NOVEMBER 10, 2021:  MARIA IS GONE

Maria’s dying wish was to have our oldest son, Jon, marry his significant other, Aquila.  They were married on October 17 at our house with Maria attending the ceremony on oxygen and in a wheel chair.  Maria was very excited and happy that her wish came true during the last days of her life.

On Thursday, October 21, we invited Father Eduardo of St. Teresa’s Church to the house to administer Maria’s Final Confession and the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick (last rights).  We wanted to have this done while Maria was still of sound mind.  Jeff cried.

Maria was on oxygen 24/7 and we noticed a problem with the oxygen generator.  The generator was quickly replaced with a new unit which resulted in a surge of new energy for Maria.  She responded so well that we thought we could keep her alive for several more months.

In the morning of Sunday, November 7, Maria was having a hard time breathing.  We administered morphine several times to regain her breathing.  Hospice arrived early in the morning and advised us to get our relatives together to say goodbye.  After checking her vitals, they said Maria had three days to a week left in this world. Maria slept throughout much of the day but her breathing became very labored at about 4:00 p.m.  Hospice advised us to give her more morphine.  Jeff and Ryan were at her bedside when Jon and Aquila arrived from Reno.  The entire family was present with Maria when she took her last breath and died at 4:58 p.m.  It was a terrible experience to see her slip away.  Jeff called Hospice who arrived about 30 minutes after her passing.   Needless to say, there was a lot of crying going on.  MARIA IS GONE………..  We said our “goodbyes” to Maria and sometime after 7:00 p.m. Capital Cremation showed up and took her body but her soul and memories will remain and live on through all she touched in her life.

Maria said that she did not want a church funeral but a Celebration of Life, a party.  A Celebration of Life is in the planning stage and will be announced through the “grapevine.”

Thank you to all our friends and relatives for your support during these difficult times.