Beloveds, I am sad to tell you that Momma passed away on Friday night in her own home.  She had made a decision to cease all medication except for pain control and had been ready to go for a few days.  She was 92 and 1/2 years old.

After being with family all day, she asked her caregiver for Blue Bell ice cream.  She ate some and then told the caregiver that she was full and handed her the bowl. The caregiver took to bowl to the kitchen sink and returned to wash mom’s hands. Mom said, “I’ve had enough.” She closed her eyes and was gone within seconds. It was peaceful. I am so comforted that she got her Blue Bell.

Here’s part of her obituary:

Jean married Paul in April of 1943 in the middle of World War II, and the newlyweds travelled to California while he was serving in the Army Air Corp.  After the war, they returned to Houston where both of their families lived. As with many women of her generation, Jean was a full time wife and stay-at-home mom while her children were young.  After her children entered high school, Jean started college to become a schoolteacher.  She taught children with disabilities. She was very good at it.

Jean took up painting in her later years, and she was very good at that, too. Whether in a lush landscape of the Texas Hill Country or a moody abstract of Galveston Bay, Jean had an eye for the natural beauty of our state. Her many works hang in the homes of her children and grandchildren, where they will always be a source of comfort.

Jean’s first love was travel.  She traveled extensively around the country and made exciting trips to Europe, the Holy Land, Mexico, and a cruise to Alaska.  She proudly lived independently until her recent short hospital visit.  She enjoyed sewing, knitting, and reading.  She was active in her neighborhood association and her church.

At her request, there are  graveside services for the immediate family only.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Star of Hope Mission in Houston or any organization helping to reunite children with their refugee parents at the border.  “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?”  Jame 2:14

I am going to miss her down deep hard.  I’m going to take a week or so off (unless, of course, something wild happens and I can’t stop myself from hollering) and I deeply thank my friend El Jefe for keeping the doors here open for us.

Bubba and I will be going to the Texas Democratic State Convention in Fort Worth late next week. I need to be around friends and that’s where they will be.