Godspeed
I rarely post anything, much less anything personal, but this is a big thing.
My mother-in-law, age 83 years and 40 days, died this morning. She was born and raised on a family farm along the Missouri River, the 11th of 13 children and the youngest daughter. She entered the convent at the age of 13 and took her final vows at age 20. She served the church as both musician (earning a Master's degree in Music) and teacher until she left the convent in 1964 at the age of 38. Within six months, she had met and married a widower who happened to be a farmer. At a time when pregnancies after age 35 were uncommon, she bore two children in the following two years.
She was a gifted composer and arranger, and she served as the choir director in her parish for over 20 years. She continued to live on the farm until Alzheimer's disease made it impractical for her to live alone. She loved to play cards and was an avid traveler. Even as her condition robbed her of her memories, she continued to play the piano (until a couple of weeks ago) and was always friendly and quick with a smile and a hug. She was a dear woman who will be missed.
My mother-in-law, age 83 years and 40 days, died this morning. She was born and raised on a family farm along the Missouri River, the 11th of 13 children and the youngest daughter. She entered the convent at the age of 13 and took her final vows at age 20. She served the church as both musician (earning a Master's degree in Music) and teacher until she left the convent in 1964 at the age of 38. Within six months, she had met and married a widower who happened to be a farmer. At a time when pregnancies after age 35 were uncommon, she bore two children in the following two years.
She was a gifted composer and arranger, and she served as the choir director in her parish for over 20 years. She continued to live on the farm until Alzheimer's disease made it impractical for her to live alone. She loved to play cards and was an avid traveler. Even as her condition robbed her of her memories, she continued to play the piano (until a couple of weeks ago) and was always friendly and quick with a smile and a hug. She was a dear woman who will be missed.