Monday, March 28, 2016
TRIBUTE TO MY PRECIOUS FRIEND MURIEL
Dearest Muriel and I go back a few years or I should say many years as I was about five years old when I met Muriel and Earl when dear Dad and I were out and about. Around that same time I met Mel, Joe, Hugh Kellestine and also, their sister Emma, these people were Uncles and an Aunt to Muriel and Muriel's mom was their sister. There were other aunts and uncles but, I never got to meet them.
Muriel's Grandma Rhoda Kellestine was the mother of Mel, Joe, Hugh, Emma and Eva, I think there were ten siblings in the family of boys and girls altogether. Muriel's Grandma Rhoda was a midwife back in the day and this fine lady helped deliver my most treasured Aunt Gladys 09 August 1899, my Aunt Gladys was so tiny that her mom could slip her wedding ring over Auntie's little hand. Aunt Gladys thought the world of Muriel's grandma Rhoda. I took my dear Aunt Gladys to visit Rhoda when she was in the nursing home in Strathhroy and Mrs. Rhoda Kellestine knew my Aunt that day, when we left Auntie started to cry she was so overwhelmed at seeing Rhoda again.
When I first met Grandma Rhoda she was eighty some years old; she had snapping dark brown eyes and snow white hair, what a wonderful impression I had on this lady, I was about seven or eight at the time. Dearest Muriel had eyes as dark as grandma Rhoda and also the same work ethics and values. Muriel and I mentioned grandma Rhoda a lot over the years when things brought her to our minds.
Although, I moved to Calgary years ago Muriel and I always kept in touch and whenever I came back home or to the Strathroy area Muriel's door was always open to me. We would go shopping, visiting, or whatever we decided to do that day. About six years ago I got Muriel to go with me to see my Uncle Edwin, dad's younger brother and only remaining sibling, uncle lives in Clinton. Uncle Ed and Muriel became good friends and remained friends up until the time when we lost Muriel, when I told Uncle Ed about Muriel he was devastated to say the least.
Muriel was a very knowledgeable and astute lady, if you needed information on a certain business,Muriel could tell you were you could go and direct you to a very reputable person in Strathroy area. Muriel assisted me in contacting all the right people when I had to have work done at Auntie`s grave site, I was able to get grave stones upgraded plus put a monument on the grave site with every ones names on it on both sides. A BIG THANK YOU DEAR FRIEND.
A year earlier than the above aforementioned Muriel and I were out at Longwood Cemetary, whereby I started pulling out the overgrown sod and weeds away from Auntie`s mom, dad plus Auntie`s and Uncles inlaid stones to uncover them so one could read the names of the people buried there. Of Course dear Muriel started helping me `God Love Her`, then the heat was too much and Muriel went to the car on my insistence while I finished up. The next morning I went to get up and didn`t feel well at all and finally I blacked out on Muriel`s bathroom floor. Dear Muriel called the Ambulance for me, hence Strathroy Hospital got me straightened out and I went back to Muriel`s in the afternoon.
My poor dear friend did not know what to think and I should have known better than to dig in the sod in that hot sun, thus causing a sun stroke - this was not the first sun stroke I had as I had sun strokes back in years earlier. I felt terrible putting Muriel through this.
Muriel was a real savvy little person as there were a few times people tried to pull a scam on her but, our Muriel was too smart for them. One tried to tell Muriel that her grandson was in trouble and needed money, they soon found out that Muriel was not that gullible. Another time she got a call from a guy pretending to be from the Gas Company and that her furnace required attention; needless to say Muriel did not fall for this gag either. Then recently someone pretending to be from the Income Tax Office called Muriel regarding her owing money on her taxes - well Our Muriel had a good laugh at that one.
Muriel's nice little home was always kept immaculate as could be whenever I stayed with her as this is how Muriel always kept her home. . Poor Muriel had an awful time sleeping and would wake up so early in the morning about 3:00 a.m., did she stay in bed; oh no, she would get up as quiet as could be doing washing, ironing, read her paper and also have her breakfast before I showed up at 8:00 a.m., feeling rather sheepish as to what this lady had accomplished while I was still in bed. She would ask me what I would have for breakfast, then we would proceed to plan our day.
We would call Muriel`s cousin Gloria then we would plan were we would go from there and what we could do. One day we drove into London with Gloria to do some shopping at Sears Outlet, while we were in London we went to visit my Dad`s grave site in Forest Lawn Cemetery, we all got out, spent time with Dad, Grandpa and Grandma then we left Forest Lawn and headed out of London. We stopped at a Restaurant west of Lambeth on number 2 Highway for a bite to eat then we headed for Gloria`s place to pick up Muriel`s car.
A few years back when I went back home, Muriel and I planned one of our outings to meet up with Gloria and Rheta at Irene`s place in Rodney. Later we strolled down Main Street to visit Randy at the Post Office, took pictures then we crossed the street to the Restaurant where we all had a wonderful visit, took more pictures, had a bite to eat and then planned our next outing for the following week at the Palace Restaurant in Glencoe.
The coming week we all met at the Palace in Glencoe, this time we met up with Evelyn, Shirley, Rosemary plus Gloria and Rheta were also there along with myself and Muriel; that was seven of us; all the girls were cousins except for me. What a lovely time we had reminiscing, taking pictures and enjoying a lovely meal. Before leaving the Palace we all planned to meet up again before I had to leave to go back to Calgary, this time we planned to meet at the Gardenia Restaurant in Strathroy; one of Muriel`s favorite eating places. At the Gardenia we had a lovely time as usual with great food and conversation before we had to say our byes with promises to get together the following year with each other.
While back home I took Muriel to see another dear friend south of Wardsville, I worked with this lady over forty years ago and we finally got to see each other again. Muriel and Ruth hit it off right away, everyone loved Muriel, we had tea with cookies and reminisced with Ruth but, we had to promise Ruth that we would see her again before I left, which we did . Then dear Muriel and I headed out for Strathroy as Muriel had a long enough day.
One thing that had gotten Muriel down was the passing of her nephew Ronnie Kinsman, Muriel called me that day to tell me that Ron had been taken to the hospital in Sarnia from his work place where he had suffered a heart attack, he suffered another attack on the way to the hospital, Sarnia had poor Ronnie sent to the University Hospital on Windermere Road in London and he had suffered another heart attack on the way to London and was unconscious when he was brought in and passed away late afternoon with sister Sandy and the rest of the siblings by his side. Ron's passing bothered Muriel immensely as she mentioned to me different times that it should have been her and not Ron as he was still a young man as she was so much older. I said to my dear Muriel. " Please don't say that as I sure don't want to lose you too.
It also had to be bothering dear Muriel that Tom was not well again as she loved Tom dearly and spoke of Tom, Vicki, Jeff and Mary many, many times to me. She adored her family. Her family was the whole world to her.
These are just a few of the ever so many wonderful memories that I have of my precious friend Muriel. You see all my friends are precious to me, they are all like precious jewels that never, never can be replaced.
See you on the other side precious friend.
