|
Mom was known as Donna Jean, the 5th of 6 children born to Ted and Nellie Brown of Trivoli, Illinois, a little farming community of about 500 people located 20 miles west of Peoria. She grew up during the Depression.
She was raised on a Farm and all the kids had chores to do. They worked hard and from what I hear, they played just as hard.
Mom had 3 older Brothers, an older Sister, and a younger Sister. Mom and her younger Sister, Pat were the Tom Boys of the bunch and did everything their older Brothers did on the farm (and then some). I remember Mom and Aunt Pat being pretty good athletes and playing softball in a women's league that my Uncle Russell coached. Aunt Pat was the pitcher and Mom was her Catcher. Mom acquired her crooked fingers from those days from all the foul balls that veered off her fingers. I remember my first Little League practice when the Coach asked us all what position we wanted to try out for. I volunteered to be the Catcher like I had watched Mom play and that is the only position I ever played all the way until after High School.
My Sister Debbie shared with me recently... that when Mom was a kid, her Brothers and Sisters all got a bath once a week, whether they needed it or not! Mom and her Sister, Pat got the last bath in the same water as the older 4 kids. They didn't care. They were "wild and free" according to Mom.
They used to roller skate down the middle of what now is a pretty busy highway, ride horses bareback in the pasture, and run on the rafters in the barn.
She was a fun Grandma and Mom reminds me a lot of her Dad and our Grandpa, Ted Brown.
She was not a "hugs and kisses" sort of Mom or Grandma. She played rough and the kids usually loved it. Patrick Roche, one of her Grandsons, recently told a story about how she used to come stay at their house and chase the kids around the house and Grandma was the "pretend Vampire". When one of the kids would slip, she would pounce on them and put her teeth on their neck and scare the heck out of them. HER Grandkids knew the routine and had a lot of fun with it.....but..... one day, the Grandkids had a friend over playing at the house and their friend slipped when running and got the same treatment as the Grandkids. He started crying and ran home. The Mother then called my Sister and asked ..."what in the world is going on over at your house ?" I can just hear my Mom roaring with laughter when my Sister told her what the other Mother had asked. There is no doubt in my mind that Mom could not have cared less what the lady thought. I'm sure it embarassed my Sister who still had to live in the neighborhood !
My Sister, Becky remembers Mom driving fast over hills on country roads to get a smile (or fearful look) out of her kids. She had kind of a goofy personality and loved coming up with something "off the wall"
Mom was a Great cook. She got joy from being in the kitchen ...and I think in her own way, she showed her love through her food more so than with hugs and kisses.
That was just Mom.
She always wanted to make your favorite pie or cookies, or your favorite meal. When you walked in to her place, she would start cooking for you pretty much what ever you wanted...and you better not put her dishes back in the wrong spot either !
Great care giver - Mom was always there for Family when they were ill. She helped take care of 2 of her Brothers and her younger Sister when they battled Cancer like unfortunately, Mom did as well. So Mom was a great Care Giver... a lot like her good friend and neighbor at Riverain - Mary Sue. She was there for Mom when she was ill. Mary Sue went above and beyond towards the end of Mom's life here at Riverain. This is something our family will never forget.
My Sister, Becky recently recalled having surgery several years ago and that Mom was such a big help to her. Becky said "Mom knew exactly what to do to make you feel better......... but if you were't ill, you had better be on your toes 'cause she didn't put up with any crap and you weren't given much warning before she attacked"
I am sad to say that Mom had a pretty tough life.
|
Mom Worked hard in her teens on in to her 40's cleaning houses, and working at a little Mom and Pop Grocery store in our home town -it was not an easy life for any of us -Mom was married young and with 4 kids / divorced / single mom for awhile / remarried and still had her hands full raising 4 kids who didn't really want a step father in the mix.
Mom and her second husband owned and operated a Bar / Restaurant called Sonny's Place in our home town of Farmington for about 12 years while raising the kids - I remember them working night and day to make a living there. It was a successful business in good part because of the food Mom put out of the kitchen . Even the local Minister came in every week and sat up to the Bar and ate lunch there - Seriously. I heard Mom tell that story a few times and she was proud of it.
After her second Husband passed away, she continued to run the place on her own for a few years into her 50's.
After she sold the Business, she continued to work hard but at things she enjoyed. I remember her having a huge garden for several years and she really got into canning her own vegetables.
