Spirit

 

Angels

 

Holy Bible

 

My Family

 

My husband, Joe

 

My mother, Evelyn

 

Memories of my father, Lloyd

 

Vivian

Liana

Peter

Monte

Cara

 

Scotty

Andrew

Minda

 

Brenda

Kendall

Connor

Rick

 

Joyce 

Billy

Jeff

 

Gary (her younger brother)

Kristie (his daughter)

 

Jeanette

Kyra

Tiffany

James Owen

 

Chris

Kali

Tim

Jean and Weaver

Yandell and Kathleen

 

Gladys Meledez

 

Frances Hempheld

 

Dr Goldstein

 

Marsha Schulte

 

Paul

Cody

Carson

Norma

 

Laura

Drew

John

 

United Methodist Church of the Shepherd

 

Hymns

Amazing Grace

 

Allelua

 

Mom's 80th Birthday Party

 

Visits to El Paso

 

Visits from my mom

 

Visits from my children

 

Babes

 

Children

 

Mountains

Rivers

Lakes

 

Clouds

Snowflakes

 

Deer

Raccoons

Squirrels

Cougars

Canadian Geese

Ducks

Blue Jays

Cardinals

 

Sounds and smells

Laughter

Smiles

Silence

 

Sunday

 

Going to Church

 

Smell of bar-b-que

 

Distant thunder

 

"Let's Eat Out"

 

Christmas:

Pine trees

Wreaths

Santa

Ribbons

Music

Children laughing

Wrapping paper  

 

Easter:

Sins forgiven

Spring Time

Pretty pastels

chocolate candy

colored eggs

"The Old Rugged Cross"

"And God Cried"

"Crown Him king"

"Were You There"

 

Thanksgiving-

Family

Good food

Good smells

Sweet potato

Pumpkin Pie

 

Flowers

roses

Pansy

Gardenias

Azaleas

Iris

 

color purple

 

Sunshine

Rainbows

 

Castles

Cottages

 

Birds singing

 

puppies

kittens

Bunnies

 

Garage sales

 

Amethyst

 

A smile from a stranger

 

A touch from a friend

 

A hug from a child

 

Baby smiles and giggles

 

Paintings (oil) by Thomas Kincaid

 

Sunday's choir

 

Morning

 

Sunset

 

Prayers

 

Gentle breeze

 

Snow on Pine trees

 

Sunshinning on Snow

 

Gentle rain

The first snowfall

 

the smell of rain

the smell after the rain

 

Sunset

Spring- the flowers, the smell, birds singing

 

Fall the colors, the crisp air

 

the sound of flying geese

 

Trees

 

painting

landscapes

flowers

snow scenes

with oil, acrylic, ultragloss

 

cards, bookmarks

canvas

glass

wood

candles

 

Painting books

 

watching ice skaters

country music

soft music

 

desert

Texas

new Mexico

Cacti

Pine cones

 

Ice Cream

cookies

hot fudge sundae

candy

coffee

pie

Mexican food

cake

Chocolate

Ice cream

Bacon

brownies

fudge

maple

Iggies

 

Pets,

Dogs, Spotty, Herman, Barney, Misty, Mindy, Rusty, Schatzie, Amity

 

The smell of

Bacon cooking

Thanksgiving dinner

Cakes or cookies baking

flowers- roses, gardenias

Fresh cut grass

watermelon

 

 

 

On the phone, "Hi Grandma, this is Connor, Do you remember me?

 

Kendall, "My hand is all sprinkly" (it was asleep)

 

My mom said, "Kendall, put it in the ice box."

Kendall whispered, "Grandma, what is an ice box?"

 

Brenda said, "Connor, stop stepping in all the puddles"

Connor said, "I'm walking on the water like Jesus did."

 

Billy said after falling into the deep end of the swimming pool. "I thought I was a goner.  My mom jumped in and saved my life. Whew"

 

Kendall, "I keep pushing the numbers on this phone but nothing happens"  It was an old rotary dial.

 

Peter after observing adults at a party, walked up to a stranger and said "Hi! I'm Peter and this is my friend, Monte."

 

After Joe lost all his hair from Chemo.  Connor came over.  Joe said, "Do you want me to take off my cap?"  Connor after a long pause said, "Er-ah no thank you."

 

Kendall asked, "Grandma, when you were a little girl did people wear clothes?"  Was she thinking of Adam and Eve or cavemen?

 

 

 

Love God above all

Love one another

 

Find something good in every person

 

Look for the silver lining

 

Find something good whenever possible.