Mary Anne Morin Spaulding

A loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, she passed away Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at Sunrise Assisted Living. She was 81, a resident of Baton Rouge and a native of Kankakee, Ill. MaryAnne is survived by her husband of 62 years, Carl Spaulding; two daughters, Suzanne Cotter and husband Richard, and Katherine Bell and special friend Julia Young; two sons, David Spaulding and wife Martha, and Michael Spaulding and wife Monique; Rusty and Richard Hebert (special family friends); 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Morin; brother, Harold Morin; and grandson, Conner Spaulding. Visitation at Trinity Lutheran Church, Baton Rouge, on Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. until religious service at noon. Interment in Greenoaks Memorial Park. The family would like to thank the staff and administration of Sunrise Assisted Living, the staff of Clarity Hospice, especially Tracy Miller, RN, the pastors and vicar of Trinity Lutheran Church, Baton Rouge, and Pastor Keith Mozingo of MCCBR. Family also requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Baton Rouge Lutheran School, 10925 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70815-2009 (225) 272-1288. Friends and family can visit www.greenoaksfunerals.com to leave condolences for the family. Services under the direction of Greenoaks Funeral Home, (225) 925-5331.

Additional information that was sent in about Mrs. MaryAnne:

I was asked to put down some thoughts about what I remember most about Mom, Mary Anne (Morin) Spaulding, and I don’t think just thoughts could ever do her justice.

May 4, 1952

This was the day it all started, and even though I don’t remember much about my early years, there are some things that I will always know because Mom always seemed to tell those embarrassing baby stories, especially to my children and they will always be my early remembrances. Things like:

“You couldn’t walk yet but somehow you climbed up on top of the upright piano in the living room. We couldn’t find you anywhere because you were so quiet, you didn’t even touch the keys as you climbed. We came around the corner into the living room, turned around and there you were on top of the piano with the biggest smile on your face! How could we be upset with you?” …..This may very well be the reason I have a fear of heights today.

She loved to tell about the time that she had slept in a little one morning and everything was quiet. When she got up and looked into the baby bed, I was sitting there with red smeared all over my face. My sister Sue was standing there holding what appeared to be a sandwich, and when questioned by Mom, Sue replied “He was hungry so I made him a jelly sandwich!”

Then there was the story of how I had Chicken Pox the week after I was born and they could not bring me to church to be baptized. So they arranged to have me baptized at home. The only place to do it was at the kitchen sink. Mom was going to bathe me that morning and it was slightly cool so she turned on the oven and opened the oven door up to allow some heat into the kitchen. She turned around to get something, and with Ninja like reflexes, I did a half turn jump kick and landed on the oven door. Mom was hysterical, but “Ol Hardhead” was just fine…..this event could also explain a lot of those bad grades I got early on in school.

Then there was the time that Mom scolded me because I used to go and pick up worms and put them in my pocket, and then when she washed my pants, worms got all stuck together in my pocket. She then got the bright idea and told me that I shouldn’t do that because the worms would bite me. Now we all know that every little boy carries some type of survival weapon with them, and I was no exception. I simply reached in my pocket, pulled out my trusty knife (Popsicle stick) and proceeded to cut off the worm’s heads before I put them in my pocket.

As I aged, there were times the real boy came out in me and I just had to express myself, unfortunately I wasn’t always politically correct and when Mom would give me that look, I would laugh at her. When I look back on that, I realize that wasn’t the brightest thing to do because she always seemed to have something in her hand; a broom, a towel or a CAST IRON SKILLET!!!!!! She would come after me and I would run. Mom wasn’t known too much for her speed, so I could usually beat her. But then the dreaded “Wait until your father gets home” would come out and I would start to worry. I found it truly enlightening what my father could do with a Ping Pong paddle, and continued to feel the sting for a day or so to prove it. Looking back I know Mom would never have spanked me, I think, and she would always let Dad be the bad guy. The good part I remember is when I got my swats, I would run crying to her and she would hold me and give me hugs and kisses, dry my tears, and tell me everything would be alright; and she was right, it always turned out alright!

The other thing Mom and I learned when I first started school was that you can’t have Peanut Butter and Banana on toast with Orange Juice for breakfast and then get on a bus to go to school. I don’t ever remember being that sick and emanating liquid with such force ever again. Mom had to come and get me, and I did miss a day of school, so in the end it was worth it, but I still won’t ever have that combination.

Another remembrance of Mom is that when we were sick and had to stay home, this was normally because of measles, chicken pox, flu, things like that, we got to lay down in her bed and she would bring us breakfast in bed; poached eggs on toast with hot tea. I think that was the only time I remember having those growing up, but I love them to this day. Lunch was always “Nanny’s soup” – which was nothing more than Lipton’s Chicken noodle soup from the box, mixed with rice sometimes. To this day you ask even my kids what Nanny’s soup is and they all remember it and even make it!

I always remember Sunday’s after church. Nanny (mother’s mother) and Mom would get home and put on their pretty aprons – right out of "Leave it to Beaver”, and cook Sunday dinner. They still had their church clothes on, but always wore those aprons!

I know all of us kids had our favorite dishes that Mom made, many learned from her mother. I know all of us remember Mom’s potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, BBQ – actually sloppy Joe’s, Pork and Sauerkraut, Angel Food Cake, Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Eggplant, numerous fruit pies, her special fried chicken, Taco Salad, her Italian Beef…I could go on and on. I think that none of these were culinary works of art, but we grew up on them, loved them and many of our families have been served these as well. One quick one, over the years I tried and tried my best to make Mom’s potato salad but failed miserably! I finally watched her throughout the entire process – how she boiled the red potatoes and eggs, and chopped the onions. I then watched her peel the hot potatoes and she would immediately slice them and put them together with the onions, eggs and Miracle Whip. I asked her why she didn’t let the potatoes cool, and she said they absorbed more of the onion flavor if they were hot. Now, I have been involved in the culinary business for quite some time, and can find no written proof that hot potatoes absorb onion flavor. But guess what? I make it the same way she did and will continue to do so…..you just don’t mess with Mother, or Mother’s recipes!

Mom and I really developed a strong bond throughout my late grade school years and high school years, as I was pretty accident prone and we had many trips to the emergency room at the hospital. Whether it was the bee stings around my navel from horseback riding, a nail in my foot from construction at the house we built, my run in with a baseball to the head, or my many injuries resulting from football practices and games. It got to the point that when a player was down, she would say “Oh No! It is probably David” even though it wasn’t always me.

The bottom line with Mom was that she was always there for us. Whether it was helping us with our Latin, now that was funny hearing her try to pronounce the words; helping us practice our solos by accompanying us on the piano; making sure we had clean clothes, clean faces and hands; making sure we always had good food to eat; comforting us when we were hurting or just in a sour mood; making sure we got to where we needed to be for various practices and events; attending our many concerts, games and school functions; rejoicing with us in our many happy moments in life; loving our children and helping out with them when needed; she was incredible, what more can I say!

One other thing Mom did was always make sure we had cards on our birthdays and anniversaries. She would also always send us a little package with articles from the paper, cartoons she would cut out, coupons for things she knew we liked and always, always there was a little note to let you know she was thinking about you.

Mom taught us many things and the most important ones I remember were:

1. To love God and put Him first in my life.

2. To know that Jesus is my Savior and that I always have a friend in Him.

3. To Love unconditionally regardless of a person’s faults and shortcomings.

4. To be honest with myself and all others.

5. To be thankful for what I have and not worry about things I don’t have.

I will truly miss the company of my Mother, but I know she is at peace now and that heaven is the way she always described it to us.

Lord, take care of my Mom!

Mom I love you!

David