My mom Lori worked as a bookkeeper and volunteered with an organization that provides support to older adults. She poured her heart into her work and her volunteer service. First and foremost, though, she is remembered as a devoted mother to Sarah and me, wife to my dad, sister to her siblings, daughter to her parents, and faithful friend to many. She was a caring person who exuded love of family and community. Mom was first diagnosed with cancer in 1995. She went through chemo and was in remission for a few years during which she was able to maintain a very active lifestyle. She was diagnosed again around 2000 and died in 2003. She was much missed after she died but the missing has generally changed to a celebration of her life – partly because of the futility of missing people who have died and partly because what my mother wanted most for the people she knew was for them to be happy. She certainly lives on in the consciousness and lives of many. She would say, if she were here, that her 44 year life was a full and meaningful one – but 44 years is not a full life. My mother was always grateful for the time she had – though there were definitely more things she would have liked to do like attend weddings, peel apples with her sisters, watch birds at the birdfeeder and help my wife and me to set up our first house. We would definitely love to have her help! Mom also had more impractical dreams – like wearing a mascot costume at a major sporting event. I doubt that my very shy mother would ever have actually followed through on that last dream, but she certainly would have continued to be the bedrock of many people’s lives.
Written by: Brett LaFave
Brett is participating in “The 2015 Ride to Conquer Cancer,” in honor of his mom. Check out his fundraising page here!
