Wednesday, January 31, 2007

The last one

Well, it looks like I will have Friday off from work. But not for a good reason. My Mom woke me up last night with a sad phone call: her last remaining brother has died. His funeral is on Friday. I wasn't fully awake to catch whether his funeral will be in the place where he lived, or where they all grew up. My brother will be driving us there, so I don't have to worry about the weather, too much.

His wife died recently, last year or the year before that (2005) and her funeral was held in his (her husband's) home town because it was closer to everyone. There have been so many deaths in my Mom's side of the family lately that I lose track of when, exactly. And a couple of years ago my older brother's two in-laws (his wife's parents) were killed in a car accident. They were the sweetest, kindest people. The church was packed at their joint funeral and people were crying, it was such a sad shock.

My Mom had ten siblings, six brothers and four sisters, and she is the only one left of them all. There are still three spouses left. At her younger brother's funeral a couple of years ago, they took photos of the two remaining "kids" in the family, my Mom and her next oldest brother. Good thing, as then his wife died (he was not able to attend her funeral, so we didn't see him) and now he has. Even though I don't get along that well with my two brothers, I can't imagine them gone. What a horrible hole that must feel like to Mom! Especially to be the last one left of a large family.

12 Comments:

Blogger Stacy The Peanut Queen said...

Oh PBS...I am SO sorry to hear that! And I know exactly what you mean about feeling bad for your mom....my mom had 11 brothers and sisters...three of them are gone (two from cancer, one from a car accident)....it tears me up knowing that if my mom is the "last one", she'll have to endure all the sadness that goes along with losing a sibling over and over and over again.

6:42 AM  
Blogger deni said...

How sad, I am so sorry to hear about your Uncle.

*hugs*

7:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My condolences. Just pondering much the same this weekend; my dad is the youngest of 9 but the spouses seem to be the ones who are passing. His siblings are getting dementia (sisters thinking he's their son or nephew) and that's scary for him, too.
Hugs to you and your family.

7:22 AM  
Blogger Christina_the_wench said...

I am so sorry for your loss.

*big hug*

8:09 AM  
Blogger Ms Mac said...

I'm so sorry. It's strange to think about things like which one will be left when your siblings have gone but it's something we all have to face one day. Sad but true.

My condolences to your mother.

8:32 AM  
Blogger Terri said...

I'm very sorry about your uncle. I think you are in the same boat as I am, where our family is getting older and fewer with each passing year. I just can't imagine life without my sisters. I'm so not ready for that.

9:20 AM  
Blogger katie said...

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle.

1:25 PM  
Blogger Heidi said...

Oh I am so sorry about your Uncle. ...{{ PBS}}} Hugs.

6:38 PM  
Blogger Michelle said...

I am so saddened to learn your news :( It really sucks getting old :(

9:08 PM  
Blogger magicfingers said...

So sorry for you and your Mom's loss. Take care.

9:49 PM  
Blogger sumo said...

Condolences...it's a never ending cycle it seems. My MIL said today that she was getting rid of lots of stuff so we wouldn't have to...because she wasn't going to be around long. I just laughed at her...but she's right. Her lungs are in bad shape and she looks terrible. I just hope she doesn't go out terribly with her lungs...I hope she has a chance of it being more peaceful like my FIL. But is stubborn will can keep anyone alive...it will her.

3:57 AM  
Blogger Lorna said...

my condolences. Families are important to us, no matter how we feel about the individuals, and the passing of one reflects on the life of all the ones remaining.

9:21 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home