Sunday, November 10, 2019
Let me start out this tribute wall by sharing some of my memories of Ann. As I had posted on Facebook, I hit the mother-in-law mother lode when I married Barb. Ann was the farthest thing you could imagine from the stereotypical battle ax every son-in-law is supposed to hate. I truly loved her.
Although I didn’t call her “mom,” she was like a mother to me. She spoiled me with food, always insisting that I had seconds or the biggest piece of everything. I appreciated the effort she put into making her special Swedish pancakes all those mornings up at the lake house. One memory I will keep with me forever occurred this past summer at the lake when I awoke to find she had made her way from her bed to her chair and sat with a smile on her face. In an increasingly rare lucid moment she was quietly enjoying the beautiful sunrise over the lake and watching the hummingbirds buzz around the feeder. I was able to give her a little payback by fixing her bacon and eggs that morning. She struggled with the words through her dementia but thanked me profusely.
I am grateful to Ann for being such a good Mormor to my children, always eager to take them for a walk or read to them. I attribute much of my children’s academic success to the countless hours she spent patiently thumbing through their favorite books with them in those early years. She was always so very proud of their achievements.
I will cherish the memories of sharing her favorite cocktail with her. She never failed to raise her glass and shout “sköl!” I shared a special tradition with her at Christmas Eve Swedish Smörgåsbord by having a piece of pickled herring for good luck. I started this when I was dating Barb primarily to prove my worthiness to her parents. (I’m not sure if this tradition will continue since no one else in the family cares for herring.)
Ann was a wonderful lady who will be missed terribly. Rest In Peace, mom.
