July 7, 2015

The day held a lot of mixed emotions. July 7 was the day we said our final farewells to Mom Kraker (mother of Myra, John's second dearly departed wife). Visitation the night before and again before the 11 am funeral, then lunch in the church basement and finally to the nearby cemetery. It's always good to see out-of-town family, and Mom had been in hospice for weeks, so she was ready to go and we celebrated her 97 years of a full life.

Following the cemetery service we went to the Rest Home, where we celebrated Mom Worst's 100th birthday. It was a big doings with a lot of people, and Mom was happy though not fully aware of the significance of the day. She still has her sense of humor, however. When youngest great-grandson Zach came up to greet her, she remarked about his height and insisted on getting out of her wheelchair to stand next to him to see if he'd outgrown her. She could easily stand under his raised arm. Oh, how she laughed at that!

Bob and Laura came up from NC and stayed with us for several days, so it was an unusually busy week.

Below is what we wrote up for classified ads in the church magazine. We thought we were going to have to pay regular price, but 100th birthdays get free space---except for the above picture, which we gladly paid for.

Frances Vander Male Worst, long-time member of Creston CRC in Grand Rapids, celebrates her 100th birthday July 7 with her children John, Jim, Steve, Mary and her extended family. Her warmth, good nature and clever quips are legendary, especially appreciated by staff and residents of Christian Rest Home, 1000 Edison Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.