When Dee and I first became engaged, I do believe he took me to meet the Eccles family first. Brother Lee Eccles had been his photography teacher in high school, and, when Dee became a member of the LDS Church, Dr. Eccles classroom became a lunch refuge; a place to leave the old things and make a new start. And, as the saying goes, behind every good man is a great woman...and Jan...or the lady Dee referred to as JanMom is great. She always had a smile, though she was no push over. She stood for what was right, and good, and decent, and did it with the happiest of attitudes. She was the kind of person that was always there: when you needed help bathing your newborn baby girl, when you needed a couch to rest and recover on. She was such an example of doing what you love, and loving each and every thing you do. She loved Relief Society. She loved Girl's Camp. She fiercely loved her children. She was the epitome of examples of total unconditional love. And when my kids came along, she loved them too. Gramma Jan is what they called her. When we moved to the West side of town, we didn't see them as much...until they moved too. The neatest thing was when my Morgan could sit with them, Grampa Lee with his Worther's Original Candies and Gramma Jan. They made my fourth child feel like he was number one!
As you can tell, I am speaking in the past tense, because JanMom returned home to her Heavenly Father on January 3, 2014. She had fought long and hard against cancer...she had many years of fight. We were told by her sweet son, Cliff, a few weeks before her passing that she was fading...but we both had colds and didn't dare take any illness with us. She passed away, and we all know that, though we all miss her happy smile, she is in the arms of her sweetheart, Lee...and all is well.
So, we attended a memorial service on January 11, full of laughter and happy smiles...thoughts of happy times and all the fun she was. She never ever complained about her life or even being alone. She made the race and ran through the finish line, all the way, smiling. Not a grouchy word out of her!
We were given a remembrance of her...a favorite collectible mouse. She will always be dear in our hearts...and I bet she is on the other side of the Veil...keeping those two little Rice and Wilkins cousins from making too much trouble!
JanMom...I hope I am happy, through all...
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