Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I’m her oldest son Albert, or as many of you know, I was her Albie. She was Loving, Brave, strong, and adventurous emigrating from Holland in 1954 with a few $ and a couple of suitcases but lots of hope and the promise of a new life in Canada. My first memories of mom are of sitting in the dirt between the rows while mom worked weeding in a celery bog in Thedford. To this day I still do the weeding on my hands and knees. Mom loved music and was a pretty good singer and dancer . She introduced me to music with accordion lessons. I was never that thrilled with it but mom loved polkas, so I kept it up til Ed took over. - Ed’s talent on the accordion convinced mom to let Mike play the guitar. Mom was a devoted Catholic and loved to sing in church. We always said she was the loudest and the proudest. She believed in the power of prayer and to this day when I can’t find something my first thought is of mom praying to St. Anthony whenever she couldn’t find something and It usually worked. Being her eldest son she encouraged me to enter the priesthood and I did attend the seminary for a while. I thought working only one day a week and getting to wear those cool robes was a pretty good gig. But then I learned about the celibacy thing…….. As Ed said, Mom was very athletic, a great sports fan and encouraged us to play sports of all sorts. She came to all our games and was our biggest fan. I can still hear her voice echoing in the rafters of the arena, whenever I came near the puck. (which wasn’t too often) I’m so glad that my sister carries on this tradition today. Just visit any arena where one of her girls is playing and you’ll know she’s there. Mom loved to travel whether it was flying to Europe, cruising to Alaska, walking the beaches in Rio or motor homing to Florida, Arizona and many stops in between, especially if there was casino. She loved to play the slots and bought those lottery tickets every week. She encouraged me to learn, to pursue my dreams and taught me how to love. Her charity was endless and she never hesitated to help someone in need. Mom had a great zeal for life and never shrunk from a challenge as was evidenced by her 16 year battle with Alzheimers. While we work towards a cure to Alzheimers, that afflicts 1 in 8 seniors today, it is important that we reach out to those dealing with the disease and support the formation of support networks for those afflicted by the disease and their caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada is instrumental in this respect by funding both research into a cure and support services for caregivers. To learn more and to make a donation visit: www.alzheimerlondon.ca or call 519-680-2404 or you can contact or visit the Denning Funeral Home website www.denningfuneralhome.com which has a link to the London and Middlesex County Alzheimer’s Society. For those of you that are caregivers, don’t hesitate to ask for help. You don’t have to face it alone. Help is available and you will need it. Dad reached out and received professional support that made it possible for him to understand what was happening and how best to care for mom and himself. On behalf of the family I’d like to thank Mom & Dads friends, especially those at Trillium Village, for their support of Dad and assistance in caring for mom. Wilma was a great lady whose love and kindness will not soon be forgotten.
