Monday, March 7, 2022
Dear Barb, Steve, and families,
I was so sorry to hear of your mom's passing. As my mom tells me "we can't go on forever," but Waneta was certainly one of those people that we all wish would. I was 10 when my family moved to PA, and joined Martin Luther, and my first memory there is of Ruby introducing herself to me after the service. "I'm Ruby Garrett." An adult introducing herself to me, a kid -- by first name! From that moment on, those sisters and your families became so special to me and mine.
Your mom was my Sunday school teacher (of course she was! Who didn't have Mrs. White for Sunday School?!), and of course she and those other ladies (my mom included) made VBS fun and special every year. Even when I "graduated" to the adult study upstairs, I would hear your mom's voice singing "Jesus Loves Me" downstairs every Sunday as they had their opening down there. That and many many memories (so much laughter, esp when the Pairs and Spares would gather for game nights!) will always make me smile.
Your mom was very much a grandmother figure to me and my siblings, especially me and Sue because we were around longer and more often than Joe. Even well into adulthood, she would always give or send a Christmas card with money to me and my sister. :-) We loved her very much, and seeing her was always a highlight of returning to ML after we both moved away.
After she moved away, it was a special joy to pick up the phone at Mom and Dad's and hear her voice on the other end. She called frequently, which both Mom and Dad really enjoyed. When my dad died in 2020, your mom called every few days to let us know how sorry she was, that she was praying for us, and that she hoped we were okay. Just another example of how she did all she could from wherever she was to love her friends.
I expect that the reunion on the 25th with your sweet Dad, Ruby, and beloved friend Rosemary, along with many others, was a joyous one. I imagine them sitting around laughing and ribbing each other in the way that they so enjoyed here on earth. I'm so thankful for your parents, and their very special friendship with my family. They and you were/are truly family to us. I hope that you all can continue to share tears, memories, support, and love as you celebrate Waneta's life and all that she was to the people she loved, and the world.
Love,
Cathy Pino