Mommy Dearest

Mommy Dearest you will always be
My mother so loving and so loved by me
For God has taken you to be by his side
Now in Heaven is where you will reside

You have blessed my life in so many ways 
I will cherish our memories until the end of my days
You left me too soon and this was not part of our plan
But God's wishes always come before those of man

Without you I must travel the path alone
No longer my guide, the way you had shown
Your heart may have been weak, but you were strong
For your loving embrace I will always long

God sent you to me as a special gift from above
To teach me life's lessons and shower me with your love I will always remember your beautiful and smiling face In my heart you will always have a very special place

A special bond we shared like no other
For this is possible for only Daughter and Mother 
I thanked God for each day we were able to share
But without you in my life it is too difficult to bear

Being with God, I hope you will find joy and peace
In this I can find comfort and some happiness at least
For Mommy Dearest you will always be
My Mother so loving and so loved by me

To My Mother
   I'll miss you dearly.  My heart is breaking with sadness beyond words. My task is to go on living and trusting the Lord that we will be together again.  It will be hard to move through the days without you and our talks.  I will lean on the Lord for strength.  You will be in my thoughts and heart each day.  When I look at beautiful flowers I will think of your love for them and me, a symbol of our love for each other.  I did not lose you instead you have gone ahead of me to Heaven where God has promised us no more pain or suffering.  In Heaven there are no tears only Gods glory and joy.  Heavens beauty beyond our imagination full of flowers and bright sunshine forever.

     What I am grateful for is:
Our time spent together in Houston....our talks...your trust in me.
Your listening to me.
For the forgiveness we learned together.
For the companionship these past years.
Our faith in the Lord and the hope we shared.
For the precious moments we had together in the hospital.  I felt your presence even as you slipped farther and farther away.  Being able to touch you and help you.  I held your hand as God reached out for it.
God spared your suffering....your prayer.
I am grateful you are in a wonderful place with God and all his beauty. 

      What I have learned from you:
Determination....never give up.
Work hard, Think, Care for others.
Be a surviour.
Neatness, Pride, Love of flowers.

Our journey in life was much the same.  You knew me best and loved me unconditionally.  We loved each other dearly and that was understood without saying.  You were there for me and I for you.  We had struggles but learned forgiveness was greater.  Death has taught me to value those I love and  to  cherish those I've lost.

Fill my heart with your presence and show me the way! Love has no End

My name is Wendy and this is my sister Jill and we are Granny's oldest grandchildren.  The relationship between a grandparent and grandchild is very special and it's a dynamic that is hard to replicate yet we are blessed to have. 
Grandparents are able to shape your lives in way that your parents cannot -I understand this more now that I have my own children. 
We want to take a moment to share with you some of the memories that her grandchildren will hold dear, moments that we will cherish and hopefully we will give you a glimpse into who she really was to us.
Jill:  My sister here, not the most domestic of divas back in the day, but certainly a diva, wanted to ensure a top showing at the local fha fair 
so she enlisted not one but both of our grandmothers to make her something to enter.  Ingenious idea I have to say on the part of Wendy until both of her submissions, one being Granny's apple pie and the other being G's apricot brandy pound cake found themselves competing against each other for grand champion.  Needless to say Wendy took first and second prize that day.
Wendy:  Granny was always the picture of perfection and held herself to a very high standard when it came to the appearance of everything she owned including her car, her home and herself.  She was diligent and worked hard to ensure every piece of her life was impeccably maintained.  If she were here today and if we asked her why she did that she might tell us that it was the right thing to do but we all know it was so that one more stranger on the street would ask her if Barbara, our mother, was her sister.  You might not know this but that happened a lot and Granny loved it when it did.  Jill and I can take comfort in this memory and only hope we inherited that same gene.  
Jill:  If I had to guess I would bet that everyone here today knew that Granny owned and operated a Beauty salon in Greens Bayou for more than 30 years.  What I bet that most of you don't know is that she also owned and operated a general store out of her house.  The merchandise was always in very high demand and Granny had only two regular customers.  Those customers lived less than a mile down the road and always knew where to go when the provisions around their house got low.  Our granny always had Flavor Ice popsicles for us when we would visit, Extra Gas for our mopeds and a freezer full of chicken necks for my sister and I's weird obsession with crabbing.  In addition Granny always had an endless supply of laugher, hugs, cane poles for fishing and time and attention for us.  While I am obviously joking about the general store I know Betty Lucile as she was known around the river also gave her fair share of supplies to anyone she knew who was in need.  Her generosity of spirit is one to be admired and hopefully carried forward in each of us.

Wendy:  For a good portion of Granny's life she lived alone and always delighted in having a house full of visitors, well sort of.  Everyone who knew Granny knew they had a standing invitation to come into her home and use anything she had.  Too bad that somewhere along the line the animals that lived near Granny must have also gotten that memo.  One cold winter morning Granny sprung from her bed as usual and proceeded to her coffee pot.  She pulled out the carafe only to find a large black snake which had taken up residence and was waiting for breakfast.  As horrifying as this was this was not the only time a snake was found in Granny's house.  In fact the times were too numerous to count.  Most women her age joke about hot firemen, leave it to Betty Lucile to find a way to get them to come to her house not once but twice, the first time was to remove a second snake that was in her couch that she couldn't find and the second time the firemen came to remove birds from her living room.  Now some of you might be wondering why Granny had all of these animals in her house.  Well there are two reasons.  Granny always liked the outside and never liked to keep any of her doors closed and the second is because of her amazing green thumb both inside and out.  Her lush and beautiful gardens always attracted creatures to her yard and all the beautiful plants she kept on the inside of her home made it hard for the animals to determine if they were inside or out.  However, as attractive as her home was to the surrounding wildlife she was not a person that was particularly fond of animals. One example of this was when I got my first rabbit for Easter which, lived at Granny's house.  This rabbit was affectionately known as Thumper and was remarkably well trained to live in the yard.  At some point Granny determined that my rabbit had fleas which called for drastic measure. So she dipped the rabbit in Pine Sol which made perfect sense to her except for the Pine Sol combined with the hot Houston sun produced drastic results for my rabbit.  From then on I heard about the nice rabbit family that came to visit and took Thumper to be with them…at least that was that was her story and she stuck to it for the next several decades.


Jill:  The holidays were also very special to Granny.  Like most children I waited all year for Christmas to come and one of my most fond and anticipated memories took place just after Thanksgiving and continued through Christmas Day.  Granny would always answer the phone Merry Christmas during this time of the year.  I thought this was both strange and wonderful all at the same time.  Who knew you could say anything besides hello when answering the phone? Well Granny did.  Easter was also a big event in our family.  When Granny lived at her home in Magnolia Gardens she had a massive,  well manicured,  beautiful yard just begging to be littered with dozens of Easter Eggs. Even though it was Ronda who hid the eggs over and over and over and over again until Wendy and I tired of the pursuit or we went home whichever came first and now that I am an aunt myself do I realize what a gesture that was from Rhonda it was granny who would be the one to find them smelly and old weeks later usually after she ran over them with her lawn mower.  Granny also never forgot a birthday and would always make a special birthday dinner for the birthday boy or girl and as good a cook as Granny was it was in your best interest to either A.  Order a meal that you knew required purchasing fresh ingredients from the store or B.  Be sure to check the dates on the back of anything she was using.  A child of the depression 
Granny's philosophy on an ingredient exhibiting the signs of age was cut it off, pinch it off or scoop it off.  Regardless her heart and intent was in the right place so we ate it anyway.  I like to think it just helped us build up a strong resistance and that Granny's cookin' coupled with our good German roots is what made our immune system indestructible. If you think about it people in our family rarely get sick.  We have Granny to thank for that.   

Wendy:  

We were usually laughing along with Granny but there were always a few special moments that we were laughing at her.  She would take us to Wrap houses which involved massive rolls of toilet paper and a quick getaway – both of which she was in charge of securing. Being children of the 80s we laughed every time she referred to our Jordache jeans as Jord “ASS” jeans. And knowing Jill and I who liked our brand names there were a multitude of opportunities for her to comment on the name of the jeans we were wearing. 
We always liked the way she welcomed new people into our family.  For example, After a full weekend of visiting and activities she looked at my mom and sincerely asked her why we were calling my husband “Boy”? His name is Boyd and she went the entire weekend believing that each of us were calling him “Boy”. When we were young, Jill and I were very involved in school events and lucky for us in the 80s video cameras became a must have for parents wishing to capture every moment of their child's stellar performances. This was a great gift until we played back the tapes from the football game the night before and realized that Granny, who attended all home games and sat next to Mom who was always the videographer, felt the need to comment on every cheerleader on the squad and all of those comments were captured in their entirety on the video. Remarkably every cheerleader except for Jill and I was either over weight or without talent. This became a real issue when the other parents asked to borrow the tape so that they too could marvel at the talent of their child. It's amazing how many of those tapes were inadvertently taped over (at least that was our story). Very few women had the personality to pull off any outfit. You see Granny often had her shirt on the backwards or her pants unzipped and to her the tags in the back of the shirt were just a suggestion.

Jill:  This was our colorful wonderful granny as we knew her 

but So much of what a grandchild learns about life is usually from the quiet spaces and in between moments when no words are being spoken.  

This is what we learned from granny when she didn't say a word.

Live Life
Life is crazy, and totally unpredictable...
It's going to push you over, kick you while you're down and hit you when you try to get back up.
Not everything can beat you.
Things are going to change you, but you get to choose which ones you let change you.
Listen to your heart, Follow your dreams, and let no one tell you what you're capable of.
Push the limits, Bend the rules, and enjoy every minute of it.
Laugh at everything and live for as long as you can.
Love all, But trust none.
Believe in yourself, and never lose faith in others 
Settle for nothing but only the best, and give 110% in everything you do.
Take risks, Live on the edge, yet stay safe, And cherish every moment of it.
Life is a gift, appreciate all the rewards, and jump on every opportunity.
Not everyone's going to love you but who needs them anyway.
Challenge everything, and fight for what you believe.
Back down to nothing, but give in to the little things in life, after all, that is what makes you, you.
Forget the unnecessary, but remember everything, Bring it with you everywhere you go.
Learn something new, and appreciate criticism.
Hate nothing, but dislike what you want.
Never forget where you came from, and always remember where you are going.
Live Life to its fullest, and have a reason for everything, Even if it's totally insane.
Find Your purpose in life, and Live it!

My mom Ruth Anderson, also went to Betty's beautyshop at least once a week.  My prayers are with the family.  Barbara and Ronnie, words can never make the pain go away.  Think of the good times and hopefully it will ease it a bit.  I miss my mom every day.  Betty was and is a beautiful person with a wounderful heart.    Leona Anderson.

Sending my deepest sympathy.

Carol (Pritchard) Shotwell
Humble, Texas

I wondered what had happened to Betty and Barbara through the years. I used to work at Walt Williams restaurant on Market Street in the late 60's.
I rented a room/apartment from her and she did my hair. What a wonderful, fun loving person she was! I really admired her for her hard work and kindness. Barbara was still at home at the time. So sorry Betty is gone. From the pictures I can tell she had a wonderful life with many loving friends and family! I saw this on a friend's facebook page. She had gone to school with Ronnie and Jim when they attended Channelview school in elementary. Vickie Bourdeaux posted. My name is Kathy Lannon Depew. To her friends
and family,Betty was loved by all. Prayers are with all of you.

Barbara and family. Sorry to hear of your loss.  I remember your mom as she was so pretty and always nice to all of your friends and classmates.  I know you all will miss her alot.

My heart goes out to the family of such a beautiful and sweet lady.  Mrs. Collins was such a wonderful lady.  She always cut my hair when I was a teenager.
She will be missed by everyone.

So sorry to her about you Mom. You are in our thoughts and prayers. 
Patricia Presley Orr

Barbara, I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your mother.  My sympathy to you and your family at this time of sorrow.
Donna (Alexander) Schulz  (Lexington, TX)

Barbara, I remember your momma from our younger days...she was such a hoot! I am sending love and prayers to you and all your family.  
No one can fill a momma's shoes, but thankfully, they live on in our hearts forever.  
love ya!

Barbara - My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time of sadness.  I pray for comfort for all.

A beautiful smile, giving heart and amazing spirit.  You'll be forever missed Granny.

In the 60's as a very small girl I started going with my Mom (Ora Mitchell) to Betty's beauty shop on Market Street (Barbett's).  Betty was always so easy to talk to and even with a young girl would be so interested in what I had to say. The one thing that is in my memory for ever about Betty is that beautiful smile! Mom and I loved you Betty, we're going to miss you!  Prayers to the family from the Mitchell and Perry families.

In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always.

Johnny Ray, we want to let you know we are thinking about you. We are going to miss Betty, especially me. For most of the 18 years we've been your next door neighbors, one of the first people I think about everyday is Betty. When I open the kitchen blinds every morning I always look out at Betty's garden to see what's happening. I look out to see if Betty is out doing anything to the garden, or if there are butterflies or birds at the garden. I'll keep looking out the window every morning as I always do but it sure will be sad for me, for a long time, knowing Betty won't be there. Larry, Leo and I will be at the memorial service. Take care of yourself. Cathie

OBITUARY

Betty Lucille Hechler Moreno

November 8, 1928 – April 16, 2012

Brookside Funeral Home & Memorial Park

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