Memories of my loving, wonderful Mother

I am so thankful that I had such a loving and wonderful Mother. I mailed a letter to her in August 2016 to let her know some of the reasons I was so thankful for her and shared some of my special memories about her, with her.

So, the things that I wrote are worth repeating and sharing with others. This is what I typed:

I am so thankful for your because: You were a stay-home Mom when we were little (I think through part of me being in 5th grade), you played card games and kickball with us kids, making grocery shopping fun, especially at Allen Dairy getting ice cream cones (some times with Champ), taking us to Boiling Springs Pool and Laurel Lake a lot, for picnics, it was fun canning and freezing food, made cooking and baking especially fun at the holidays, making tons of cookies at Christmas time, attending my conferences, recitals, open house days at school, being my room mother, bringing cupcakes in for my whole class, thank you again for my big birthday party when I was in kindergarten and when I turned 13, I remember another small party with Karin, Barb, my brothers, and a few friends where we played disco music, you gave me a wonderful graduation party with a beautiful cake, fancy food, and I was so proud of how beautiful you looked - all dressed up and your hair done (you often looked your best!). Thank you for teaching me to pray, reading to me, setting it up so that I could go to Vacation Bible School a few years, allowing me to go to Sunday School and church with a neighbor many times, and taking me to classes to help prepare me for my First Holy Communion.

I also was so thankful that you came to my Sewing Fashion Show, "9-5 Talent Contest", Honors Award Ceremony, and Graduation Ceremony my senior year. You made my prom so special too by buying my lavender dress and taking me to have my hair French braided.

I really enjoyed our times together when we went camping as a family. I got to spend more time with you because you weren't at work and I liked that you planned all of the meals ahead of time. You were always an excellent cook and baker! It was fun going to beach together while the guys went fishing. Frontier Town Campground, Ocean City, Maryland was favorite camping place and I have so many good memories from there. We had so much fun and everyone seemed more relaxed.

You were such a big part of my weddings - so encouraging, supportive, giving, and helpful. Thank you for rescuing me from Ohio with Wilma, thank you also for all of the times you came down to visit me in North Carolina and flew out to Michigan - after Nathan was born, after my miscarriage (you left a note and your perfume for me that I loved). You also flew out when I was expecting twins and showed up with all kinds of gifts for my babies. You helped me so much over the years with my genealogy books and my book of births, marriages, and deaths. You had a knack for numbers and dates and family and relatives were very important to you.

Thank you for all of the gifts, cards, and phone calls over the years, thank you too for cards, gifts and gift cards for my husband and children - you were so giving and thoughtful.

I really appreciate all of the times you gave me encouragement or were just a good listener when I was going through difficult times. You sent me cards and a music box that said, "Not only my daughter, but now my friend too". I really loved it when you and Dad came to visit us in the camper twice and it was so nice when you took us all out to eat, brought or bought everyone gifts, and one time brought a lot of girls clothing.

I remember when we finally got out of that old, blue house, you shared my joy with me about the house on Marion Road in Chatham and had a big flowering plant sent to me. Which also reminds me of the more recent time in 2013. I was so sad being in that old, dark apartment and wasn't able to work because of sciatica. You had a big, nice pot of plants sent to me - what a nice surprise!

When I visited around 2012, it was so thoughtful of you to make my favorite cookies, a big dinner for my husband, the twins, and I, canned pickles and preserves and had gifts for all of us; and, it seemed like Christmas even though it was summer. I or we came to visit from North Caroline and then Michigan numerous times, but I wish it would have been even more often. I guess with all of the gifts, cards, and letters that we sent to each other and family over the years, we helped the post office to prosper.

There are so many other memories I have and things that I'm thankful for that all the books couldn't contain all of the information. By your example, you have helped me to be a good mother, a good cook, to love babies and children, to be a giver, to be thoughtful and caring, to love talking on the phone or in person, to be a writer, to be friendly and have lots of friends, to care about my appearance, to be a good housekeeper, a good interior decorator, enjoy flowers and flower gardening, love the holidays, to pray and love the Lord, and so much more!