The way I look at it now is that Mom did the very best she knew how. We have all made mistakes raising our kids but all our Families' have turned out to be pretty solid citizens so that is something Mom should be proud of. Besides there are a lot of people who had it a lot worse than we did.
|
Shortly after Mom lost her second Husband to Cancer, she suffered the loss of her youngest child, her Son and our Brother, Patrick at age 24 in an Auto accident. I know this hurt Mom's heart more than we ever knew and as usual, more than she ever showed. She recently told my Wife, Karon that "it still hurts so bad".
Mom Loved all animals. She always had a dog and usually a cat or two. Her latest dog, a Jack Russell Terrier named "Chloe" has recently moved in with my Sister Becky in Oklahoma. - My Sister, Debbie remembers Mom spending hours on her screened porch watching the birds. She knew where every nest in the yard was and how often the parent birds came and went with food. this is why we asked that donations be made to the Fulton County Humane Society in Mom's name.
In her Golden Years, Mom's daily pace of working slowed down. I think she was just tired and wore out. Mom moved from our hometown of Farmington, Illinois to live near one of her kids.
First she moved to Florida to live near us, where she lived for 10 years before moving to Oklahoma for about 3 years. She bought a small house which she loved - I remember talking to her about her newly planted trees and flowers there and of course, her animals.
From Oklahoma, Mom moved back to her home state of Illinois. My Sister Debbie, found her a place about 45 minutes from her in Rochelle and Mom seemed to fit in there and felt right at home. Mom never was much of a "social butterfly" but it made me happy to talk with her and hear about all the great friends she had met there, the pot lucks and especially when she had been nominated for Valentine Queen by her friends there. She was so proud to show off the photos from the social events there. It really was a blessing that she found such a great place there in Rochelle to live.
Mom moved from Rochelle to Batavia after a couple of years to get closer to my Sister, Debbie who lives in Naperville.
Mom fell in love with her place in Batavia. Not only did she meet more new friends and enjoy the Company, but she loved the setting on the River. She loved watching the birds on the water, the waterfall at the Dam, the paddleboats and all the events within walking distance from her apartment. Mom always wanted to show it off to Family and friends who visited. She was so proud to call this her final home and she did not want to leave her place here as she became ill. We brought her back for one final visit a few weeks ago and I can't even tell you how sad it was when we left from what I knew would be her last visit home. She said this was "a very special place"
Christmas Gifts - on a very limited budget, Mom would shop all year long to find special little gifts for every one of her kids, their Spouses, Grand kids and friends. She was so happy to give these gifts each year along with an assortment of home made cookies and candy. This past year she was sick and not able to shop much for her last Christmas so she got some help to put together a binder of her Favorite Recipes for everyone in the family.
As much as Mom could be stubborn and let you know what was on her mind, she also had another side that I think we all too often overlooked. I only hope she knew how much we appreciated her.
Mom had such a strong will to live and had such a great attitude once she was diagnosed with Cancer. Up to the very last day, she would not give up.
The day we lost Mom, really was the saddest day of my life. and I miss her so much.
Sincerely,
Mike Roberts
Mom's Favorite song was "Edelweiss"- on all her jewelry boxes
Below are some notes from Guy Ulm, Mom's oldest Grandson, Guy sent these to me recently and I wanted to share them ...........
"When I was little I would go hang out at their Bar and Supper Club with her & play shuffleboard, & drink Squirt.
I'd get grilled cheese sandwiches & fries & she'd put any song I wanted on the jukebox.
She was always the best cook.
I remember getting to her house, the big one in Farmington & her having every flat surface in & around the kitchen covered with brown paper bags because she was making egg noodles.
This would have been when I was probably 6 or 7.
I also remember "helping" her make her homemade caramels.
She was an ornery person who always worked to make things goofy & fun. I see that character trait really strong in my mom & myself & my siblings.
She told a story of when she was a kid, jumping out of the hay loft into a huge pile of loose hay & at some point landing so her leg was skewered by a hay fork. She said that the "treatment" she got was pouring turpentine on the wound.
My mom's always been a neat freak & I was her first child. A funny story that I've had told to/about me is when I was very little Grandma let me play in what had been a fire pit when my mom was not in the vicinity. Mom showed up & I was covered in ashes & she just flipped out. Grandma didn't understand because kids should just get to have fun & get dirty."
|
