Lori Joan Larson Oct. 27, 1963 - June 19, 1999 |
Jacob Maurice Jackson Nov. 7, 1975 - May 20, 1996 |
Patrick Edward Schwartz July 20, 1980 - Jan. 10, 1997 |
"Patrick Edward Schwartz left this world on January 10th 1997, leaving a gaping rent in the fabric of Life itself for those who loved him. I loved him as I love the very breath in my lungs, those same lungs which once breathed for us both as his foetal form nestled close to my very soul. With a heart as big as his size 12 shoes, his eyes would mist as he eagerly gave gifts on special occasions. He was born knowing that the gift is in the giving, taking such pleasure in the joy he brought to others. The Christmas before he died, he went all around the house repairing broken items, wrapping them in secret, shining and polishing all things old, making them new once more. When we awoke on Christmas morning, the entire family room was filled to overflowing with brightly wrapped gifts, as though Santa actually had come down the chimney while we slept. The |
Patrick - at age 11 |
vast array was overwhelming in its abundance. As my darling son had hoped, he left a memory for his family that will live in all its bittersweet tenderness forever in our hearts. In all our hearts lie the myriad seeds planted over the course of beloved lifetimes. Our treasures, a secret garden of the soul, eternally blooming with ever fresh memories, as vivid as the day they were born. With the merest breath we are transported to the scenes of joy that defined our kinship, punctuating all of life with joys and challenge and love. Its when the eyelids flutter shut that such splendor! is revealed. I love You Patrick, now and then and forever." ~Patrick's Mom, Carol~ |
"Our family has many wonderful memories of Lori and too numerous to mention. She loved animals -- especially dogs. We had so many dogs when she and her two sisters were growing up. One day she begged me for another dog that she had seen. I told her, "No more dogs, Lori!" She couldn't stand it and one day she told her friend, "Watch this, my Mom won't be able to resist this one!" She came home with this cute little white ball of fur in her hands and of course she was right, Mom couldn't resist it and she had another dog which was the cutest, most nervous dog we had ever owned! She loved playing with it in our back yard! I can see and hear her laughing now -- having so much fun. She worked as a veterinarian tech. for awhile and there, she grew to love her dogs even more. Lori always wanted more in life but her illness prevented her from doing that. Our family will forever remember her at our family get-togethers -- she absolutely loved being with her family, and when returning to the city where she lived, would e-mail me back, "I loved being with my family today and I felt so peaceful." I am so grateful that she knew of our love for her and that we knew of her love for us! Lori was raised Christian and was baptized, confirmed in her faith, and believed in her heart in our loving God." "He who believes in me will live, even though he dies" John 11:26 ~Lori's Mom, Anne~ |
Trina Marie Jones Nov. 16, 1976 - May 15, 1993 |
Betty's loving daughter |
Tore Ottem March 11, 1959 - March 9, 1999 |
"Tore and I were about 4 or 5. Somebody in the family had died, and as we were preparing for bed Tore asked what happened to the ones who died. Mom told him that they went to heaven. He thought about it for a while and then he said: "Mom, I don't think I'd like to go to heaven. I really like it here!" Mom thought it was the sweetest compliment she'd ever gotten." ~Tore's twin, Kirsti~ |
Jason Corbett Collins Sept. 25, 1980 - Sept. 18, 1999 |
"I will carry your life and love in my heart until we meet again." ~Jason's mom, Kitty~ |
Anna Mary Bevington 'Annie" April 21, 1926 - Jan. 25, 1998 |
Loving mother of Gail |
Christopher Todd Witt 'Chris 2-4' Feb. 19, 1973 - June 6, 1997 |
Rita Ann LeBlanc Aug. 1, 1932 - April 7, 1998 |
Frank Anthony Sirico, Jr. 'Tony' Dec. 27, 1972 - Sept. 17, 1997 |
"Christmas 1993. It was a good Christmas. Tony had a job, an apartment and a car. And best of all, he seemed happy. Because of the nature of his illness, it was very hard for Tony to go into a store, make a purchase and feel confident about the decision, so it was not very often that he could shop for family gifts. But this Christmas morning, with a big smile on his face, he handed me a beautiful little box. Inside was a golden heart-shaped keepsake box with an inscription on the top that read, "For The Most Important Person In My Life". I know how hard it was for Tony to buy this for me and I treasure this gift from him and will always remember that Christmas morning . . ." ~Tony's Mom, Phyllis~ |
"Was it really just 28 years ago today, this Memorial Day (2001), that we flew on the plane, moving to Florida? Wish with all my heart I could turn the clock back and live those years all over again. If I could do that, knowing how these years went, would those years following the 24th year be different? Would you still be here? Or would I still be left with only my memories to warm my heart?" ~Chris's Mom, Marlene~ |
Tony's sister, Hedy, remembers . . . |
"Some of my sweetest memories of Nic are of him wearing his "hats". They weren't always of the conventional variety, anything he could tip over or empty out would do. Two of my favorites were his "popcorn popper" hat, the clear orange cover that the popcorn went in. He would ride around the house on his tike bike, in his pj's with the popcorn popper on his head - and a GREAT BIG SMILE on his face! Another was his "Easter Egg" hat - he got a big, hollowed out yellow egg as a basket when he was 2. His eyes got big and sparkly when he saw it - he dumped out the candy and put |
Nicholas Lloyd Luecke 'NIC' Sept.26, 1979 - March 8, 2000 |
"On a vacation trip, we were in Colorado, intent on going up Pike's Peak. You know how the kids will nap, well Jacob woke up and saw something in the road, and shouted......" A kangaroo!!!" He was little, and was convinced it was a kangaroo. It was a big chunk of tire off a truck! His brothers and sister still laugh at that, us too. Whenever we see tire debris in the road, we always say 'there's Jacob's Kangaroo'." ~Jacob's Mom, Jackie~ |
"One of my fondest and last memories of my mother was at her last Christmas. She was having all sorts of troubles medically and wasn't in the best of moods. That year, she had done little shopping. But she did find time to buy this men's fitness magazine for Archie for his stocking. On the front cover, there was a picture of a very muscle-bound man and within, dozens of articles on how to look that way. She thought it was absolutely hilarious--poor Archie has little time for muscle-building, and sitting at a computer for long hours has rendered his once muscular body not quite so toned. She laughed all through Christmas about that. It was a joy to see her find humor in something at that time, because it seemed little in her life brought her pleasure. And to see her grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, laughing like a school girl, was a happy moment for us all." "We love you Mom." ~Rita's Daughter, Dawn~ |
the egg on his head! A favorite picture is of Nic wearing blue plastic glass frames, a pj top, with the egg on his head, brushing his teeth, with no pants!- he was potty training. And finally, he took his trademark sky blue NC Tarheels hat with him to Heaven!" LOVE YOU, AND MISS YOU MORE THAN WORDS!!! Love, Mom (Kristi) & Dad, Cory & Marc... |
Nic - at age 2 |
