Karen Mendy

On behalf of my sisters and I-I ’d like to thank everyone for coming tonight. She would be so happy to see all of you here. Some of you knew her as Karen, others knew her as Mrs Mendy, or dog, we knew her as mom. Our mom was a lot of things...she was a daughter, a little sister, big sister, and A twin. She was an Aunt, a wife, a grandma, and a friend. No matter how you knew her, we all know that she was extraordinary. With emphasis on the EXTRA.

She was extra loud, extra stubborn, extra dramatic, and extra inappropriate. She was also extra funny, extra loving, and extra loyal.

It was impossible to tell my mom how to act, or what to do. We all know That she didn’t follow the rules, she made her own.

Some of her rules

No stopping to use the bathroom on road trips, unless we were gassing up.

We had to rotate turns in shotgun-and the dog got a turn too.

We must have Pepsi in the house at all times.

You don’t have to be a medical professional to wear scrubs all the time.

No talking during movies, and forget about walking in front of the tv.

Each day- all activities had to be finished by 1 PM So she could watch all my children.

Shoulder pads make every outfit look better.

Your room must be clean before you leave the house.

Smoking sections do not apply - even in Disney world.

Do not stand up or walk in front of her camcorder when she was videoing me dance.

And. There is nothing a man can do that a women can’t.

One day when I was getting home from school I saw that my mom had pulled her minivan (the silver bullet) under the tree. She was standing on top of the car, cigarette hanging out of her mouth, with a chainsaw in her hands trimming the trees. When I yelled at her to get down because it was dangerous, she screamed “the f****** trees aren’t going to cut themselves ERIKA”!

That is just one example of what a pit bull she was. She was the toughest woman I have ever known. She kicked cancers ass, walked away from a 22 mm aneurism, and survived a massive stroke. Towards the end it got difficult to see that giant personality trapped in a weakening body- but still she held her on for us. And I’m so happy she did because she got to meet her grandson Charlie-who could always make her smile.

I really think she wanted to make sure that my sisters and I had found someone to take care of us and love us as much she did. She saw that we were all happy, and safe, and that it would be ok for her to move on.

Selfishly I wanted her to stay, but I am so happy for her. She is no longer a prisoner in her body and She is with her favorite person ever- her mom.

Now she doesn’t have to wait for Charlie and I to come visit, because she can see us all the time. She is watching over all of us. Sitting next to my grandma in their special chairs. Pepsi in one hand, cig in the other. Talking trash about everyone down here.

I miss her so much. Her stories will be passed on for years because she was a f****** legend. And I am so proud to have her as my mom.