Wednesday, January 1, 2014
To Barb and Kenny, Frank and Marcia, Phil and Mindy, Bob, Jenny, Missy , Brian and Sara. we have done this too many times and lets hope not again for many years. You all gave all you had and then some. I am proud to be a member of such a loving and caring family. We will miss her but we must remember we still have each other. All our love Stu and Stephen To All of Mary's Family: We would like to express our sympathy in the recent passing of your mother/grandmother/sister. I have known Mary for years and she has always been one of the best neighbors and friends anyone could ask for. So many memories of your Dad with my late husband and your Mom's help in getting me through the grief of his passing, all the while missing your Dad. She will be greatly missed and I am forever greatful that I had such a wonderful friend in my life. I'm sorry that circumstances prevent us from attending the service or helping at this time, but you are all in our prayers and our thoughts. Please, if there is ever anything we can do, call us (433-2904). We loved her and we'll miss her. Joanne & Rodney Herriven Our condolences to the Schaefer family. We regret not being able to attend personally. with sympathy, Pat & Denise Kelley To the Walter Family, Aunt Marica and Uncle Frank, Phil and Mindy and The Schaefer Family I'm so sorry for your loss. Grandma was an amazing women with a great sense of humor. She always knew how to take a sad moment and turn it around. We will all miss her. But our memories will keep her alive in our hearts and mind. All our love Scotty, Chelsea and Justin I can not even begin to express what my Grandmother meant to me and to my family for that matter. Personally, my Grandmother was like a second mother to me, actually she was a second mother to me. When I was a young child my mother had to work a lot to make ends meet. When she was working I was with my Grandmother and Grandfather, they were absolutely the best, there is no other way to say it. They cared for me as if I were their own child. I spent the night at the their home, they took me on vacation with them, they took me camping, they saw me off to school in the morning, they were always there, they were amazing, not only had they already raised three children of there own they now cared for their grandson as if he were in fact their own. When I was 23 years old my Grandfather died of lung cancer, during the time he was sick I lived with and spent a lot of time with them, I helped my Grandfather as much as I could. When he was admitted to Lockport Memorial Hospital for the last time I was working midnights. When I got out of work at 8:00 am I would go see Grandpa and hang out with him before going home. The nurses would let me in before visiting hours so that I could sit with him, he even asked me to shave his face for him a few times. I loved every minute of that time because it was my way of paying him back for everything he ever did for me, it was my way of saying thank you. Throught it all my Grandmother was there was well, she provided me with encouragment and strength. While my Grandfather was ill I learned that my mother was ill, she had been diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. I was devistated. The day my mother told me she had breast cancer I burst into tears, who was there to console me? My grandma and grandpa, again they were simply the best. In November 2002 my grandpa passed away, the lung cancer had finally gotten the best of him. By this time I was living with my grandmother, now we were helping each other. In April 2003 my mother died. Two of the most important people in my life were gone but through it all my grandmother was by my side, she took on again the roll of my mother. She demanded to know where I was, who I was with and what I was doing when I was out, it was if I was youing child she cared for when I was younger except she didn't chase after me with her belt. I remember when I first started dating Mindy, we had gotten together on a Friday night and went to her parents cottage on Chautauqua Lake for the night. I told grandma that I was going but not that I was spending the night. The next morning I woke up to find several missed calls from her. I knew I was in trouble. I excussed my self to call her back. When I did she was furiously mad that she had not been able to get in touch with me and that I did not come home. Here I was a 27 year old man getting yelled at by his grandmother for not coming home the night before, but thats how it was, from the time I was born until the day she passed she cared for me as if I was her own, even if that meant yelling at me for staying out all night with a girl I had just met. That was my grandmother thought and I loved her for the person she was. Over the last three months I came to realize that my grandmother was too going to pass. Althought I had helped her as much as I could all along I knew that these were times that counted and that it was my chance to pay her back for everything she did for me. This past Friday as she laid in her room I was able to spend a few moments alone with her, I rubbed her arm as she slept and told her how much I loved her, I told that everyone would be alright, including myself. I told her that she had fought enought as I encouraged her to pass on and stop fighting. I also thanked her for everything she had ever done for me. As I sat there with her rubbing her arm she turned her head just a little bit toward me and said something. By this time she was having a hard time speaking and most words were as loud as a whisper. I leaned over her and asked her to repeat what she had said. She said it again, "thank you". My grandmother didnt have to thank me for anything, I am the one who owes her a big thank you. So to you Grandma, I thank you for everything, I hope the word "everything" is big enough to encapsulate exactly what I mean when I say it because I cant sit here and list all of what she did for me, it would be impossible. The time that I spend helping her over the last couple of months was the least that I could do to repay her. She was truely a wonderful, abosultely wonderful woman and this past Saturday I lost not only my grandmother but one of my best friends. Go Bills Grandma, GO BILLS! ;
