Sara (2-Mama's great granddaughter), Stacy (2-mama's great granddaughter), Niakki (2-Mama's granddaughter), Aunt Maurine (2-Mama's sister), and Emily (2-Mama's great granddaughter)
1979, September, Niakki and Josh
2-mama, 2-daddy, and I were driving out to Texas for your wedding. 2-mama was riding in the front passenger seat, and 2-daddy was riding in the back seat. I was driving. Before we left, 2-mama told me to drive carefully, and 2-daddy told me that if I got too slow, he'd poke me in the back. Before we got there, my back was sore from all the times he poked me and my right ear was sore from all the times 2-mama told me to slow down!
Another:
Remember the time when Aunt Maurine made some homemade wine? We were having a get-together, and 2-mama had a couple of glasses of Aunt Maurine's wine. When someone asked her about her drinking it, she said that Aunt Maurine had removed all the alcohol from it.
Another:
One Christmas, she gave my dad ( a big, tall man) a size small white dress shirt even though there was no way in the world he could ever wear it. When he asked her why, she said it had been on sale at Wolff brothers.
From Shane Orr (Betsy's son, Nana's grandson, 2-Mama's great grandson)
Tommoma had a clever Christmas gift giving strategy. She usually gave either two-dollar bills or silver dollars to her great-grandchildren. There was something fascinating about having a two-dollar bill. I guess it was the uniqueness of having out of print money. It made me feel unique. I always wondered what would happen if I used the two-dollar bill at the store. Would the cashier think it was counterfeit and call the cops? But, I never did this because I knew she would somehow find out, and when she did find out she would be upset. The thought of breaking Tommoma's heart broke my heart.
The first word that comes to mind when thinking of Tommoma is independence. Up to the end of her life she never ceased tending her garden and cleaning her house. I'm sure people tried to tell her to relax, but these words were probably followed by Tommoma sucker-punching the other party. She probably had a more vibrant social life in her 90's than I do now. After all, even in her 80's she was leading cops on high-stakes police chases through town. No doubt her independence throughout life was the key to her longevity. A lesson I hope to remember and copy.
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