Dorothy with Rick and his family.

One Year Anniversary--We miss you mom...

Dorothy and Zoi--Christmas 2005

Dorothy and her brother Larry...

Today in Atchison, Kansas, mom's brother, uncle Larry will be officially remembered for his life here on earth.  Larry rejoined the rest of his generation on Saturday, January 4, 2014 and was greeted, I am most certain, with great anticipation and rejoicing in heaven.  I know that mom made most certain to be in line with all of her family, some members I have only heard of and were gone long before I was ever brought into this world.  This generation was one of great accomplishment and determination that we all should look to for inspiration.  Larry, who is memorialized today, never looked for the easy road, worked until he was 70, and did unthinkable things to get the job done in his employment and life.   I remember hearing the story where, I believe it was Christmas Eve however I am not certain ,when the radio station had a problem and being their chief engineer, he climbed an icy tower in the snow to reattach a cable or wires to return the station to operations.  His climb naturally was a success.  Larry lived his life with that same determination and resolve, both in his career and his family.  Helen was no different with her instinct for getting the job done.  She worked many and sometimes unusual hours including holiday's in her employment with the school district and the hospital.  Her most unusual feat, I felt,  was when the family was invited to her house for a birthday celebration and we all discovered that she had built a concrete block wall on her back porch so she could sit without the neighbors always being able to see her there. She did a fine job with the blocks all lining up and the mortar lines near perfect.  Walter and I just sat there and laughed with admiration for her determination and diligence in doing such a fine job.  Mom, dear Dorothy, after living a life of a mother, staying home as so many mothers did in the 50's and 60's was forced back into the working world when dad divorced her and also me.   Mom did what any fine Winegardner would do, she went out and found employment.   After almost 25 years of being a stay at home mother/housewife, she was again gainfully employed and was as competent as any despite her lacking of skills that she would eventually need.  She study at home to learn shorthand and refreshed her typing skills from high school and became a "cannot do without" member of the engineering team at Allis-Chalmers Gleaner division in Independence.   She not only was able to get along with the old witch whose department she was joining; a lady who considered everyone a threat and that no one could please her; she and this lady actually became friends and very close workers, and someone who after her retirement mom would often visit in off hours.  Something no one at the plant ever thought could happen.  Mom survived and lived a pretty fair life until her final years.  However that is a story for another time.  Then there was the baby, Walter, who made his life harder than it needed to be, [that might be where I get it from, probably so, since I more often than not thought of him as a father] both worked like a mule and never understood what it meant to not provide for your family or shuffle it off onto someone else.  He worked numerous jobs and sometimes two or three at a time.  As a craftsman, he was always his own worst critic, with only perfection making him happy.  And his work was perfection.  He believed that a mitered wood joint was only meant to be done one way.  It should be invisible to the naked eye.  Only the grain of the wood would show that his inside and outside corners along with his junctions were not one piece of wood when joined together.  His ability to perform almost any construction project, be it working with wood, re-plumbing a kitchen or adding new lighting or outlets or wiring an entire room to painting and staining, Walter was a perfectionist at it all.  What made his abilities most attractive, to me,  was he was completely self taught.  He could see something, read a book about it if necessary, and then do it. 

I give you this little insight into Larry, Helen, Dorothy and Walter today, on the day of Larry's funeral services to emphasize just what we have lost and will hopefully regain someday in the very near future.  Their generation was not a generation looking for handouts.  They were a generation that simply said:  "Give me a chance! Let me show you what I can do."  I know these four are all together again.  Maybe even sleeping in one bed as they did as children however this time just to be close, no need to stay warm now, they will eternally be warm, and loving and will forever be in my mind.  They will forever live in the hearts of all of us that knew them.  I feel certain that Phil and David will pay beautiful tributes to their father today.  Their mother will smile with great pride as each recite their words.  Their grandmothers, Phoebe and Mable will also being showing such pride.  However it is their responsibility and that of  their cousins to educate their/our offspring and their/our grand offspring in the truly great linage we all descend from.  I hope that I can reach this objective with whatever time left that God has planned for me.  However, for today is Larry's last most special day here on earth.  So once again, I recite:  "Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and may his soul and the souls of all of the faithful departed, rest in peace.  Amen."  Thanks for the memories Larry, you and Barbara deserve the rest that lies ahead.  Enjoy your siblings and all of your family and friends that are with you in eternal peace. 

And yes, a private request:  Please give my love to mom... 

4 months now have past.

Yesterday marked 4 months since mom left us for her eternal rest.  This past month has been probably the hardest for me as Bev and I celebrated our 20th anniversary in Europe.  It was our travels that always brought mom into our minds almost constantly.  We have seen so many things and places that we always wished there had been a way for mom to also had been with us as we knew how much she appreciated the history and beauty of the places we visited.  This past trip was one filled with visits to so many churches, cathedral's and basilica's  which would have just overwhelm mom with their beauty and unique architectures.  If she could have attended Holy Mass in The Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris would most definitely had been a earth moving experience for her. Or to have been able to hold the hand of the Black Madonna in Montserrat  and prayed would have left mom totally spent for the rest of the day let alone the trip up to and back from the monastery of Montserrat.  Mom always enjoyed hearing about these beautiful places and the rich history that exist in them.  She was so appreciative that Bev and I traveled and saw these sites and then shared them with her even though she could not have been there herself.   And now not to have her to share these moments with have left me with a major void.  After returning home came Thanksgiving which again brought about the reality that we will not be sharing this event with her as well or the upcoming holidays.  After Carol's passing I thought I understood what emptiness really meant and I was truly an empty being just trying to survive in life.  I thought I understood what I needed to do to continue without someone so close to me and who I loved so dearly.  However mom was there, even through the miles, to always listen and to softly give moral support.  Now, although I still have Bev, that emptiness has once again set in.  And this time has also taken Bev along with me.  We both have so many times wanted to pick up the phone and call mom to tell her something.  We so many times in Europe said "oh mom would have enjoyed this." or "Would mom like this!" and of course then we would realize that we cannot longer even tell her about it. Even in taking pictures of our trip we so often thought "we cannot wait to show mom this."  And then again reality would hit us and bring the moment to a somewhat less enjoyable memory.  There are so many things that we, all, just took for granted about mom being here.  Her smile, sharing moments of the grandchildren, great grandchildren with her or things that were happening in the world, or just talking with her and seeing how she was doing and of course her eyes sparking with her beautiful smile.

 

Thanksgiving this year, I was especially thankful for having mom for so very long.  I will never understand how my children survived without theirs.  I will never understand how I will survive without my mother now.  For 60+ years she was always there.  And for that I will be eternally thankful, Thank you dear Lord for my beautiful mother and the time I was allowed to be with her.