Oma's Funeral in St. George

Oma passed away suddenly and peacefully on Friday, March 3rd.  Her funeral was two weeks later in St. George.  We appreciated the time we had to celebrate Oma's life and spend time with so much family!  Andy and Amy drove to our house from California, then we caravanned down south and all stayed at Suz's house for the weekend.

It was fun to see the animals at the Scipio Truck Stop Petting Zoo

Suz hosted a dessert drop-in at her house for all of the extended family in town.
This is Carson and Luke in the backyard with ghost-kids playing in the grass.

There was a viewing at the funeral home followed by a family prayer.  Then we went to the cemetary for a graveside service.  Uncle Jamie (the Bishop) conducted the meeting, I led the music, Aunt Jeanne shared a life sketch, and Uncle Reed began the open mic sharing time.  I loved hearing the funny stories and sweet memories.  Something that came up a few times was Oma's famous pear salad: a canned pear half with a dollop of cottage cheese and a sprinkling of grated cheddar on top.  We also laughed about her go-to excuse for every memory blip or silly mistake since she had breast cancer in the mid-1990's: "I've been sick."  Eliza told everyone about Oma's private, tender entreaty to Whit that he get a haircut.  Jack said that Oma appreciated his drawings, and that they shared a love of McDonald's.  There were several mentions of Oma's strong Catholic background; her LDS mission to Tonga with Opa where she contracted dengue fever; her travel adventures with Opa, Jerry, and Irene; and how loved she was by friends and neighbors.

After the service Reed and Jen put on a family luncheon at their clubhouse.  Before we ate, we perused the jewelry and knick knacks from Oma's apartment, and everyone chose a few things they wanted to keep from her.  It was a warm, sunny day and the kids loved getting to spend time in the pool while the adults talked after lunch. 

That evening we roasted s'mores at the Lagoon in Suz's neighborhood while enjoying the sunset and listening to live music.  The younger kids played in the water and sand.  It was lovely.

Saturday morning we went on a cool little hike where the kids could climb and play on some rocks.  It was the perfect way to get outside and take advantage of the nice weather and get a little exercise and enjoy the red rocks.

Jack had fun playing with Buzz during the weekend and posing him for pictures:

As Ben and I were getting everything packed and loaded, Luke was completing a school assignment: interviewing Suz so that he could write a short biographical paper about her.

I'm so thankful for Oma, for the life she led and the way she blessed my life, and the family she created so that we could all have eachother.  And it makes me happy to think that she's no longer stuck in her seat on the couch in her little apartment, and that she's been reunited with her mother, husband, daughter, and so many other people she's loved for so long.