Mom

One of my earliest recollections is my mother telling me that I could be anything I wanted to be if I just got out and worked for it. That in essence it was up to each of us. This message was repeated over and over to my brother and I and she repeated it to her grandchildren. And anyone else within ear shot. Mom was certainly a living example of this belief. She was dedicated to her purpose of improving life around her. Although her life did not start with a silver spoon in her mouth, she worked toward making that dream a reality for others.
She lived a life with challenges and was given "a hard row to hoe", and all can see she prevailed before the end.

She was dedicated, hard-working and tenacious with a great joy in life and the living and those she loved and in the Mannford community she worked so hard for. Just ask any of the people she worked with as a volunteer for many organizations like the chamber, church, pilot club and others over her nearly 40 years in Mannford. Leading and working in the trenches with everyone on the many fund drives and other needs all organizations have.

The common thread and description you hear people use about her is that she was unfailingly sweet to everyone she met. She had a great love of life and loved her family and friends and did many things for them and with them. We all remember fondly trips with mom. San Diego or Hong Kong or Stein Mart down the street, it didn't matter what the destination was she made any trip fun. An adventure you wanted to be on forever.

Another great love and passion of hers was her painting. She discovered painting later in life starting painting in the mid 70's and you can tell by looking at any of her paintings she enjoyed it and was passionate about it. And very good at it.
She started painting in 1976 with a gifted teacher who she painted with for over 20 years. From the start you could tell she had found her calling. Her earliest paintings look like she had been painting all of her life. The inanimate objects seem to jump to life and explode from the Canvas. Her fruit looks ripe and juicy and full of flavor and her animals look like they could jump right off the canvas and run into the room with you and the water looks wet. Several of her paintings were there for you to enjoy as she was prolific in her painting.

This was a little of the essence that was my mother.


Ramona Gresham