Beth's Ponderings
The end of an era
arrived very abruptly on Wednesday, June 12 with the passing of my mom, Gale
Richardson.
On behalf of my
family, I would like to thank everyone for the kind words, condolences, and for
sharing your memories of mom. Thank you
to the staff at the Stettler Hospital
I’ve been told
while it’s not a surprise she is gone, it really is.
Yes, she had been
in the hospital for the previous 15 weeks, with the final 2.5 weeks in long-term
care. Yes, she had shrunk down to less
than 90 lbs and was in a wheelchair. Yes,
she had had lots of pain and major health challenges for YEARS - in fact, she
was sent home from the University Hospital in May of 1996 to die as her
internal organs were heavy damaged and scarred following a very severe allergic
reaction to a medication, and were operating at considerably less than 50%.
And yet...despite
all of that, she’d always defied the odds somehow, amazing everyone as she
continued to live and be a vital presence.
As Mom was deeply
involved in her community, she touched countless lives, of all ages, in ways we
probably will never ever know, whether it was through Girl Guides, church
activities of all sorts, her various leadership and executive positions on
various community boards through the years, her involvement in schools as both
a teacher and parent, her creation of ladies’ crafting groups and starting the
ECS program in Mirror, or just her interactions with friends and neighbours.
Mom will be
remembered for her “craftiness” and her homemade goodies and gifts as she
remembered birthdays and special occasions. She will be remembered for her
encouragement and faith in the children she taught, and the girls she nurtured
through Guiding. She will be remembered
for her joking, witty comments, and so much, much more.
As one friend told
me: “Your mom can’t be gone, she was an institution.” Yes...Gale certainly was!
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://sites.google.com/site/thechautauqua26/home/June%2021%2C%202019%20Chautauqua.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1
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