She passed away Saturday from bone cancer.
My family and I spent every day since the Winchester race a week ago last Sunday with emotions running the gambit. By the time this past Wednesday rolled around we knew it was just a matter of days so fortunately we had time to tell her goodbye that that we love her so much.
A little bit about her; She had a funny sense of humor, like the time as a little kid I was in the middle of a snowball fight with my bothers when all of a sudden I was hit in the shoulder with a snowball. When I turned around I see my mom laughing up a storm. For entertainment she was not at a loss there as Johnny Ray, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Tom Jones, Herb Alpert, Barry Manlow and last but not least Frank Sinatra were her favorites. Humphrey Bogart, Paul Newman and Fred and Ginger were her big screen faves. And Ruth Lyons was like like royalty according to her and she would purchace much of the products that were the sponsors or the 50/50 Club.
She was probably one of the most generous people I ever met, sometimes to a fault. Being a child of the Great Depression, when she was finally able to afford some luxuries they needed to be paid off she hated to owe anyone. If, for example, I bought gas for the lawn tractor, and wouldn't accept and money, two or three days later an envelope would come in the mail with a five dollar bill in it. She was the most thoughtful person I ever met. She never forgot to send a birthday card to any friend or family member and get well cards would always be sent if anyone was sick. My dad was the love of her life. They were married almost 50 years til death parted them.
She was responsible for my only addiction that I know of. My dad worked second shift at a very busy Ford plant in 1964. He could not get off work so my mom led the way and organized a trip to our local track, Lawrenceburg Speedway to see the USAC midgets race. I've been hooked ever since. As a family we went to many many races thanks to that trip to the 'burg.
The came the time my father passed away. My brothers and I were very worried about her because my dad did much of the upkeep on the house. At 70 years old my mother never even kept a checkbook. She amazed us with her strength and how proactive she was with getting things fixed in the house and with financial matters. We never worried about her in this respect ever again.
Nine years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer we thought she beat it, four years later after she had a reaccurance we thought she beat it again. In December of 2005 she went in for hip replacement. This is when we discovered the bone cancer. She had as much tenacity to fight this terrible disease and keep living at home until just over two weeks ago when a few falls in the span of ten days made it too risky to stay home any more even with all of us keeping a very close watch on her. Even the day we were waiting for the EMT to take her to Hospice she turned to us and said, "You're trying to put me away aren't you?" We all turned to her to say this was nothing of the sort only to see the glimmer in her eye and a smile come on her face. Through the pain that sense of humor never left her.
She was in intense pain through the last couple months of her life and it was very distressing for us to see her this way. The Hospice of Cincinnati people were and are the best and they did their very best not only to make her as comfortable as possible but to comfort the family as well. I recommend them highly.
I love my mom and will miss her til my very own dying days. I take comfort in knowing she is oncw again with the love of her life, my dad plus her mother and sister.
Gregg Sauer
http://dunes.cincinnati.com/classifi...41&c=5&k=Sauer