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!
