It is hard to believe it has been almost four months.
Some of you may have followed the trials and tribulations of my mom over the past few years. She has had a myriad of issues and medical procedures and may have even glowed a little in the dark. She was an almost 20 year breast cancer survivor and an amputee. She had asthma and had taken prednisone for as many years as I can remember. She had PAD and diabetes. She may have had all of these things, but she was NONE of these things.
Let me take a second and tell you just some of what she was.
She was a survivor. The strongest and most courageous woman I have ever known. She was beautiful inside and out. She was a nurse and was forever happy to dole out her medical knowledge...mostly to people who wanted it and occasionally some who did not. She was an adpotee (spell check wanted to make adoptee to tadpoll) and found her sisters late in life. She was an animal lover and a rescuer. She was a lover of Bloody Mary's, but not ones that were too spicy. She loved sequins and all things shiny and sparkly. She was able to still find humor even when things were kinda shitty. She wanted a T-Rex tattoo on the stump of her leg. She was a wife and a daughter, she was a sister and grandmother, but above all she was my mom.
I miss her. We talked all the time. She was the first call when something shocking happened and even when it was something mundane.
Most days are okay. I can feel her with me. I know she is still around and I find myself having entire conversations with her while I sleep and I wake up feeling calm and I know we talked.
I am not going to make this post too long for fear of needing an extra glass of whiskey tonight (I got that from G'ma...) and I want to make this a celebration not sad occasion.
Sometime I will share our discussions of where mom's ashes would be stored and our conversations with the funeral director. Mom would have laughed the whole time and I am sure she was.
One last thing...I will admit I did have to google how to write an obituary. I did learn a few things. An obituary is a genealogical record and that is why you need to include certain information like family and city of birth. I had never thought of it.
Anyway I want to leave you with her obituary. I wrote it with my dad. It is funny and irreverent and even a bit off the wall. Dad chose this picture from there trip to Antigua shortly after they were married. It was taken in a cemetery and she is wearing my dad's shirt because she had gotten a nasty sunburn the day before. She looks beautiful. Mom would have approved, no I KNOW she does.
Mary Alice Davis
Mary Alice Davis, age 72, of rural Shelby, died peacefully Saturday, February 4, 2017 at her home.
Mary Alice was born on November 27, 1944 in Gary, Indiana. She was adopted by Frank and Helen (Mahoney) Mooney who preceded her in death along with her brothers, Frank Mooney and Jack Mooney. Later in life she was able to find her birth mother, Mary Elizabeth Leonard who also preceded her in death. On June 15, 1968 in Shaker Heights, Mary Alice married William E. Davis. Bill survives along with a son: Michael (Heather) Davis of Dublin; a daughter: Maureen Jones (Mark Haake) of Chicago; 3 grandchildren: Brayden, Tori, and Erik; two sisters from her birth family: Rosemary (Mike) Nolan and Helenann (Gary) Paruta; and a sister in law: Margie “MiMi” Mooney.
Mary Alice was a nurse. She graduated from St. John College of Nursing in Cleveland with a Bachelor of Nursing. She worked at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and later worked at Shelby Memorial Hospital where she was in charge of the Caring For You Home Health Care Agency- a job she loved. Following Caring For You, Mary Alice became the Director of Nursing at Dale Roy in Ashland from where she retired. In her off time, she was a country nurse who would occasionally evaluate an abrasion or take out the random stitch or two for the neighbors.
Mary Alice was a woman living in the digital age with her feet firmly planted in the analog world. She had a smart phone that left the charger two or three times during the four years she had it. Mary Alice preferred daily planners to calendar apps and talking on the phone to texting. The only exception was her Nook, which saw hundreds and hundreds of digital books. She was a reader.
She was a lover of all things four legged and furry as well as high thread count sheets and anything bedazzled. Those that knew Mary Alice and received her Christmas cards will appreciate that she was also preceded in death by the “damn horse in the barn.”
Mary Alice was one of the most optimistic people around. If someone wondered whether the glass was half empty or half full she would take the pitcher and fill the glass so there was no doubt. She liked movies as long as Disney produced them. Mary Alice powered through many difficulties but refused to be a victim. She always saw the positive, always.
Mary Alice was a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, 5742 State Route 61, Shelby, where her funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, February 10, 2017 at 10:30 am with Fr. Nicholas Weibl officiating. Family and friends are welcome on Thursday, February 9, 2017 from 4-7 pm at the Turner Funeral Home, 168 West Main Street, Shelby where a Christian Wake Service will be conducted at 7 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School.
Take all the time you need. Do it in your own time. Share moments and quietly cherish others. There is no right or wrong way to mourn. MaryAlice was a force of nature and she will be missed.
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