The Gift that Was Stella McGlone
My mother-in-law, Stella McGlone, passed away last week at the age of 86. I feel the need to share some thoughts about her and the effect she had on those around her. Stella was consistently upbeat, kind, thoughtful, loving, and forgiving. In the 40 years that I had her in my life, I never saw her angry, I never heard her speak ill of anyone. She made everyone feel welcome in her home and in her life. She was a loving wife, mother, in-law, grandmother, friend, and neighbor.
Of course, nobody's perfect. Stella was, well, not exactly a hoarder...let's say she liked things. She liked a lot of things, and she liked to keep them close by (the basement, the "Christmas room," the back porch, to name a few). She could bargain like nobody's business. Vendors at the flea market trembled in fear at her approach. Stella could have taught an entire course on the art of the deal.
Stella was a coupon clipping, deal sniffing grocery shopper. She didn't drive, so she and my father-in-law went to the store together to buy food for a family of seven for the week. I cannot even imagine what that must have been like! Expiration dates on food meant nothing to my mother-in-law; if it didn't smell bad, it was probably still just fine. My husband feels the same way. I have to wait for him to leave the house before I get rid of anything.
She was a card sharp. She didn't cheat, but she could really pull off the innocent, "Oh, was that a red card?" thing, and then declare "Gin!" in her next breath. She loved to play cards, and she taught her children her tricks. My husband, her first born child, was her best pupil; he always wins (almost).
At her viewing, we, her immediate family, had to hurry all the guests along because there were so many of them, and they all had beautiful, happy memories that they wanted to share. Certainly, there were tears, but the laughter and joy that we shared that morning far outweighed the sadness that we all felt at the loss of our mother, our friend, our confidant, our colleague, our sister, our angel on earth. She will never leave us and every memory makes us smile. Enjoy heaven, Mom.
Of course, nobody's perfect. Stella was, well, not exactly a hoarder...let's say she liked things. She liked a lot of things, and she liked to keep them close by (the basement, the "Christmas room," the back porch, to name a few). She could bargain like nobody's business. Vendors at the flea market trembled in fear at her approach. Stella could have taught an entire course on the art of the deal.
Stella was a coupon clipping, deal sniffing grocery shopper. She didn't drive, so she and my father-in-law went to the store together to buy food for a family of seven for the week. I cannot even imagine what that must have been like! Expiration dates on food meant nothing to my mother-in-law; if it didn't smell bad, it was probably still just fine. My husband feels the same way. I have to wait for him to leave the house before I get rid of anything.
She was a card sharp. She didn't cheat, but she could really pull off the innocent, "Oh, was that a red card?" thing, and then declare "Gin!" in her next breath. She loved to play cards, and she taught her children her tricks. My husband, her first born child, was her best pupil; he always wins (almost).
At her viewing, we, her immediate family, had to hurry all the guests along because there were so many of them, and they all had beautiful, happy memories that they wanted to share. Certainly, there were tears, but the laughter and joy that we shared that morning far outweighed the sadness that we all felt at the loss of our mother, our friend, our confidant, our colleague, our sister, our angel on earth. She will never leave us and every memory makes us smile. Enjoy heaven, Mom.
After I die, I am going to look this woman up. Looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bill! She will enjoy meeting you. She has a wicked sense of humor, in addition to her other gifts. :-)
DeleteLovely tribute . . . my condolences to you and your family, Victoria!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Marion. She was a special person.
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