Writing an obituary is often a negotiated exercise when more than one person has to be satisfied with it. The one below I started writing. The mechanical stuff – who she’s survived by, e.g., – is easy, but I was having trouble with the middle section. So one sister wrote a bunch of stuff for that, then the other sister and I had to trim that down, not just for length (and thus cost), but because it was a bit disjointed. This is the Thursday night draft version, not yet approved by the first sister, but it’s close enough for the blog.
Incidentally, the website of the Charlotte Observer has annoying instructions for submitting an obit. It tells you to either call or e-mail for more information.
Interesting/strange thing about the photo to the left: my mom cut the neutral background out of the picture about two weeks before she died, and no one knows why, possibly not even her. It’s not as though there was someone else in the shot.
I suppose it is quite obvious, though probably inappropriate for me to say, that my mom was a real babe when she was younger.
CHARLOTTE – Gertrude Elizabeth (Trudy) Green, 83, of Charlotte, NC, passed away on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 in Charlotte, NC. Born in Binghamton, NY, she was the daughter of the late Clarence and Gertrude (Yates) Williams, and the widow of Leslie H. (Les) Green, who died in 2000. She was a member of C. N. Jenkins Presbyterian Church, having served as a Deacon for multiple terms and on various other church boards and committees.
Trudy graduated from Binghamton Central High School, and worked at a number of jobs dealing with finances, including at McLean’s department store, and Columbia Gas & Electric in Binghamton, and as a teller at First Union Bank, from which she retired. She also participated in several family-owned business ventures, including President’s Club and Avon.
She was a loving and supportive wife, mother, grandmother, and surrogate parent, who found joy in helping her family, her church, her community and others. She was a God-loving, long time member of Circle #3 group, where she was the Treasurer, Presbyterian Women, and various Bible studies.
Trudy was a very social person, caring and honest, with a beautiful smile. She loved cookbooks, calendars, clocks, boxes, and bags, and in later years, developed a love for word puzzles. She used to participate in bowling leagues and Bingo.
She is survived by her son, Roger Green (Carol) of Albany, NY; two daughters, Leslie Green of Lemon Grove, CA and Marcia Green of Charlotte, NC; three granddaughters, Rebecca (Rico) Curtis of San Diego, CA; Alexandria Green-House of Charlotte, NC; and Lydia Green of Albany, NY; and several cousins.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, February 8 at 2 pm at C.N. Jenkins Presbyterian Church, 1421 Statesville Ave, Charlotte, NC 28206. The family will receive friends at the church from 1 to 1:45 p.m.
Contributions in her memory may be made in lieu of flowers to University Adult Day Care, 1324 John Kirk Road, Charlotte, NC 28262, (704)510-0030.
The third pic shows my parents – damn, I’m an orphan – at my graduation from library school in 1992. The fourth is at my mother’s 80th birthday party in 2007.
Arthur of AmeriNZ, the guy from Auckland via Chicago who I’ve certainly mentioned in this blog, wrote a blog post about my mom and me. Best pair of sentences: “The largely artificial Internet life is all too often detached from real life, and we lose sight of the real-life humans we’re interacting with. Yet the Internet can also deliver connections we’d never have had otherwise.”
Amen.
She sounds a remarkable lady Roger. We will be thinking about you all on Tuesday.
Roger, I am sorry to hear of your Mom’s passing.
These are lovely pictures, you can tell she was prone to smiling!
Roger
I was glad that I got to meet her and it is wonderful that she was able to share the joy of you and Carol and Lydia. Honestly sometimes I wish we could all get together and tell stories of our parents. They certainly deserve to have their stories told and remembered.
Love
Broome
Very nice. Something about the obituary being put together by all of you makes it special, kind of like a gift you’re all giving to your mother, together.
This post was a beautiful tribute to your mother Roger. I am very sorry for your loss.
Roger, our respects and condolences, from Lynne and Dan.
Thank you for blogging about this very personal matter, it shows you have strength. You have much to consider, keep us informed if you can. We all would do well to hear of how you deal with this devastating event.
Wonderful post sir…
Lovely tribute to your mom. And certainly not inappropriate for you to point out that she was a “real babe.” In fact, she’s probably blushing in appreciation right now on the other side. Positive and comforting thoughts to you tomorrow.
Wonderful tribute, Roger… Your mother certainly was a babe, and just from the few photos I see smart woman and a lovely calm life force. And what a handsome couple your parents. My mother crossed the final bridge almost exactly a year ago, so I can relate. And the longer I blog, the more I believe the Internet is a wonderful took for making authentic connections.
What a beautiful woman she was Roger. I am sorry for your loss.