Remembering Mom...before she's gone (smile)

My mother is writing her own obituary.  Is this odd?  I find myself torn because I know what I would say about her.  And it also makes me wonder…how would I write my own obituary?  Would I write who I’d like to be…or who I really am?  Are any of us truly who we’d like to be?  But if I were to write her obituary, how different would it be from her own.  Is this even morbid…I don’t really know.  I’ve never sat with a dying parent.  But she seems determined that it must be done so today I write my mother’s obituary…the woman I know.  And I’ll compare it soon to her rendition.

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Mary Paige, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, teacher and friend, passed from the loving arms of her children into the Presence of her Savior and Lord, and back into the arms of her husband of 53 years, Rev. Richard E. Paige.  Her death followed an illness not of her choosing, but an illness that she bore gracefully and with strength.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Dan and Lauren Law (Salamanca, New York), son Richard E. Paige II (Ruston, LA) and son and daughter-in-law, David and Kim Paige (Georgia) and “special” son Lindsay and Donna (Monroe, LA)  She is also survived by grandson Andy Sadler and Jen Dungan (Salamanca, NY), graddaughter LeeAnne Sadler (Salamanca, NY) and grandson Stephen and Enith Sadler (Salamanca, NY).  She has five great-grandchildren.  She is also survived by sisters Margaret Simpson and Edna Franklin of Ruston and Barbara and Glenn Kennimer (Houston, TX), ten nephews and nieces and multiple great nephews and nieces.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Richard E. Paige (Ruston, LA), infant son Andrew Phillip Paige (Colorado Springs, CO) parents Otto and Gussie Lee (Simsboro, LA) and brother Wiley Lee (Simsboro, LA).

“Miss Mary”, as she was affectionately known by so many, left an indelible impression on the people of northeastern Louisiana as both a teacher in several school systems, and as a pastor’s wife in numerous churches during the past forty years in Louisiana.  She is a Simsboro native, born March 12, 1935, who traveled around the U.S. and Canada with her husband early in their marriage as he served in the United States Air Force.  She returned to Louisiana in 1970 where she completed her college degree at Louisiana Tech and became a teacher in the Lincoln Parish School System.  She would later serve in Ouachita, Morehouse and Franklin Parishes during her 23 years of teaching.

“Miss Mary” also taught numerous Sunday School classes and was loved dearly as the pastor’s wife at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Ruston; New Hope Baptist Church, Choudrant; Temple Baptist Church, Monroe; First Baptist Church, Crowville; Fair Park Baptist Church, West Monroe; and Hico Baptist Church, Hico.  She avidly supported Christian education and missions and served when called upon to share her teaching gifts.  She and her husband also served as house parents at Happy House in Tallulah for two years, where they were blessed to help many young women through trying times and help them to know the love of God and His power to restore.

Mary Paige set an example for those who knew her…an example of faithfulness in marriage…an example of remaining true to her values…an example of hard work with a calm spirit…an example of encouraging others to be and do their best.  She ministered to those in need, to those who were hurting and to those who just needed a friend standing by.  She will truly be missed by those who knew and loved her. 

Her family and friends are thrilled to know that God has answered prayers for her complete healing and she now enters her heavenly reward restored, renewed and refreshed.  Thank you to the friends who have made her last days happier with your visits, phone calls and cards. 

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The truth is that no obituary can possibly tell the story of 76 years well-lived.  The animals rescued…the scrapes kissed and made better…the homework help….the countless reminders to “put things where you got them from” and “clean your room”.  The meals made…the laundry washed…the minute-to-minute care she provided dad in his final days…the countless crossword puzzles solved…the family Scrabble and Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy competitions.  The gardens she grew…the beauty she added to life….the day she looked like a princess when I was about 7 years old…the birthday cakes…the way she made every penny count.  The exasperation…the encouragement…the frustration…the laughter…the love.  How do you come close to putting things like that in an obituary?  Even in the end, as disease overcame her body, she was not concerned about herself but about what she was doing to our lives.  I can only hope and pray that she will know this end was about her…about the love we felt for her…about our desire to be with her.  I will forever be grateful to God that my life was in a place that I could come and be with her…to sit by her side…to hold her hand…to whisper encouragement to her when the fear tried to take over.  May the rest of her days be filled with rest and peace as she prepares for her final trip.