CherokeeProgressive told you my mom died. May I tell you how she lived?
Last edited Sat Aug 9, 2014, 05:19 PM - Edit history (1)
My mother was born Janet Albergh, the youngest of 3 sisters on January 27th, 1929, 9 months before the Stock Market crash that led to the Great Depression. Her parents were only 1 or 2 generations from their Swedish forbears that immigrated here in the late 1800's. Her mother died of Tuberculosis or a similar malady at the age of 25, when my mother was 2 or so, forcing her father to put mom and her sisters up for adoption. She was adopted by a family from Killingworth, CT. Her adoptive father was a member of the Connecticut State Assembly in the 30's and 40's.
Mom was about a month shy of her 13th birthday when Pearl Harbor was attacked.
Like most teenagers in those days, she went to school and helped around the home. My great uncle owned a gas station where mom worked gassing cars and helping out as a cashier.
She met my dad, 4 years her senior, in 1951 through mutual friends and they married in October of '51, my dad in his full Navy Dress Blues. He was soon shipped off to Korea.
My father was a Navy corpsman in WWII (He lied about his age to get in) and was attached to the Marines in Korea as a field medic. They lived in Connecticut for a time after he returned from Korea where my sister and my oldest brother were born. My dads combat medical experience ostensibly led to him being recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1955. That job led to mom following my dad from post to post for the next 25 years! One of his first posts overseas was in Taipei, Taiwan in 1957 & '58, where my next older brother was born. Mom was pregnant with me on their return, crossing the Pacific by ocean liner. They took residence in Falls Church, VA and I was born in Arlington in 1959. Shortly after, dad was sent to the Hindu Kush, on the Pakistani/Afghan frontier for a 6 month tour. Soon after he returned he was stationed in Saipan, in the Marianna's Islands. Saipan is where my first memories are. Back from Saipan we lived in Herndon, VA where my dad worked out of the newly completed CIA headquarters building in Langley. Within a month of JFK's assassination he was stationed in South Miami, at the former blimp base, Naval Air Station, Richmond, FL. In late 1965 were were sent to Athens, Greece and were there until late '67, returning to the DC area living outside Gaithersburg. This was the longest time I had lived in one place thus far - 5 years. In 1973 "The Company" asked him to take a position in Alice Springs, Australia. We were over there when Nixon resigned and Viet Nam ended and we came back in late 1974 to Miami where dad retired.
Picking up and moving a family with 4 kids numerous times is nothing short of a monstrous task. My mother handled it with good humor and aplomb. Often in the various places we lived, mom and dad entertained or hosted parties for my fathers associates, which would include Chiefs of Station, Charge d'affaires, Under Secretary's and assorted other personnel from the Embassy or the facility where he was working.
She was an animal lover, as we had Boston Terriers in our home most of my life. She was a good cook, a thrifty manager of the home, a practiced Bridge player, an accomplished practitioner of knitting, needlepoint and crochet, and a capable seamstress. She attended Episcopal and Anglican churches in the Far East, Europe and the states and was a member of The Order of the Eastern Star. She held memberships in numerous organizations over the years, mostly church related and held bible study meetings for friends in our home many times over the years.
She loved camping and outdoor cooking, hiking and sightseeing and I know she loved the world travels we took part in. She was an avid reader but I could never get her interested in the internet! As far as she was concerned, Newspapers were just fine for news and if you are going to write a note to someone, it should be done freehand with a pen and paper and MAILED!
While no family is perfect, my mother did her best to raise us all with self respect and a curiosity for life and a love of travel. "Find happiness where you can" seemed to be her motto.
She died this morning at 6:30 AM, her hand held by the Nurse in attendance at the Hospice facility she had been moved to. She outlived my father by just shy of 14 years. When I heard, I was behind the wheel of the tractor trailer I drive, driving north on I75 in Ohio.
I regret that I was unable to get down to see her in recent weeks, as I had been promising her I would, and had I not been assigned back here to Detroit on this temporary duty, I would likely have made it down the weekend before last. I hadn't seen her since September.
Once again to the DU community, thank you so vey much for your kind thoughts and prayers. The outpouring of affection in the previous threads have literally overwhelmed me and brought me to tears. I can not thank you enough for the support and caring you have shown a virtual stranger.
One last thing; If you have an elderly family member that lives alone, please, PLEASE consider a "Life Alert" system of some sort. While it may not have saved her, it was quite likely that help could have arrived sooner had she been able to communicate her emergency in the moments before she lost consciousness.
I want to thank Chris (CherokeeProgressive) for his unbelievable thoughtfulness in putting up the thread earlier. You're a good friend, pal. 
Thanks again, DU.
Smooth Sailing, Mom. Fair winds and calm seas. I will miss you terribly.
Paul
My mom and dad, taken probably 1997 or so;
The last picture we have of them together before my dad passed away, Probably July, 2000;
= new reply since forum marked as read
Thank you for sharing your mother with us.
I'm so so very sorry for your loss...
It sounds like your mom was a really great person. You do such a great job of painting a picture of her in your posts that I almost feel like I know her. My thoughts are with you.
Amazing wonderful Mother! And your Dad had no need to wear a flag pin, obviously. He was the REAL deal.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
I hope she and your pop enjoying themselves up in Paradise, or Heaven, or what one may call it. Your mom sounds like she was one heck of a wonderful and fascinating person, IMHO. 
thank you for sharing your mother's story with us.
I am so sorry for your loss.
You prove that we all have so much in common, those of us with mothers who were born shortly before or after your mother was born. Our life was very different than yours, but it was none the less very outstanding because us 5 kids had the mother we had. They are our inspiration, AHIA. We are blessed because of them. Thank you again for sharing your Mother with us. 
They had exciting lives. Celebrate your parents 
You have my deepest sympathy friend.
And the good times with her become ever clearer in your memories...
Thank you for sharing
My thoughts are with you and your family
It seems like your parents lived a full life and saw places many other people could only dream about.
Thank you for sharing, peace, strength and healing to you and your family.
Thank you so much for sharing this story, and your wonderful mom. Sounds like she really was the heart of the family. We'll ALL miss her because of you.
Your mother and father were remarkable people, what an adventure their lives were. I hope you and your family can find peace in your wonderful memories.
Deepest condolences.
of her and your dad.
I am so sorry you have lost her and I'm sure you will always miss her.
May she RIP and I am sure she will always be with you, in your heart.
She had an amazing life, didn't she?
I am so very sorry for your loss.
A fine tribute. I hope that it was cathartic to write. I have always found that reliving the good times, stories or photos, helped me.
My condolences to you and gratitude to your family for your Dad's service and your Mom's steadfast support of it, may your memories of them be sweet and kind.
Thank you for sharing.
Take care.
