I would like to share a few words about my mom and her life. My mom was born in Poplar Bluff, MO in 1936. One of 12 siblings, she grew up on a farm, and I suspect that some of the life lessons she shared with us kids were gained from this part of her upbringing. Mom was a simple person. What you see is what you get. No flash, no pretense, just kindness, compassion, and honesty. 

Mom faced many challenges in life and always made the best of the situation. Her parents died when she was young – her mother at 9 and her father at 13. My mom’s teen years were spent living with brothers and sisters, one in Kansas and the other in the Twin Cities area. Around the age of 18 she enlisted in the Army, did her basic training in Alabama, and then was stationed in Washington DC at the Pentagon. From there she was assigned to the embassy in Paris. While we never went into great detail on her military career, she did tell me how much she enjoyed this time in her life and the many experiences. Looking through her photographs, I see she visited many parts of Germany, France, and Switzerland. After her honorable discharge from the Army, she gave birth to my oldest brother, and then returned to the United States, settling in Massachusetts, and then moving west to Los Angeles. My mother was well traveled in her youth – visiting Europe and many parts of the United States.

My mom gave birth to five of us – 4 boys and 1 girl. Mom was an amazing woman. She somehow managed to keep us all fed and clothed, made time for church, catechism, scouts, little league, plays, music, and the many other activities that kids do. And now with the perspective of parenthood myself, I can attest that we were not always angels. Except in her eyes. She accepted us for what we were, always encouraging and being supportive like only a mother can. She wanted each of us to succeed on our own terms, and she helped us whenever and however possible.

My parents divorced when most of us kids were in our teens. It was around this time that she faced some significant challenges, and through the help of others, she regained herself. “One day at a time” truly has special meaning, and I am so grateful for all her friends in AA and the support they provided. 35 years sober; I think that is quite an accomplishment and a success story.

During the late 1970’s, mom and Ric met. Ric is an amazing person in his own right, and cared so deeply for my mom, and she for him. Mom told me several times that she loved his accent, his kindness, and his companionship. Ric –my mom loved you dearly, and I am so grateful for all you did for and with her. Thank you.

Mom loved so many things. Frogs. Kids and grandkids. Learning. Travel. The outdoors. Reading. Poetry. Writing. Sharing with others. She was caring, giving, and someone you could count on. She was genuine and simple. 

She taught me so much as a kid, as a young adult, and as a parent. There are so many stories, and I have one along with a poem I want to share before I finish. The first is from her childhood on the farm. Mom and her siblings had chickens and they use to sell the eggs to buy stuff, typical stuff for kids. One day her chicken decided to create a new nest to keep her eggs, and the nest location was in the outhouse. As most know, an outhouse has a few levels – one is where you sit to do your business, one in where your business goes, and there is a space in between. Around this level there is a small shelve space and this is where the chicken made the nest. Many would have given up, but not my mom. She was not easily swayed by this predicament, and went into the outhouse, and then reached in from the top to gather the eggs. And as you probably have guessed, this did not go well, and she fell in. But she did get the eggs. The lesson learned for me – persistence usually pays off, and success almost always comes at a price.

There were so many other lessons learned from my mom. From accepting others for who they are, developing a strong work ethic, honesty and fairness, believing in and helping others, improving self-esteem, and taking responsibility for your actions. Each of the lessons learned have carried me this far in life, and for this I am truly grateful. I found a poem that I would like to share. It is titled “My mother kept a garden” and the author is unknown. This seems to capture my feelings so well:

My Mother kept a garden.
A garden of the heart;
She planted all the good things,
That gave my life it's start.

She turned me to the sunshine,
And encouraged me to dream:
Fostering and nurturing
The seeds of self-esteem.

And when the winds and rains came,
She protected me enough;
But not too much, she knew I'd need
To stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example,
Always taught me right from wrong;
Markers for my pathway
To last my whole life long.

I am my Mother's garden,
I am her legacy.
And I hope today she feels the love,
Reflected back from me.

In closing, my mom is an amazing woman who cared deeply for her husband, her children and all her friends. Mom, I love you; may you rest in peace with no more pain and with your memories fully restored. I am confident that when you arrive at the gates of heaven, you will be greeted with few simple words, “well done” and “welcome”.

To my Mother Anna, with Love, Catherine
~ My mother's voice was so unique. Her happy spirit and laughter was a breath of fresh air. She loved to roller skate when she was young. She was married to my dad for 18 years. They were married in Paris, France. They had 5 beautiful children together. My Mother managed to raise 5 children while she completed her college education. We were quite the handful, but she loved us and did her best to raise us.
My mother taught me how to cook my first dinner- CHILI. She taught me how to sew. My mother had the prettiest eyes of honey color; everyone that met her noticed right away her sparkle and charismatic personality. She lit up the room everywhere she went. She was the most loving, supportive, gentle person I have ever known. She was my best friend.
I miss you Mom, I miss talking to you and the smell of your hair and hugging you. I was the last person to cut your hair before you left us and went to Heaven. I miss seeing your eyes light up when you laughed. I miss watching you read the funny cartoons in the paper and sharing with me the jokes and laughing together. I will miss cutting out the "Love is" from the LA times paper that you loved so much and sending them to you. Most of all I will miss our talks and how much you encouraged me in my life. I know you are now out of pain and in Heaven. You spent many days with your grandson Brenan, his favorite memory is the Ice cream cones you always made him at the Lake. Brenan loved your scrambled eggs and toast. My mother made the best Toast in the world. I miss calling you to ask you how to cook something or for your recipes. I miss you Mom.

Thank you for bringing me into this world, and for loving me and always encouraging me to follow my dreams and not let the "Ba#st^&ards**%#@" get me down.

Rest in Peace *~* We love you very much

~Catherine -N- your grandson Brenan

Dear Mr. Ric & family; So sorry for your loss. Somewhere in a beautiful campsite Anna is waiting for you. By the way, most of us who knew what we were doing at Deutsch really miss you. Armando, Dave Mollen, and a few others including me have regretted losing touch with you as we realized how good a friend to us you were. Feel free to contact me at 951-313-9474 if you wish. I'll call Armando to get him up to date and i'll send up a prayer for Anna and You, God Bless Al Dalby

Son
She gave birth to me and for that I am thankful. She did the best she could for me and I love my life. I believe she is now in a better place, God bless her.

John C. Melanson

OBITUARIO

Anna Lee Otis

17 marzo, 1936 – 24 enero, 2012

Miller Jones Mortuary and Crematory

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