My mother was a much stronger woman that she ever realized. She raised four children single handedly and the four of us are still together and love each other. I told her this several times when she would think she was a bad mother. She was always afraid of what others thought about her, not knowing that people were happy to know her and amazed at all she was doing as a single mother. Believe me, the four of us were not easy to raise. But I wouldn’t trade having her for my mother for anything. Life was exciting when she would come home with a guitar or the time she came home with autographs from the rock band Kiss. I remember her going into work with a head full of rollers and coming home with a beautiful hair style, wrapping her head before she went to bed so that the hairdo wouldn’t go flat. How at Christmas she would always get each of us a box of chocolate covered cherries. She would place them on the hearth under our stockings all wrapped up, we always knew when we saw them what they were. A tradition I carried on with my children as they grew up. Yes, we all had our ups and downs but still my mother was a beautiful woman both inside and out. I have so many memories of my mother that if I were to write them all down it would be a book.

We loved seeing Aunt Jeanne and all the cousins – Tim, Mike, Dawn and Debbie – at the Portage family celebrations. Birthday parties were especially memorable. Our Grandmother Horton and Aunt Dimpie lived down the street and our house was only a mile away. Our mom used to live with Aunt Jeanne in her basement when our Dad was in the army! I heard lots of old stories from the time they shared. There were playful times during our childhood at Aunt Jeanne’s in their backyard creek with the cousins. I have loved sharing moments in adulthood with all her kids, at family reunions in Virginia over the years and was especially glad to see them all when my mom passed away a few years ago. My heart goes out to you all and to your kids and grandkids. She was always smiling, and I bet she is still smiling in heaven having fun with her family and loved ones!