Richard's mom gently passed away in her sleep last night at the age of 100. She had been declining for the past 6 weeks and realized she probably wouldn't make it to her 101st birthday. Her only regret seemed to be that she wouldn't be able to best her brother Palmer in the longevity department (Palmer died 3 weeks after his 100th birthday party). Her children assured her that she HAD beaten Palmer by almost a year, even if she didn't make 101. I hope when I go that I have no regrets more serious than that.

 

Mary lived a full and active life and was beloved by all. I know, obituaries always say that, but in this case it seems to be true. She was mom to 7 kids and dozens of grand, great-grand, and I think even a few great-great-grandkids (I'm not a very good in-law, and I admit I lost track after the grandkid generation). She was a busy farm wife, nurse at the Benson Hospital, and active member of her community. She made gazillions of cookies and Swedish meatballs for church suppers and bake sales, and several hundred quilts for friends and family. These weren't fancy artisan quilts - they were simple everyday quilts made entirely from castoff clothing and old coats with the colors and textures artfully chosen. She never ran out of material because everybody in Benson knew where to donate their old coats and blankets.

 

She had been in a small assisted-living facility in Murdock for the last few years, which she seemed to enjoy right up until the end. As her memory began to fail she worked hard at keeping track of her daily activities in a notebook she called her "chart book" (a throwback to her nursing years, I think). And every day she would run up and down the hall with her walker multiple times to keep the blood pumping. She was still engaging in both activities as recently as Dec 15, when her final decline began. She gradually stopped eating, and spent more and more time dozing in the big lounge chair in her room. The last 2 weeks it was difficult, and eventually impossible, for her to talk, but she still recognized visitors and seemed to be peaceful and in no serious pain. Richard, Thorin and I had a lovely visit with her Jan 5, less than 3 weeks ago. We had brought her the latest Lena Shutterfly book as a late Christmas present and she insisted on reading every page. Her mind was clear but moving slowly. Deciphering a page took a long time, but she was clearly enjoying it. After a half hour or so, she dozed off and we left her sleeping peacefully in her chair.  I'm so glad that we made it out there for one last visit.