Weddings and Funerals

Mary Louise Copley Moore Case died this past week. I was blessed to have her as my mother-in-law for twenty-two years. Officially she stopped being my mother-in-law when my marriage to her son ended, but I held her dear in my heart all the rest of her life. She was a good woman.

She was born the baby of the family in Western Nebraska. Her mother was widowed early in Mary's life and life was hard during the depression and dust bowl years. She never spoke about it much, she never complained much. It wasn't her way. She married Paul Moore near the end of the depression. He was twenty years older than she and had gorgeous red hair. They had four children and I married the oldest, Roger, in 1959. 

Mary's marriage was difficult, but I never heard her complain about that, either. She was widowed when she was in her '40's and remained single for a number of years while she worked in a nearby hospital. Later on, when three of her four children were living in the west, she too moved to Oregon where she met the love of her life, Judson Case.

The top picture and the one just below were taken at the wedding of her granddaughter Colleen in 1984.  In the top picture Mary and I (in our oh-so-fashionable 80's glasses) sip Champagne. In the picture below, Mary's son, Roger,escorts Colleen down the path to the tree where the ceremony took place.

.The four children of Mary and Paul: Gordon, Roger, Sandra, and Mike, say good-bye to their mother. An afghan draped over the coffin is one of many made by Mary in her later years. Mary crocheted ceaselessly, producing a multitude of afghans which became gifts to her family and friends. She even made one for me, even though I was by that time "out of the picture." The most important one she made became Logan's security blanket (Ti-ti by name). It was the only thing he brought from New York when he began his new life in California with me. It stayed by his side and in his bed bringing him comfort until he was twelve years old and Ti-ti was once again nothing more than a ball of yarn.

I have many wonderful memories of this wonderful woman and I know the world is a better place because of her time spent here. RIP Mary Case.