Kathy: Hello, I am Kathy, this is my sister Sue, I am the youngest of 5 siblings and what wonderful siblings we have. I am also most likely, the biggest pain to them, because I am soooo much younger! But I have matured and have learned so much from the woman we are honoring today! We want to thank all of you on behalf of our family for coming to celebrate our moms life with us. It is right to mourn her loss but it's also important to remember her with Joy. We also wanted to thank Rev Nancy Knowles for this service and for Henry Walser Funeral Home for their support and guidance. Our mom was a relational woman. And cared about all kinds of people. She taught us not to judge, give the benefit of the doubt, to be kind and respectful to all people, even ones who are more challenging to us. She said you just have to be more kind! Mom took such great joy in making other people happy. Mom had a strong faith but was careful not to push others as she felt it was important to choose your own way. She taught us by finding joy in small things, no matter what we were going through we could still be grateful and find peace in our life. Mom was very careful what she asked for since she felt she would always receive it. She didn't want to be greedy. She taught us to be generous to others. Showed us how to lift up people rather than tear them down. She showed us how to forgive, show mercy and compassion to others. She did all this by example. She was the best role model we could have. She also was full of fun and loved to be silly. One of her fondest memories of her mother was when they were making beds and boy did they have a lot of beds to make! One day her mom grabbed her and through her on one of the beds and tickled her. Mom would pin me down on the kitchen counter and shower me with kisses- and gross! But secretly i loved her affection. I hope you dont mind a little humour , but mom was a ham and i learned from the best. Sue: By Now you have experienced Moms version of the Bugle Boy! And so has half of KW as she would sing this whenever she had an audience. Thankfully, our children were able to capture this clip and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we treasure it. Mom had many grandchildren and great children who she loved deeply. I believe they would all tell you, they were able to talk to her about anything. She would listen and offer guidance. She would always make them feel special, not judging, and always wanting them to be kind to themselves. She didnt want them worrying about what others thought and didnt want them sweating the small stuff. She loved her babies, all of them.as you could see from the smile on her face in the pictures. And thankfully she was able to enjoy holding her great grandchildren. She loved celebrating Christmas with her family. We also have many memories of trips to Disney with mom. Since getting to Disney was a dream come true for her... On her last day I witnessed a beautiful moment- a staff member was singing to mom, Lord Im ready to go home. I feel the lyrics reflected moms life and her readiness to be with God. She would frequently say I ve been a good girl why won't God take me.! Our response would be: we are not ready for you to leave so we are praying against you!! Weve been good girls too! And then she would respond with a dirty look. Kathy: There is so much we could say about our mom. But instead we are going to speak for others that are here or are not able to come due to distance or health concerns. Uncle stanley and Aunt Shirley were both devastated that they could not come as they have shared many moments with mom over the years. They loved her dearly. They wanted to share stories as they felt they could write a book about her. Aunt Shirley bonded with mom at the young age of 17 She commented as mom showed her so much about how to keep a household We laughed at that comment, knowing that when mom was married 18 year old from the city , moved into a big old decrepit house that had no indoor plumbing , wood stove and wash board and she knew nothing about cooking and cleaning! But she must have been a good student under Nannas tutelage. Because she was able to share what she learned with Aunt Shirley. Stan and Shirl said they could not express enough about how much they thought and felt about her. To quote them God is getting another wonderful soul. Aunt Agnes sends her deepest affections for her and sends her love to all of us as she knows how much we will miss her. Cousin Nancy and husband Steve wish they could be here but expressed when they thought of mom, they felt her kindness and her hear her wonderful laughter. They felt her happiness and joy of life was inspiring. Nancy asked us to share a poem to our family.. It is called the Promised Land by Helen Steiner Rice. Death is just another step along life's changing way. No more than just a gateway to a new and better day. And parting from our loved ones, is much easier to bear. When we know that they are waiting for us to join them there. For it is on the wings of death, that the living soul takes flight. Into the promised land of God, where there shall be no night. Pam our cousin expressed that she hadnt seen mom due to the distance but She felt loved unconditionally since she was a little girl and made her feel good about herself. She most fond memory was the chocolate sauce my mom would makeand to quote - It never tasted the same as the recipe you shared with me maybe it was because you made it with love. Pam always felt close to mom even with the distance- to quote her You certainly left the world a better place and now you are making heaven a better place. Mom and Dad took in a couple of border and after dads death, she took in another one. They both told us that mom had made them feel at home, the moment he met her. She made it easier for them to leave home to be in the city. We can share that they both feel the loss of mom. Mom was fearless and with every life experience she was having an adventure. Thenshe met Byron and another adventure began and her family expanded once again! During her last days, it was wonderful to hear stories about how she had touched others lives. She did not realize how precious she was because she had a humble soul. We will miss you mom but know that your legacy is the teachings of love, kindness and respect will continue through your children and your grandchildren to future generations.