Disbelief.
I'm Feeling: 
gloomy
I just...why?
2008 was supposed to be the year that nobody close to me died. Not like so many of my extended family members last year and the year before.
Mrs. Catherine Van Doren, (the wonderful lady who I mentioned here), who just turned 90 in May, just passed away yesterday morning, peacefully in her sleep.
She was in such good health, and suddenly, while up at her house in Cape Cod that used to belong to her mother, fell sick and was hospitalized. She was gone within (I think) 2 weeks, give or take a few days.
She was such an amazing and interesting person. She spent her youth in privilege, went to boarding school in Switzerland, spoke French, and was fairly witty - she made us smile. I believe it was in WWII when she served in the WAC. We met her when my father did work on her house, refurbishing most of it on its extremely old foundations. After the work was done, and it took a loooong time, my mother continued to help her out for years keeping house. I remember her late husband, who would be over 100 years old if he were still alive today.
I liked visiting her at her house and talking to her, helping her out if I could when I was with my mother. Her house was almost like a museum, and when I was younger, if I didn't feel like doing my summer reading while my mom did her work, I would explore a bit. My favorite room was the library - so many wonderful and interesting old books, and she had quite a good collection. I looked forward every year to our "birthday luncheon" at the Greenwich Hyatt, where she delighted in treating us "May babies" (my birthday is May 18; my mother's is the 9th and hers was the 21st) and my sister to a delightful lunch. We would chat, fill her in on our lives - I feel like after I entered college, that was one of the only times I got to see her out of the year. I was fortunate enough to be present at the 90th birthday party that she threw for herself, and enjoy the her company and that of her highly cultured family, where my family and I were introduced as honored guests, despite being of fairly humble background compared to most of them. She and her family loooooooved my mom's cheesecake.
She loved me and my siblings like we were her own grandchildren, and in turn, we loved her like another grandmother.
Rest in peace, Mrs. Van Doren. I will miss you dearly.
~Michele~
gloomy
I just...why?
2008 was supposed to be the year that nobody close to me died. Not like so many of my extended family members last year and the year before.
Mrs. Catherine Van Doren, (the wonderful lady who I mentioned here), who just turned 90 in May, just passed away yesterday morning, peacefully in her sleep.
She was in such good health, and suddenly, while up at her house in Cape Cod that used to belong to her mother, fell sick and was hospitalized. She was gone within (I think) 2 weeks, give or take a few days.
She was such an amazing and interesting person. She spent her youth in privilege, went to boarding school in Switzerland, spoke French, and was fairly witty - she made us smile. I believe it was in WWII when she served in the WAC. We met her when my father did work on her house, refurbishing most of it on its extremely old foundations. After the work was done, and it took a loooong time, my mother continued to help her out for years keeping house. I remember her late husband, who would be over 100 years old if he were still alive today.
I liked visiting her at her house and talking to her, helping her out if I could when I was with my mother. Her house was almost like a museum, and when I was younger, if I didn't feel like doing my summer reading while my mom did her work, I would explore a bit. My favorite room was the library - so many wonderful and interesting old books, and she had quite a good collection. I looked forward every year to our "birthday luncheon" at the Greenwich Hyatt, where she delighted in treating us "May babies" (my birthday is May 18; my mother's is the 9th and hers was the 21st) and my sister to a delightful lunch. We would chat, fill her in on our lives - I feel like after I entered college, that was one of the only times I got to see her out of the year. I was fortunate enough to be present at the 90th birthday party that she threw for herself, and enjoy the her company and that of her highly cultured family, where my family and I were introduced as honored guests, despite being of fairly humble background compared to most of them. She and her family loooooooved my mom's cheesecake.
She loved me and my siblings like we were her own grandchildren, and in turn, we loved her like another grandmother.
Rest in peace, Mrs. Van Doren. I will miss you dearly.
~Michele~