Here is a photo of Monika while she was working at Loyola. She loved plants and was one of my pillars of support.

she always treated me to everything. she treated all of us to as much as she could. omi was kind and generous , stubborn as all hell but loving even more than that. she was my only grandparent. and it’s a great loss, one that i can’t quite come to terms with yet. the absence of her will be loud, and we will feel it in the spring days when the petals from the flowers fly across the yard , up into the second story window , suctioned to the glass. or when the rain is falling down and i look to the front door , and she’s not standing there watching it. we will feel it in the summer when the grass is that really soft fluffy type, enriched with the best green hue of the season. i’ll remember how i ran to her each time a bumble bee got to close for comfort and without hestiatiom she swatted them all away (even the wasps which is still quite expressive to me today)
We will feel it it autumn when the leaves start to change and she’s not sitting on her porch, still as ever, and the trees becoming , right before her. we will feel it when winter runs through our bones , and the red robin’s in the trees are illuminated against the white and birch underneathe. when the snow falls and we don’t see her brown slippers ready to be walked in all day .
i hope she’s walking in the snow somewhere.
i hope she’s planting flowers in the sun somewhere. 
somewhere and everywhere

all my love omi

a couple other notes continued:
- something also really sweet is when i came downstairs in a new shirt, or a shirt i haven’t worn in ages , she made a comment about it. exclaiming that it was cute and asking if it was new. it was nice that she noticed, even as she got a lot older
- she loved a sweet treat, we would always pick one up from the grocery store. specifically the apple jewish cake. it was good trust me , but a lady can only eat so much apple cake !
- i remember the one resturaunt that stuck out in her head was chipotle. when she used to pick me up from school we went there and she sat and ate with me as i talked about my day. so then time went on &  everytime mom left , or was busy, she’d slip me twenty dollars to go get chipotle. so freakin excited about it too. she always treated me to dinner 
- she was never not impressed by anything i did. she ALWAYS made me feel good , wether it was the crappiest piece of art work, the uggliest photograph, or the fact that i ran a mile and that’s why i was so out of breath 
(pt 4)

a couple other notes
- i remember when i first started my photography journey and was showing her images she said to me “i wish i could see the world through your eyes” and that stuck with me … it was one of the most powerful compliments ive recieved 
- as a young teenager i’d give a haul of clothes i bought. she was almost always there to argue with mom that it actually was a “appropriate” shirt (it probabaly wasn’t and she probabaly didn’t understand how to actually wear it ) but either way i got the green light and she was there to signal it
- i remember a lot of her basement. how we would watch those antique shoes where these hefty men with tattoos and beards would stop into peoples homes and buy there things for their pawn shop. —-i remember the old mcdonald playset that was too much fun running around. and all the vintage toys she somehow collected… e v e r y w h e r e . i remeber watching the santa tracker on her computer screen with her and she shoved us off to bed. i remeber also playing webkenz on that very computer with tou as she was upstairs cooking lunch for us. or the spiders that would appear in the corners of her laundry room and she’d have to come down to squash everyone before i even thought about walking to the stairs  i don’t think i remembered these things really until now. i think it’s strange what a room can hold. empty as it may be
- she loved buying shoes for people. and god did i love this bargain ! as a shoe lover to a shoe lover, my closet was never happier then when a pair of shoes gifted by omi joined the party. 
- she often  questioned my clothes, she came to learn that half the clothes i wore weren’t mine. and she stuck with this idea . anytime a oversized sweatshirt was on my body it was “who’s is that! that’s not yours is it ?” and the answer was no. 3/4 of the time that damn. sweatshirt was not mine. and she would never fail to call me out for it 
(pt 3)

