We lost our Mom on Saturday, June 22nd. She lived her life to the fullest while raising three children as a single parent. She always found time to lift up her children and all those that she encountered in her life, and offer advice and counseling throughout their lives. She was a professor at St. Pete Junior College (now St. Pete College) and taught Calculus and Statistics to many students in Clearwater over her 20+ year career at SPJC. As an educator, she was always willing to help others whether it meant staying after to tutor them or helping them understand a concept that eluded them. While attending graduate school to study Mathematics, she encountered resistance from the professors in the early 1960s. A few told her she should study other fields such as Home Economics. She dealt with this resistance the way she dealt with many obstacles in her life; she went around them or over them and pursued what her heart was telling her to do. Our Mom was strong but was always kind to all those that she met.
In her life, Mom lived the "The Dash" that Linda Ellis wrote about in her poem. The dash between one’s birth date and their date of death "represents all the time that one spends alive on Earth" and emphasizes that "what matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash." Well, Mom lived her dash to the fullest and loved those around her throughout her long life. In her early retirement, she traveled the world and was able to visit many countries around the globe. She is survived by her three children [Ann; Pat and her husband, Ron; Rick and his wife, Meg), her six grandchildren (Chris, Kim, Laura, Zach, Josh and Jaime) and her four great grandchildren (Trey, Madeline, Braden and Charlie). Our family expresses their sincere thanks and appreciation to Mom’s caregiver, Stella Smith.
Mom, we hope you are enjoying a bowl of your favorite ice cream and a smooth cup of black coffee with the angels. Love you forever and ever!
The memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 13th, at 10:00 am at Sylvan Abbey in Clearwater, Florida. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Arthritis Foundation or the American Heart Association.
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