My mother passed in 2007 when she was 72. She had 8 children, I'm the youngest. She was a strong, beautiful, kind, loving mother. We were very close. My dad died in 1978 when she still had 5 kids at home. It was hard for her but we always had great Christmases with lots of presents and good food and other very memorable holidays and birthdays.

She came from a very abusive past but when she met my dad when she was 16, he took her away from all that. His death was devastating for her and unfortunately she attempted suicide like 7 times. Those years were hard, but we made it through as a family.

My mom took care of the stray cats in the neighborhood and had a neighbor build them little cubbies in her carport so in the winter, they wouldn't freeze. That's just one example of the numerous kind things she did in her life.

She had a huge garden and her backyard was filled with flowers. She was a hard worker and worked almost until she passed.

My mom was the most generous, kind, loving person I have ever had the privilege to know. I miss her everyday. She will always be in my heart.