Diana, your tribute to your mother is beautifully written. And what wonderful photos. She would be very proud of you. My condolences to you and your sister Kim, Richie, Ciara and Mikey.

Our Mother Donna, was born on January 28, 1945 in the zodiac sign of Aquarius.  The zodiac defines Aquarians as individualistic, strong, compassionate, sympathetic and a pioneer of sorts.  All of which could describe our Mother. She truly did not follow anyone else's path but blazed her own trail instead.  She did not worry about trying to fit in but simply did her own thing.  The path she picked in life would not be easy, a single parent to two daughters at a time when it was not so acceptable.  But that was our Mother, determined to live life on her terms and no one else's.  These are some of the qualities I admired most about her.

Our Mother was full of life and loved to have fun.  Naturally outgoing she seemed to attract friends wherever she went.  She loved nature with all its animals and all the great outdoors had to offer.   She especially loved her pets.  In our house it was not so much the kids bringing home stray dogs and cats but our Mother who couldn't resist an animal in need.  She also enjoyed learning about the Native American Culture and her Scottish heritage.

She was naturally creative and inventive especially when it came to entertaining her kids.  One of our favorite childhood memories was story time. She would get us ready for bed.  Then once we were settled in our beds with all our stuffed animals gathered around she would read a bedtime story to us.  Magically she would make our stuffed animals come to life as they helped to narrate the story and asked silly questions making us just crackup with laughter.  It was a favorite part of the day.  To me I didn't think there was anything my Mother couldn't do or fix.  To me my Mother was everything and I wanted to be like her.

So I was surprised at about age 6 when I found out there were some things my Mother couldn't fix.  While playing out in front of our neighbors house, my sister Kim and friend Jerry came across a squirrel that had been hit by a car and was probably in the road for a few days.  Much to the horror of Kim and Jerry who urged me not to pick it up, I did, insisting our Mother could fix it and carried it home.  Calling my Mother all the way up the back stairs she greeted me at the door only to scream and tell me to drop it and go wash my hands.  I was devastated and in tears while washing my hands not sure what I had done that was so wrong.  I had seen my Mother always helping my grandmother, what could be so wrong about me helping a squirrel?  My Mother in her usual calm voice explained to me why she couldn't help the squirrel and how I had startled her by seeing me carrying the squirrel and not knowing if I had been bitten by any insects on the squirrel.  Once she examined me and saw I was ok she hugged me, told me she loved me and asked if I wanted to pick a spot in the backyard to bury the squirrel.   The spot was picked out and my mother dug a hole.  Then my Mother placed the wrapped squirrel in the hole.  I had already assembled Kim and Jerry around the hole with me for the squirrel funeral.  Before my Mother could start filling in the hole I told her everyone had to say something nice about the squirrel.  I'm not sure how my Mother kept a straight face during this funeral.  But to her credit she took it seriously for my sake and so we had our first squirrel funeral and I learned there were some things my Mother couldn't fix. 

But life, as a single parent was not easy.  At times she would work up to four part-time jobs spending long hours away from us while my grandmother cared for us.  She also suffered from severe depression and if that weren't enough she also had the extra task of caring for me, a sick child.  Many nights would be spent at Children's Hospital in Boston with me.  Holding my hand, telling me not to be afraid and that everything would be ok.  Then early in the morning, after being at the hospital all night she would dash home to change clothes and rush off to work.  After work she would rush home check on my  grandmother and sister, Kim and rush back to the hospital for the night only to repeat this process several more times throughout my childhood.  She did not complain about it she just simply did it.  As a child I took for granted that my Mother would always do this for me, as an adult I realize how difficult this must have been for her and it has made me appreciate her even more now.  My relationship with my Mother would grow from this time together for me I did not just love my Mother because she was my Mother but I truly liked her as a person.

To our Mother the most important thing was not getting A's in Math and English but A's in conduct and effort which she valued higher.  To her, success was measured by the person you were not necessarily the grades you got or the money you made.  Manners always counted and how we treated people mattered to her even more.  We learned our values, work ethic and life lessons from her examples.

My Mother would have many highs and lows in her life: 
The loss of her father at age 13;
The farm being sold ending the dream she had of moving there someday;
The loss of her mother;
The loss of her son-in-law to a tragic accident far too young.

But with the losses there were also successes:
Her going back to school and becoming a Licensed Nursing Assistant;
Watching her daughters graduate from high school;
Watching her daughters get married;
Her granddaughter, Ciara being born;
Followed by her grandson, Michael;
Selling her house in Norwood and moving to live in the mountains of New Hampshire settling in the town of Plymouth.

My Mother entered the Ellis only two and a half years ago in December 2010.  For my sister and I the hardest part of her illness was when she lost her ability to talk to us.  But thankfully she always recognized us.  She became excited when she saw us at the doorway of the activities room; a big smile would break out across her face.

I think if you had asked my Mother what some of her favorite memories of her life were she would probably tell you: 
Spending her summers on the family farm in Hudson NH with her brother and sister and her goats, dog, Tippy and cat, Michael;  
Spending time with her friends Barbara, Elaine and Norma a few I knew and that she had talked about often;  
Holidays with her kids, nieces and nephews when we were together at my grandmother's house;  
The many trips she took with my grandmother, Kim and I to Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia where my grandmother was born and lived for part of her life;  
The time she spent with her granddaughter, Ciara and grandson, Michael;
And of course spending time with her many granddogs and grandcats.
 
We were not with her when she passed in the early morning hours of Thursday, June 27th but had both spent the entire previous Tuesday with her. On Tuesday, just like she had taken my hand so many times before, we each held her hand and  told her not to be afraid it was going to be ok, that we loved her and she could go home.  For she had left us with each other the best gift a parent could give to her child, a sibling for them to walk the path of life with.  And somewhere on that path, just as she had hoped for us, we had become not just sisters but friends.

If you asked me today was my mother successful in money and fame?  Probably not.
Was she successful in raising her kids?  Without a doubt.  Yes.

July 6, 2013

Beautiful photos! Cherish the special memories in your hearts forever!!!

Dear Diana and Richie, Kim and family,
I was so sorry to hear of the passing of your mother.
What a beautiful tribute you paid to her memory with the photos; a beautiful family story.
You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Love, Jerome and Marguerita and family.

I was so saddened to hear of Donna's passing. What a beautiful collection of photos and music in her honor.  I knew Donna through high school. She was always a very kind person to everyone. I had not seen her for many years and she will be remembered in my prayers. It is never easy to lose your mother and I am thinking of all of you during this difficult loss. Jean Young

OBITUARY

Donna Webster

January 28, 1945 – June 27, 2013

Gillooly Funeral Home

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