Emma Elizabeth Smith Emmons

Emma E. Emmons, 91, of Gresham, Oregon passed away peacefully April 22, 2015. She was born in Palestine, TX on October 16, 1923 and was later married to Patten Atwood Emmons. She had a career as a proprietress with many properties over the years.

Her passions in life included the outdoors, camping and fishing with family. She enjoyed playing bingo and going to the casinos with her friends. Most of all she loved making money, saving money and hanging out with children.

She was survived by her children, Adam and Amber Emmons; son in law, Alfred; grandchildren, Makyla, Maleaha, Malakai, Mahaela, Madelyn and Kennedi, Ashley, Kiliena, Geovoni, Esparonza and many more in Oregon and Washington. In California Mary Cooksey and her 7 siblings and their kids. In Arizona, daughters, Joyce and Connie Jean; and grandson Ted. She also had many long lost relatives in Texas.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, May 6th from 4-8pm and funeral services will be held at 10:30 am, Thursday, May 7th both at Gateway Little Chapel of the Chimes. To leave online condolences please visit www.GatewayLittleChapel.com.

Words from the Service:

Soren Kirkengaard, a famous philosopher, once said…. “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.” And so it is, especially as we reflect on the life of Emma Elizabeth Emmons, a woman who lived a long life, and learned many life lessons. She had much to teach us all, and through her life, was able to nurture and influence many friends and family members.

Hello, my name is Angela McKenzie-Tucker and I am honored to be here today as a Dignity Memorial Celebrant and to pay honor to this woman and her family. As we begin our time here together I would like to open with a .

Please bow your head for prayer.

Dear Lord,

As we gather today at this service we ask that You will be in our midst. Help us to honor the Life of Emma in a way that will be pleasing to You. Help us to be able to discuss our memories, our feeling and embrace our grief so that we may have closure.

God let this time together be sacred and focused on the memory of Emma , and encircled our time here with your love and support.

God we seek you for comfort, please by our side now.

We pray this in your name.

Amen

In learning about Emma’s life a quote by Elizabeth Edwards came to mind.… ‘She Stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her away. She adjusted her sails.” Emma was born on October 16, 1923 in Palestine, Texas. She was born into a large family and had numerous siblings. The family lived on a farm and had a typical farm life style. Lots of long days, lots of hard work, and not a lot of money. Emma’s childhood was defined by the Great Depression that began its grip on the Nation on October 29, 1929. Emma can recollect having to make her own dresses out of the cloth from the chicken feed bags and having to be frugal in order for the family to survive. She did ok, as they had the farm to rely on for food and she had uncles who owned the neighborhood grocery store and movie theater. Times were tough, but Emma always found a way to make it work. It can sometimes be difficult for us to imagine what life could have been like that back then, but for a point a reference it is good to know that when Emma was young, Herbert Hoover was inaugurated as the 31st president of the United States and the average cost of a home was only $6, 956 dollars.

Emma married her first husband, Ed Cooksy, around the age of 14 and they began their family together. Eventually Emma and Ed divorced and Emma married her second husband, Herb. After several years of marriage, Herb and Emma were divorced and Emma then meet and married her third, and final husband, Pat Emmons.

Pat and Emma lived a content life in the Pacific Northwest. They settled in Portland and enjoyed each other’s company. Emma did a variety of work as an adult, but eventually came to a full career in real estate and property ownership. At one point, she owned over a dozen properties and was a very savvy landlord and business woman. She was skilled at working her financials and was a firm believer that a penny saved was a penny earned. She was always on the lookout for the deal. She scoured yard sales for collectibles that she could turn a profit on, she was always looking through sale and clearance rack and if she found something for free that was a red letter day. She worked hard, and was able to enjoy a relaxed retirement because of her efforts.

As a grandmother, Emma was stern but fun. She particularly enjoyed taking family camping trips on the coast but preferably in the Columbia River Gorge. She and Pat had an expansive van camper that is the source of many fond family memories and stories. During these trips Emma enjoyed fishing, panning for gold and sitting around the fire sharing tales.

I would like to share a scripture with you; it is Ecclesiastics 3 verse 1-8:

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

This Scripture speaks to me of Emma, as she experienced so much in her life. She knew the times of joy and unfortunately she knew many times heartache, from the death of her parents, of her husband and of some of her children, to living in poverty, to managing complex relationship she navigated all these challenges with grace and determination. When I looked at her pictures, especially of the ones taken shortly before she passed away, her face, her eyes, they truly sparkle; they convey the story of a woman who knew how to take care of herself, to find her own joy in the world.

I am sure I am not doing justice to the legacy that Emma leaves behind. I am sure there are stories that are bubbling beneath the surface. At this time I would like to invite those who want share those memories to come forward and articulate them to the group. Do I have someone who would like to go first?

