Espy Romo Whitaker

ESPERANZA WAS BORN TO A PROMINENT DOCTOR OF MEDICINE, ABRAHAM ROMO-VIVAR AND HIS WIFE, REFUGIO, ON OCTOBER 19, 1918. OUR MOTHER WAS THEIR ONLY CHILD. ALTHOUGH HER FATHER WAS 48 YEARS OLD, AND HER MOTHER WAS 40, THEY CONCEIVED AN EXTREMELY HEALTHY, BRIGHT AND PRECOCIOUS CHILD. PSALM 127:3 “CHILDREN ARE A GIFT FROM THE LORD; THEY ARE A REWARD FROM HIM.” TAKING THESE WORDS TO HEART, THIS IS HOW ESPERANZA WAS WELCOMED BY HER PARENTS INTO GOD’S WORLD!

OUR MOTHER MET AND MARRIED OUR DADDY IN 1938. SHE BORE 3 CHILDREN BEFORE HE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK IN 1952 LEAVING HER WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING BOTH DAD AND MOTHER TO THE THREE OF US, NANCY, RUTH AND ME. ESPY WAS ALL BY HERSELF WITHOUT ANY FAMILY TO HELP.

ESPY WAS ONLY 34. IT WAS A DIFFICULT FINANCIAL STRUGGLE FOR HER, EXACERBATED BY AMERICA’S ECONOMY BEING MIRED IN WHAT PRESIDENT EISENHOWER CALLED A RECESSION.

WITHOUT A HUSBAND OR FATHER FOR HER CHILDREN, SHE FACED ALL HER CHALLENGES WITH GOD: {PSALM 46:1-3 “GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH, AN EVER PRESENT HELP IN OUR TIMES OF TROUBLE.”}

IN 1955, SHE MARRIED HER SECOND HUSBAND, FLOYD STEWARD. THAT MAR-RIAGE LASTED 3 YEARS.

THEN IN 1960, SHE MET AND MARRIED CHARLES WHITAKER. HIS CAREER WAS WITH THE U.S. ARMY, AND OUR LITTLE SISTER, CHARLENE, WAS BORN TO THEM IN 1963.

MR WHITAKER WAS IN KOREA AT THE TIME OF CHARLENE’S BIRTH. WHEN HE RETURNED FROM OVERSEAS, HE RECEIVED ORDERS TO FORT CARSON, COLORADO, AND ESPY SAID “YOU GO, I AM STAYING HERE IN EL PASO.” THEY NEVER DIVORCED, AND SHE LIVED WITH THE HELP OF GOD, AND HER CHILDREN FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE.

IN 1972 I FOLLOWED MOTHER, AND 9 YEAR OLD CHARLENE, HERE, TO CALI-FORNIA. IN 1978 MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED A HOUSE WHERE ESPER-ANZA AND CHARLENE COULD LIVE ON THEIR OWN, IN THERE OWN APARTMENT.

MOTHER FELT VERY INDEPENDENT AND DID NOT ACCEPT OUR INVITATION, UNTIL 1989. SHE COULD BE BELLIGERANT!

ESPY WAS CAPRICIOUS, STRONG WILLED, AND KIND HEARTED TOWARD THOSE SHE LIKED.

FOR MANY YEARS SHE HAD A BEAUTIFUL SINGING VOICE AND A MELEFLUOUS LAUGH. WHEN SHE LAUGHED IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL INFECTIOUS LAUGH.

SHE ENJOYED A REMARKABLE MEMORY. AT AGE 97, SHE COULD STILL RECITE POEMS AND STORIES SHE HAD LEARNED IN SCHOOL AS A MERE CHILD, A LONG TIME AGO.

MOST PEOPLE, WHO KNEW HER, THOUGHT “SHE WAS QUITE A WOMAN.” I AM PROUD, GRATEFUL, AND GLAD SHE WAS OUR MOM!

ESPY WAS A MOTHER OF FIRM BELIEFS. SHE WAS VERY STRICT WITH US, MAKING US DO OUR BEST. HER APPROACH TOWARD DISCIPLINE WAS “WHAT WAS GOOD FOR HER WAS GOOD FOR HER US.”

{HEBREWS 12:10-11: “HE DISCIPLINES US FOR OUR GOOD, THAT WE MAY SHARE HIS HOLINESS. FOR THE MOMENT, ALL DISCIPLINE SEEMS PAINFUL RATHER THAN PLEASANT, BUT LATER IT YEILDS THE PEACEFUL FRUIT OF RIGHT-EOUSNESS TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY IT.”}

SHE WAS INTELLIGENT, DETERMINED, FIERCE, VEHEMENT, INTOLERANT, AND SAGACIOUS. SHE DID NOT SUFFER FOOLS EASILY. HOWEVER, SHE COULD ALSO BE CONGENIAL, WARM HEARTED, SYMPA-THETIC AND GENEROUS. I REMEMBER SHE LOVED TO LAUGH AND BE GAY. ESPY HAD A GREAT SENSE OF WITTY HUMOR. SHE HAD AN EXCELLENT SENSE OF THE REDICULOUS. HER WISDOM ENABLED HER TO READ PEOPLE LIKE A BOOK.

{PSALM 5: “GIVE EAR TO MY WORDS, O LORD, CONSIDER MY SIGHING. LISTEN TO MY CRY FOR HELP, MY KING AND MY GOD. FOR TO YOU I PRAY. IN THE MORNING, O LORD, YOU HEAR MY VOICE; IN THE MORNING I LAY MY REQUESTS BEFORE YOU, AND WAIT IN EXPECT-ATION.”}

I IMAGINE THESE MAY HAVE BEEN MOTHER, ESPERANZA ROMO WHIT-AKER’S THOUGHTS ON THE FATEFUL MORNING OF JULY 15TH, AROUND 2:00 AM, WHEN SHE SLIPPED AWAY PEACEFULLY TO BE WITH GOD.

OUR LORD GOD GAVE OUR MOTHER A VERY LONG LIFE.

WITH A DEEP NEED TO PUT HER TIME IN PERSPECTIVE, I FIGURED THE NUMBER OF HOURS, DAYS, AND YEARS OF HER LIFE AND THEN CONVERTED HER TIME INTO 60 MINUTE HEARTBEATS.

GOD ALLOWED ESPY TO LIVE 36,793 DAYS WHICH COMPRISE 100 YEARS PLUS 9 MONTHS. DURING HER LIVING TIME, HER BLESSED HEART BEAT AN ASTONISHING 52,982,040 TIMES!

HER ENDURANCE WAS INCREDIBLE, SHE DESIRED, LOVED, AND WORSHIPED GOD, SHE WAS HAPPY IN GOD, AND GOD WAS GLORIFIED!