My Mother lives on through me, her husband, sons, and grandchildren. Now she is missed terribly and will continue to be missed until it's my turn to go; but, she is in a better place. She finished her course. *** Revelation 21:4 " And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away". She loved Psalm 23 and John 14: 1-6. I feel your presence with me and I love you forever Mom xo... :)

Saint Donna Lee Marie

Bittersweet for Donna. Donna is Sir Steven Anthony’s mother. She is titled, Saint Donna Lee Marie and patron to all waitress, housewives, makeup artists, daycare moms, and nurse’s aides. Saint Donna Lee Marie died on February 28th, 2021 from an unknown bacteria that entered her bloodstream and liver. With COVIN and now a new strand coming from England, who knows what she had. There are many ways to get to heaven. For Saint Donna, she went straight up. The sweetness is that she is in heaven and still our friend who looks over us, until the day we meet again. Her soul lives in peace. Her memories and teachings carryon.
Donna was a Saint in many ways. At an early age, she endured physical pain and emotional hardship. Her mother died when she was in high school. It was her grandmother who taught Sunday school and was self-taught and made clothes from feed bags and many years wore no shoes. While her brother Larry slept on basement dirt floors.
Now Hannah loses her grandmother, Saint Donna, while in school. After marriage, Saint Donna taught herself how to manage a kitchen and a family. The word got around among schools in the community a lady who was nice to children. Mothers in a 10-mile radius from three different trailer courts would drop off their baby, child, preteen and even teenagers who were thirsty for social skills and domestic education for lifestyles. Saint Donna was pleasant in nature, read to children daily, taught how to wear makeup, color with crayons and paints, and most of all fed them all year round and taught them how to cook. She made seasonal cookies such as sand tarts with sprinkles, oatmeal raisin cookies, plain raisin, butterscotch, chocolate chip, brownies, and Gingerbread. With cakes, she made lemon, coconut Hawaiian, ice cream filled, and whip cream icing, fruitcake, German chocolate, mint chocolate, orange meringue, and triple chocolate. With pies, she made mixed apple, cherry, blueberry, peach, raspberry, pumpkin, mincemeat, beef & potato pie, lemon meringue, and cream pie. With salads, she made German potato, Dutch potato, Heaven (ambrosia), veggie, hamburger/rice/cabbage, Orndorff, Greek, Italian, and chicken salad. She maintained her own one-acre vegetable garden. She even had two horses. She did all the maintain around the house too. However, all the heavy lifting with labor caught up with her knees, wrists, lower back, neck, and shoulders. Though, she never complained. Saints live in pain in many ways. They know what troubles others and they find ways to mend and fix sorrow.
Every boy and girl that ever came in contact with Saint Donna Lee Marie are today Blessed. For they, in their heart carry the wisdom learned from the Great Saint Donna Lee. Saint Donna touched the hearts of many. The children called Saint Donna by many names, yet she was all the same person. Some called her, Mrs. B, others said, Mrs. Donna; however more so, till this day they all think and say Saint Donna was our true mom. Even Saint Donna’s relatives on both sides of her family say she was a mom to them as well. Saint Donna’s best friend for 60 years was a nun, and her name is Mary Ann. She was always there for us. Saint Donna educated us and stood by us when our biological moms were at work. Children in the rural farm community pedaled their bicycles for miles to visit Saint Donna Lee Marie. She gave them what they all needed. She gave them social skills, domestic education, closure, reassurance, and confidence. Saint Donna filled their hearts with love.
Saint Donna worked around the clock day and night to help others. When she was a waitress, some say she had wings under her upper back for she could carry 17 meals on one shoulder. When she was a makeup artist for funerals, she carried these skills for female children to know how to act, dress proper, and look mature. She always wanted to be a nurse. Her father and then her husband would not pay or allow it. Somehow see did get close enough to represent a nurse and an angel at the same time by being a Nurse’s Aide at a County Home during midnight hours. She was able to Bless the hearts of many before they left this world.
On her own she bought books for .05 cents and a dollar at the local Bosler library’s bookery on medical skills and the human body with illnesses. Saint Donna was also a Saint because she inspired so many people. One girl name Traci spent many days with Saint Donna and listened and learned from Saint Donna. Today Traci is a Physician Assistant (PA) in the medical field. Saint Donna knew how to guide people in the right direction. Verbally, she gave the tools they needed on their journey in life. Other women today are nurses because they were touch by an angel, the heart of Saint Donna Lee Marie. …and now it known and now it is written. Amen.
Saint Donna Lee Marie’s legacy lives on. Hannah has the same Green Angel eyes that Saint Donna Lee Marie had. The sadness is, after her mom, Octapella married twice and never married Hannah’s dad, Sir Steven Anthony, Octapella out of spite work stop bringing Hannah around to see Saint Donna Lee. It was the jealous stepdad, Eek and the deviate slippery slope snake Zoo her mother who both suffocated and deprived Hannah from seeing her blood related Grandma, Saint Donna Lee Marie. So, the last time Hannah and Saint Donna saw each other was in the year 2012. When Santana was 7 years old. Hannah will be 16 years old. Saint Donna died in 2021. The distance in travel time between residences is only 12 minutes apart.
Saint Donna was so popular. At Christmas, Saint Donna was known to receive as many as 200 Christmas cards from friends and family. When she died, doctors and nurses from all around sent so many cards, people of the community, police, firemen, courthouse, churches, friends, families, relatives, and farmers.