The Obit's

I have not been reading the obituaries for a while.  I am not really sure why, I just would pass by that section of the paper on Sunday mornings, not wanting to read about other peoples lives after they were dead.

However, today for some reason I did not pass that section by and I am glad I did not.  I was reminded today of why I enjoy reading them.  That tiny look into someone's life printed for everyone to read after they are gone.  It did make me wonder who writes them.  I would hope the deceased had some input, other than it being about them.

So today's gems are about love:

There is Barbara B.  She died on April Fools Day and her obit start's with "Isn't this FUN?"  In college she sang with a group of her sorority sisters and at one function at the sorority house a guy selling Prell shampoo door to door, saw her and fell in love and for 59 years their gaze "never strayed from one another".  Some of Barbara's last words were "Well, I guess the party's over".  Maybe not, if that Prell salesman is waiting someplace for you.  Good luck with that.

Next we have Walter R.  In 1936 Walter was forced to leave his homeland of Germany after his views did not line up with the government.  He ended up in San Francisco and met and fell in love with Shirley.  They met, married, raised some kids, retired, travelled and Walter was left alone after her death in 2002.  Later that year (at least I hope it was later) he reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Margaret.  70 years later they found each other again and spent the next 2 years in love.  Sadly, Margaret died in 2004.  But Walter being the man of love he seemed to be found Hilda, who was with him to the end.

And last, but not least, is a woman known as Mouse to those who knew and loved her.  She married a man named Albert in 1949.  After having three daughters and a very busy life she earned her Masters of Library Science, how she found the time for I can't figure out.  She took that degree and at a time when most of us are thinking about when is this work thing going to end, she embarked on a 30 year career as a children's librarian in Oakland.  Late in life she met Norman and they travelled the West Coast in their VW van with their dog.  She loved books, children, birds, plants, gardens and Albert and Norman and her family.

To honer Mariece Matthew Batey memory she asks that you read a book to a child, plant some flowers or stop to listen to a bird sing.

This sounds like great advice to me and I hope to you.