John named me, Mary Susan. He said that
it would be great to name me Mary for
mother and Susan for the dear child that
died in Daddy's family. I really like my
name. It is different from most. I think
that it fits me too.

As a child, things came easily to me. I
excelled at nearly everything that I tried
to do. I guess I was fortunate in that.
Read a story about me as a little girl.
I was very close to Mother and adored Honey, my grandmother. I loved my dad as well but mostly from a distance until I was about 11. We used to have long talks about ideas and concepts. He taught me to think logically.

I had a most interesting college career. I taught junior high school for 18 years at Monroe Jr. High and high school for 4 years at Chamberlain High School.
I used to think that I had to find the
secrets of the world but then I finally
realized that they really were inside me.
They are in the lessons that I have
learned in living, loving, and listening
to others.

When Mother was dying of cancer and
could not remember things due to a series
of strokes that had taken her short term
memory, I would ask "Mother, do you
know where you are? " She would
respond "Is it important? Does it matter?"
And she would smile and hug me. I knew
that she was saying that it really did not
matter as long as she had me to love her
and take care of her.

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Mother was always my very best friend she stood by me through all the changes and struggles of my life. I have had many dear friends and been fortunate to have learned from all of them.

One might say that I have missed out on having a family. This may be true since I have been so career oriented.   But I have not been lacking in family or friends.

By far though, the one of the most special relationships that I have had was with Ginny, a distant cousin,  who stood by me through all my struggles and growing up. She was there to help Mother during those last days of her life.  In addition, she was supportive of both my emotional and my spiritual growth.		 ginme.gif (67324 bytes)
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Frances , Mother, Mary Sue, Ginny		 Here we have Aunt Frances, Ginny's mother, my mother, me and Ginny.  We were all so close. Mother died in 1993 and Ginny died 1999.
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A motley crew who finally were in Key West.

Mary Sue 1985
Friends and "Family"

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 See me with some of my
OLDEST buddies.
Sharon, Sheila, Charles,
Susan, Chris

Bernardine Butler and Me
Bernardine and I were curriculum coordinators at Monroe Junior High. We were there together from 1967-1985.   We were also best friends.  We raised "our kids" together.

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 Charles Lopez and I have been friends since 1967 when we attended the same senior seminar for graduation from college.  We are old college sweethearts.
This was me in my very out of cont

 

 

Mary Sue, Ken Vennette, Bern Butler, Frances Mason

The love of my life now is Toffee.
           Toffee Passed on May 11 2004

Tribute


December 1999
Uplifting Stories

Applet by Sascha Schneider


Music source
Diversified Software
all kinds of midis
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Mary It's A Grand Old Name

For it is Mary, Mary, plain as any name can be;
But with propriety, society will say Marie;
But it was Mary, Mary, long before the fashions came,
And there is something there, that sounds so square,
It's a grand old name.