Tuesday, August 3, 2010

passing


My elderly neighbor who lived across the street and down one passed away Sunday. She was in her 90s and had been in hospice care at home for months. She was one of the residents on this street when I moved in 36 years ago. There are only three other houses on the block with their original residents from when I moved in, not counting me of course. Some of the houses don't even exist anymore and Mrs. Lusher's house will soon be gone. Big Mary will have it sold in a heartbeat. She already has the sale lined up, arranged it months ago with one of the local builders, a couple that used to live in the house next door to Mrs. Lusher. They've already built four homes on the far end of the block and own the corner at the other end as well.

Mary and her brother have been trying to sell that house out from under her since she became incapacitated. Their youngest brother, Tom, lived with their mom, moved in to help when their dad was falling into dementia and broke his hip and then stayed on, caring for his mother when her health started failing. During one of her trips to the hospital, Big Mary and her brother went over to the house to try to find the deed. Their father had built a secret hidey hole in the house in which he kept important things like the deed. They searched fruitlessly and finally left. Tom knew where it was and Ms Lusher's grandson, Big Mary's son, also knew but they weren't telling.

Tom had health issues of his own and died last August leaving his mom to the mercy of his two siblings. Older Brother, who was rarely seen around the old homestead, was all for putting her in a nursing home so they could sell the house and he could get his share. He certainly wasn't going to put his life on hold and help take care of mom. In fact, Mary and big brother put the heavy pressure on Tom to move in with the 'rents in the first place, Tom being single and having no life in their opinion. But Big Mary, thinking that it would be a short time before mom bailed, decided to move in and take Tom's place and let the old woman die at home. Damn considerate of her considering Mr. and Mrs. Lusher raised Mary's two kids because Mary couldn't be bothered.

Big Mary finally got a taste of Tom's life. He tried for years to get some relief from his siblings, give him some time off, some time away to no avail. When Tom's own health became acute, they got a lady to come three days a week to help out but neither sibling spent so much as a night there to give Tom a break. Mary bent my ear more than once out in the street during the last year to tell me that she's been 'ordered' by the doctor to take a weekend a month off for her own mental and physical health, something that she absolutely denied her brother.

I'm sorry to see Ms Lusher go, one more link lost. She was one of the old timers, a staple in the neighborhood. Her family had all lived in the neighborhood too, in fact her aunt lived in the house next door to us. She watched our kids grow up and our grandkids as well, loved to see them all out playing in the yard. She would sit on her porch and the kids would all go talk to her. I have daffodils and a heritage rose that she gave me. She really loved those rose bushes, would talk about them as if they were her lady friends. One of the first things Big Mary did when she moved in was cut those rose shrubs in front of the house down to the ground for 'security'. It broke my heart and must have broken hers as well.


10 comments:

  1. It's sad to see the pillars of the neighborhood go.

    (I just showed WT your artwork and told him I want a piece from your butterfly moth series. He better not forget. I'll have to keep reminding him!)

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  2. I am so sorry to hear this. She sounds like a wonderful woman.

    We had folks like this in our neighborhood growing up [without the errant children like Mary - and yes, I am being kind] and they watched us grow up and our kids grow up. In fact two couples are still going strong [in their 80's now] and remembered Squirrel when she graduated.

    I miss my old neighborhood. No one is left there anymore.

    Take care Ellen. And love those roses and daffodils

    SkippyMom

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  3. I am so sorry to hear this. She sounds like a wonderful woman.

    We had folks like this in our neighborhood growing up [without the errant children like Mary - and yes, I am being kind] and they watched us grow up and our kids grow up. In fact two couples are still going strong [in their 80's now] and remembered Squirrel when she graduated.

    I miss my old neighborhood. No one is left there anymore.

    Take care Ellen. And love those roses and daffodils

    SkippyMom

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  4. wow. having watched and supported my wife as each of her parents fell ill and died one after the other over a period of three years, i learned about the true depths of sacrifice and compassion that a good person can draw on when their parent is at their most vulnerable. it completes the circle that our parents begin by caring for us so deeply as babies. when i hear or read about people such as those you describe here it leaves me breathless. wondering. how. how could people not find those same powerful drives and feelings and be consumed by such trivial needs and wants? steven

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  5. Such a sad story. People can be such vultures. I'm sorry for your loss, Ellen.

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  6. Its a sad story but one which repeats itself the world over - take care of the roses and daffs!

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  7. Oh this post was so sad and tragic. I am very sorry she was around when Big Mary cut down those rose bushes. That was so cruel!!!
    Sorry for your loss!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  8. So sad for her. I have one daughter who is probably already planning what to do with my belongings when I pass on .....
    My other three will keep her at bay, though. I had a camper who took care of her mom during her last months of life while her brothers offered no assistance. She talked about how happy she was to have been there, able to attend the needs of her mom as she died, then holding her hand as she went and even accompaning her body to the crematorium. There has to be lot of comfort in that. My mom wasn't on speaking terms with me when she dided and I regret it every day.

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  9. I wasn't able to be there when my mom was dying - except for much too short visits. But I definitely know how hard it was for my dad (her primary caregiver) & the other folks who were there helping every day.

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  10. It breaks my heart to see the good people losing.

    Hopefully Mary will get hers!

    I, too, grew up around wonderful people like this and it is very sad to see them replaced with strangers.

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