My mother-in-law passed away this weekend. She would have been 85 years-old next month. And I just realized that December is a hard month for this family. Dave, his dad and now his mom all died in December.
Gayle is survived by her twin boys Duane and Wayne, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. When I met her she worked at Steakburger and then she retired from there. She married Bill and moved to Klamath Falls and then to Ephrata. They did the snowbird thing for a few years. And then they eventually landed back in Vancouver.
She fell ill just before Thanksgiving and the illness spread throughout her body and ended up taking her from those who love her.
I saw her at the hospital last week. Duane had called me and asked me to come. Lori, Bill's daughter, told me to be prepared that because the virus had gone to the brain that Gayle might not know me. My response was if this is the case then the visit is more for us than Gayle. But I think maybe she knew me. Maybe not. And it's okay.
Gayle and I were not close. She wasn't a good or a bad mother-in-law. She just was. She spent a lot of time just doing her thing and Bill's thing. There is something to be said for a non meddling one. She babysat Dave's kids once when we went to Reno with my mom. Dave had an uneasy relationship with his mom and that colored our world. And then I wonder where his kids might have gotten that from.
Gayle has been a part of my family for 35 years. We still kept in contact even after Dave died. His death did not end my relationship with her and Bill. We actually had some very honest conversations after that. And now I am sad.
Rest in peace Gayle. Light and love on your journey. Give Dave a hug for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment