Six Years Ago...

Today is the anniversary (if you can call it that) of the day Curtis' mom died.  Every year in February, something happens and we remember her and the things she went through. 

Jolene Rasband was born on September 6, 1939.  Here she is with her brothers and sisters, (minus one).  Can you find her?  If you said the one that looks a lot like Deidre you are right.  She is in the back on the right.  She grew up in Heber and had many good memories of her childhood.

This is her high school photo.  She was a pretty girl!  When she died, a friend of hers from high school said he remembered she was the one in the Jantzen sweaters.  (Those were really cool!)

 

Here is a photo from her wedding day. 

Cheryl remembers her making lots of their clothes when they were little.  She liked to sew.  She was a good mom to four children, she sacrificed a lot (anything) for her whole family.

Curtis and his mom on our wedding day.  I remember she was not very happy about having to wear black,  I thought she looked pretty.

She had friends from everywhere.  These ladies were from the state capital.  Their husbands were all in the House of Representatives.  They would sit in the gallery above the room where the legislators were and crochet.  They called them selves the "Happy Hookers"  and loved each other dearly.

She was friendly to everyone,  I was amazed at her funeral at all of her friends.  She had friends from every walk of life. 

We went on our one and only extended family vacation the summer before she got sick, (actually she didn't feel good on our trip) to Nauvoo.    This pic is from Winter Quarters, we stopped a few places along the way.  We had fun, even with 14 grandchildren.  She always wanted to be around her family and loved the children ( and worried about them all, individually).  Two weeks after we got home, she was in the hospital. 

After her divorce, she got sick and had 5 rounds of chemo.  One time a few of the grandsons shaved their heads to show grandma how much they loved her.  (none of them look really happy do they?)

She moved in with us in October after a few bad weeks and my kids were so glad to have her with us.  We have a lot of really great memories of her living with us, Bailey and Camden loved to go in her room and sit with her in her chair.  Bailey was almost 5 when she passed away.  I wish we would have written down more of the things she said and did while she lived with us, some of the memories are priceless.  Ask us sometime, we would love to share.

I am often sad for the things I feel like my children missed out on by not knowing her better.  I am known to tell my own parents they have to step up because my parents are the only grandparents my children will know in this life. 

I learned a lot from Jolene and miss her all of the time.  I know Curtis does too, he had a special relationship with her, she was always his champion.  He was the baby and so they had a lot of time together.  He would do anything for his mom, which is one of the reasons  that I fell in love with him.  Thanks for letting me share, I miss her today.