Thank you so much for sharing all those wonderful stories. The family has prepared a very special presentation of photographs to share with you. At this time we will reflect on the photos, if you could bring your attention to the screen at my right……

Emma was, it could be said, a pretty feisty lady. She loved her coffee, just black, nothing else added to it and could be found drinking coffee all day. She particularly enjoyed her coffee early in the morning, where she would sit with a steaming cup in her hands and peacefully watch the world wake up around her. She found that time the most comforting, the most recharging for her. She would sit, drink her coffee watch the birds and just think about life. It was a challenge for her when she got sick as the doctors put her on a liquid diet which did not include caffeine, and definitely did not include coffee. A few days in to this tortuous diet, she was begging for coffee. She would solicit anyone that came to her room, for just a swallow of coffee. Eventually the doctors relented, and allowed her access to her vice once again.

Emma was also a bit of a gambler. She adored Bingo and savored special trips to the casino. Now, we must remember, that Emma was very good with her money. On the casino trips, she always had a very firm budget and she was always determined to make her budget back and more in her casino earnings. Her tenacity and passion for life and maintaining control of the environment around her is inspiring.

Emma was not a woman who liked to ask for help. She was incredibly independent, and certainly had her own, specific ways of doing things. She wore her white hair in a neat bun atop her head, kept her house tidy and organized and kept tabs on her financial and business affairs. It was difficult for her as she aged and this independence and “can do” attitude began to falter. She slowly allowed the help in. Over time, the constant hairstyle of the bun was slowly replaced by a more manageable cut and loose and flowing hairstyle. Her kids and grandkids stepped up to keep her properties maintained and her lifestyle secure and filled with contentment. Emma was truly a fighter and even into her nineties was really not ready to leave this world. She was still finding new things to laugh at, new babies to meet and cuddle, and she smiled a lot; her eyes conveyed youthfulness and joy. Emma Elizabeth Emmons peacefully passed away on April 22, 2015 surrounded by the love of her family. She will be remembered for her determination, her sometime unyielding attitude, and of course for the aura of beauty that seemed to radiate from her soul. Her memory will forever cherished by her children: Adam, Amber and husband Alfred, Joyce and Connie Jean. Her grandchildren , Makyla, Maleaha, Malakai, Mahaela, Madelyn, Kennedi, Ashley, Kiliena, Geovoni, Esparonza, Mary and Ted. There are many more grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, extended relatives and devoted friends.

Emma cared very deeply for her family, and in return they cared for her. She taught her children and grandchildren many lessons. These included to trust their instincts and believe in themselves. Sometimes when Emma was sharing these lessons they didn’t make sense, but as life progressed and the person she was trying help or teach grew more as an individual or as an adult, more often than not her advice or piece wisdom always had a way of ringing true. I know that for all of you, there is a special legacy or memory that you will always hold in your heart about Emma. But, I want to give you something to remember today and maybe some of the yesterdays. I have a small keepsake for you all. You will receive yours as you exit the service, but what it is is a small coin, now, granted it is not a real coin and if Emma was here and I am sure she would be hassling be about how much this piece of plastic is really worth, but I want you take this coin and put it some place in your home, your office or maybe in the pocket of a favorite jacket. I want you to find on at a unexpected time, to let it stop you during the midst of a busy moment and let it remind you of Emma, of the lessons she taught you, let it push you to remind yourself to work harder at your personal goals, you know that Emma would want.

Please bow your head:

Dear God,

You are our Creator. You are the author of life.

Emma Emmon’s Life was a precious gift to us all.

We came here today to commemorate and honor that life all the amazing gifts and lessons that came from it.

As we mourn this life that is no longer with us, we are aching from a void that has been created in our hearts.

We lift up our sadness and grief to you.

Lord, we ask that you would comfort us in our pain, and bring us an abundance of your gentle healing mercies.

In your name we pray,

Amen

In closing, I have one final thought for us. I know it was a hard journey to say goodbye to Emma, but as Winnie The Pooh Tells us…. “How lucky am I to have someone so hard to say good bye to.” Emma has had her influence, her impact on those in this room. Let us hold close the happy times, release the hard times and rejoice for the life she lived.

* * * * * * * * * *

Emma E. Emmons, 91, of Gresham, Oregon passed away peacefully April 22, 2015. She was born in Palestine, TX on October 16, 1923 and was later married to Patten Atwood Emmons. She had a career as a proprietress with many properties over the years.

Her passions in life included the outdoors, camping and fishing with family. She enjoyed playing bingo and going to the casinos with her friends. Most of all she loved making money, saving money and hanging out with children.

She was survived by her children, Adam and Amber Emmons; son in law, Alfred; grandchildren, Makyla, Maleaha, Malakai, Mahaela, Madelyn and Kennedi, Ashley, Kiliena, Geovoni, Esparonza and many more in Oregon and Washington. In California Mary Cooksey and her 7 siblings and their kids. In Arizona, daughters, Joyce and Connie Jean; and grandson Ted. She also had many long lost relatives in Texas.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, May 6th from 4-8pm and funeral services will be held at 10:30 am, Thursday, May 7th both at Gateway Little Chapel of the Chimes. To leave online condolences please visit www.GatewayLittleChapel.com.