Please Bless Grandma Casey...

On October 3 my mom Teri passed away from cancer.

A beautiful funeral was held October 8.

She touched so many lives and did so much good, and we miss her.

I hope they have a good internet connection in Heaven because she will be mad if she can't read my blog.

So many friends and family came to support us...

Here is the "Life Sketch" that I wrote and had a friend  read at her funeral:

My mom was born on April 19, 1945 to Norma Pender and Ed Oberlies in South Gate, California. She has one brother, Darrell, who is 2 years her senior. She went to school in Bell Gardens, California, and graduated from high school in 1963. A few weeks after graduation two missionaries knocked on her door and soon thereafter she was baptized. Shortly after that she moved to Salt Lake City and enrolled at the University of Utah, now much to the chagrin of her BYU loving grandchildren! She graduated from the U in 1969 with a teaching degree. For 2 years she taught kindergarten in Salt Lake City before moving back to California. In 1972 she married Joe Huckeba whom she had known since junior high. I was their only child and they later divorced, although they always remained friends.  My mom never remarried.

Even though my mom had a challenging life she had a spirit of perseverance about her. She was a fun mom to have. I vividly remember camping trips and vacations with her and attending many, many Dodger games together.  We went to Disneyland and the beach frequently. It was fun to have Eva along with us on our adventures.  She always made a big deal about my birthday and Christmas. I remember every Thursday night we always had bacon and eggs for dinner. She let me have puppies and parakeets, pet frogs, lizards and hamsters (not all at the same time, of course). She always helped with my homework, made me brush my teeth, and for some reason wanted me to keep my room clean. I remember she taught me how to play tennis and we played often over the years.

I remember once when I was about 4 years old, and I was just learning to write my name. I did a pretty good job but usually my e’s were backwards. As only a 4 year old can do, I rummaged through my mom’s sewing basket until I found a seam ripper. I took that seam ripper and with the sharp end carved my name into my mom’s grandmother’s antique wooden sewing cabinet. I was so proud. Eventually my mom saw what I had done and came to me accusingly. With sincere innocence I asked my mom, “But mom, how did you know it was me?” We laughed about that story for years.

She lived in California until 2000 when she moved with her aging father and her beloved dog Casey to Provo to be closer to me and my young family. She loved her years in Provo and especially the friends she made here. In January 2012 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 endometrial cancer, which necessitated a move to nearby Trinity Health and Rehab of Provo. She fought a valiant fight with a cruel disease and inspired many with her positive attitude and her love of others. She was beloved by her ward members, the nurses and staff at Trinity, and especially by her family and friends. She passed away on Wednesday, October 3 at 5pm, with Eva and me by her side.

She leaves behind 4 practically perfect grandchildren, whom she adored. They called her Grandma Casey, because when our oldest son Ben was little, he referred to my mom as “the Grandma with Casey the dog” and Rich’s mom as “the Grandma with Buster”,( a stuffed teddy bear she had), and so began a long tradition in our family of “Grandma Casey” and “Grandma Buster”.  I’m not sure the Grandmas would have chosen those names for themselves, but somehow they stuck.

Even though our Grandma Casey is no longer with us, she will never be forgotten. We have too many wonderful memories to ever let her slip away. Our home is filled with crafts that she made and things she sewed for us. Favorite memories include dinner in the canyon, family dinners on Sundays, and eating out at Golden Corral or eating take-out from Panda Express. Each Easter Grandma Casey made a cake in the shape of a bunny, at Christmas she spoiled the kids rotten with a present-a-day advent calendar, and she never missed a pumpkin carving party at our house. We went swimming together in the summer and decorated our Christmas tree together in December. She always gives us a box of Jelly Belly jelly beans each Christmas. The rule is you can choose 5 beans for a treat after dinner. That works until only the black ones are left, at which point my father-in-law is happy to take them off our hands. My mom always had ButterRum life savers and Smarties in her purse. The children knew she was never without a treat in her purse. She always gave the kids pencils with their names on them for the new school year and candy skeletons at Halloween time.

What else do we remember about my mom? She loved the Los Angeles Dodgers and was a life-long fan, following their games until the end of her life. She loved crossword puzzles and was a champion Scrabble player. None of us ever wanted to play Scrabble or Boggle with her because she would make us look so bad. She loved our annual Christmas party with the Knoxes each year. She loved to scrapbook and do crafts of any kind. She enjoyed family history and indexing.   She could solve a Rubik’s cube, bait a hook, play the harmonica and the ukulele, and sew, knit, and crochet. She loved to give gifts to people. She loved her ipad. She loved Frosty’s from Wendy’s, snickerdoodles, Thin Mint girl scout cookies, and root beer barrels.  She loved to do jigsaw puzzles and read murder mysteries. She loved Diet Coke.

My mom LOVED animals, especially her dog Casey and her cats Tallulah, Simon, Jeeps and Sonny. She also had a bird she loved, Grubber.  Casey was a faithful companion to her, and my mom even taught her several tricks. It was quite a sight to see them sing their harmonica duet together. One of the very hardest parts of my mom’s illness was that she could no longer have her animals by her side. She and I often joked that “Casey” was the favorite daughter, and I just came in second place.

My mom loved people. If she knew you, she knew your kids names and what size clothes they wear so she could sew for them. She knew the names of every nurse and staff member at Trinity, and of course the names of their children. She knew the names of the nurses at the hospital and the many doctors’ offices we frequented. She knew every neighborhood kid in a 10 mile radius. She loved them all. She loved her ward members, who were so good and kind to her. She loved your visits and phone calls and treats and outings and gifts during her illness. Thank you. President Eyring said, “The Lord’s plan for serving others in need provides teams.” Thank you for being a wonderful team.

During the 9 months of her illness, we are so grateful we could make so many happy memories with my mom. After each chemo appointment she always got excited to stop and get some lunch somewhere on the way back. We stocked her drawers with her favorite treats and had picnics together during the summer. She looked forward to the Knox family visiting each and every Sunday.  We still had dinner in American Fork canyon and celebrated birthdays and holidays. What a blessing that she felt good for so long. What an inspiration that she faced her challenges with courage and a positive attitude. What comfort she found in her knowledge that Heavenly Father loves her and has a plan for her. What an example to us all.

We love her and honor her this day and stand firm in our faith that Jesus Christ lives, that He loves all of us, and that truly families can be together forever.

She's been gone 3 weeks now and every time Sam says family prayer he still says "and please bless Grandma Casey." One day he even said, "and tell Jesus to send Grandma back now."  We still think about her often and are reminded of her frequently. We will sorely miss her this next week when we carve pumpkins! (Hers was always the best)

 We love you and miss you mom!