A New Year, and a new beginning.

Ack's mom, Elizabeth (Lillian), passed away on New Year's Day in New York. We were there with her and many other family members. A copy of the eulogy Ack gave at the funeral Mass is below.

Our Mom was full of life. We love and miss her dearly. We will miss her gracious warmth, her quick wit, her love of telling a good story or a silly joke. For those not recently familiar with her jokes:

There were two frogs in a large pond. One was sitting on a lily pad and the other was in the water. The one on the lily pad looks at the one in the water and asks: “How deep is the water?” and the second replies “Knee Deep.” She liked to tell that joke, and for a week after telling it she would walk around the house saying “knee deep, knee deep.”

Our Mom could find enjoyment in little things: from Macdonald toys to new kitchen gadgets. She had a gracious kindness for all things, from wounded seagulls to words of calming strength in tragic events.

She loved to travel. Whether it was to Egypt, Israel, Scotland, or Germany. These travels were more than seeking the beauty and wonders of the world. She learned how others lived and shared her life with others. She explored their cultures and gathered stories to tell. She enjoyed traveling to visit family. From short trips to visit Andy and Marianne, to long road trips down south to visit her sisters or Mike and Louise and their families in North Carolina, or us in Wisconsin; these trips brought her joy and stories to tell. One family story is about a short trip she took with our Dad.

We had property in Maine that we would vacation at in the summer. We would sometimes go for a drive in the surrounding mountains with this old truck; looking for fishing spots or pretty views. On this particular day it was my Dad and Mom traveling together. My Dad on occasion would drive that truck in places that it shouldn’t go; and on this particular day he drove it into some mud. Mom got out of the truck, walked in the mud to look over the situation. My dad tried rocking the truck to get it unstuck. Back and forth, back and forth. When that wasn’t working my Dad stopped rocking, stuck his head out the window and asked my Mom – “Lil, how deep is this mud?” And my Mom replied “Knee deep, knee deep”.

She enjoyed laughter. Life is to be fun. She was radiant with life and thus did not want to give it up. There were still books she wanted to read, countries she wanted to visit, red hats she wanted to wear, gardens she wanted to grow, stories she wanted to make, jokes she wanted to tell, and friends and family she wanted to be with. We can have faith that she is doing those things now, just not with us physically.

So, I ask that you think of her now and again as she was in life at some moment which is pleasant for you to recall. Mom would like all of you to make a difference in this world, not a big difference, but the kind that matters to you. Read that book you put on the shelf, tell that person you love them, share a story or a joke, and most of all laugh – make someone laugh, laugh with someone, laugh at yourself, show the world the humor and wonderment of yourself. Laugh at yourself knowing you are at peace with yourself and with others.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your life with her. For helping her compose stories, for listening to her jokes and for laughing with her.