a few things i learned from omi. 
- how to bargain !! i wouldn’t be the shopper i was today ( and a very good one if i do say so myself) without her initial help. i remeber i was what , 9 years old waking up at 7 am - which i don’t even do now! just to go yardsaling ALL morning and finding the best stuff. at the best price. i mean i thought it was the best price, but omi knew a better price. and ALWAYS got it. we came home with a car full of things on saturday mornings and we’d run in to show mom.  — she also did teach me that some days are busts! and how to be okay about this because the next Saturday may be great. it was the ongoing treasure hunt to look forward to. and even today i’m on that treater hunt. not at 7 am anymore, probabaly 11 if we’re lucky - when i went out to go yardsaling or thrifting she was the very first person to show when i got home, a haul of junk that i love. and that she loved ! always reiterating that i got such a good deal. and that she was proud of me 
- how to make the best brownies ( and how to sneak spoonfuls of batter in my mouth before she turned around)
- the best  way to make kraft mac and cheese , well i didn’t learn this per say, but i did eat it. with a cut up hot dog mixed in. i have this clear image in my head sitting at her dining room table with the table cloth i always fearing staining yellow and the christmas decor displayed infront of me awaitin the holidays 
- oh & the milk right beside my bowl, the milk she shoved in my face to grow my bones or something like that! swear my last glass of milk was served from her, in one of those old colored cups, my favorite was the blue one. 
- to not argue with her ! we all knew omi loved to hand out money, and we all know i hate taking money from her. eventually , you have to give in. say thank you. a big hug. and use the money for something good . 
- to keep a blanket in your car for winter days. a blanket now lives in my trunk and i’ve used it more often that i’d like to admit.

walking gracefully through this beautiful life you created , and a family to show for it…

i have lived with omi for a little while now. i have lived next door to omi for as long as i can remember. having your grandmother constantly beside you can be tiresome, trust me , i couldn’t get away with much because one of our front doors was open and id be caught before i even knew what i was being caught for . so it had its challenges i wont lie, but i couldn’t say id take it back for anything. because not a day went by where me or my brother was not taken care of . the team of my grandmother and my mother always made a home i was never worried about coming back to at the end of the day. and man is that powerful. 

omi was fierce , she was a force to be reckoned with and when you were on the other side of a argument with her, you better buckle up because you will NOT win. but when you were on her good side; you were showered with love .
                                                                                 (pt1)

Dear Yvonne, David and Nicole

We are so terribly sorry for your loss .   Your Mom was only 83 - much too young to be taken.  I know this is a hard time for you.  We are thinking of you and praying for Monika.

Wendy was down here in Florida this week when she saw David's post.  We all started recalling memories of Monika. 
 When David and Wendy were very young we all lived close.  Your Mom was a big help to me on first-time mothering.    Wendy is your Mom's Godchild.  Wendy's still loves the beautiful Peter Pan Bradford Plate she gave to her.  Jim remembers her as a young, pretty girl coming to Baltimore to get married, a big adventure.

The three of us donated to Meals on Wheels, Harford County in Memory of Monika. It is a great cause.

Take care and know we are thinking of you.

Love, 
Jim, Pat and Wendy

We are so very sorry.  We feel so fortunate to have known your mom.  We are holding you all in love and sending thoughts of comfort.

Love you!

Tammy and Adam

My dear friend Monika…
Thank you for your friendship! I will always cherish our time together at Loyola. Thank you for the laughs! Boy did we laugh! Thank you for accepting me for who I am. Thank you for teaching me to accept others for who they are. Thank you for caring for me and my family. You made my world a better place, and for that I’ll always be grateful.

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Monika.  I knew Monika from Loyola University when she worked in the Biology Department for many years.  I remember her retirement from Loyola as it was quite a big affair.  After I retired,  I had a few of the ladies over to my house for lunch and also to celebrate another friends birthday.  Monika was always so pleasant to be around and I have very fond memories of her enjoying the parties!
My condolences to the family.
Love &  prayers,
Jeannie Muscella

OBITUARY

Monika Lieselott Matthews

November 26, 1940 – March 5, 2024

Schimunek Funeral Home

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