Happy Birthday Mom

Yesterday would have been Mom’s 94th birthday. We miss her and cherish all the memories we have of the kind, caring, fun loving person that she was. Especially in Mom’s later years, birthdays were important milestones and meant a lot to her. So today it seemed like a good time to look back at birthdays we shared with her over the years.

Perfume and Roses

When we were young, birthday parties were held on Sunday rather than on the actual birthday day. With five kids all going in different directions, this ensured the whole family was around the table for the traditional Sunday roast beef dinner and the ensuing festivities.

Where Mom’s birthdays were concerned, each of us kids, of course, had a gift for her which meant over the years she received an assortment of interesting things including too many pairs of slippers to count, various kitchen utensils, ill fitting pyjamas and many bottles of questionable smelling perfume. Mom always enthusiastically appreciated them all.

Aside from gifts, the highlight of any birthday party in our house was the cake. It was always from Woodward’s bakery and had about a 50/50 ratio of cake to frosting – instant sugar high and a kid’s dream! As soon as the candles were blown out the jockeying began among us kids as to who would get a corner piece or a piece with a rose on top. It was great when it was your birthday as Mom always made sure you got a piece with a rose.

Vegas Baby!

As we kids grew up and established our own families, birthday parties including the whole family became less frequent and more challenging to arrange, given that we were spread across the country. Mom always appreciated those occasions when we were together and so, on the occasion of her 75th birthday, she decided to take matters into her own hands and told the family that she wanted to celebrate in Vegas. This was a bit out of character for Mom as she didn’t often put herself first and always tried to accommodate others’ needs. But knowing that she loved to travel and loved going to the casino, Vegas seemed like a “no brainer” and so we were willing to move heaven and earth to make it happen. After much wrangling and rejigging of schedules, Betty, Harvey and all five kids were off to Vegas!

And what a time it was! We saw an Elton John concert, went to a comedy show, had great family dinners, shopped till we dropped, and just generally had a great time over the three days we were there. Of course, Mom got the chance to play the slots and she was in heaven. Each day she would play to her self imposed $20 limit and in the end I think she actually came out ahead! Dad was not interested in gambling, but being the mechanically inclined guy that he was, he too was in heaven when we did a tour of the inner workings of the Hoover Dam. All in all mom had a great time and she said it was one of her best birthdays ever.

Danke Schöen

In the last year of Mom’s life she was in and out of hospital and reaching her 90th birthday became a goal that helped see her through many ups and downs. We were broken hearted when she passed away just three months before her birthday.

Knowing how much Mom enjoyed her Vegas birthday and how much she wanted to make it to 90, it seemed only fitting that a trip back to Vegas to celebrate on what would have been her 90th birthday was a fitting way to remember her. And so to Vegas we five kids went.

We played the slots (of course, observing mom’s $20 limit) and had a special dinner in her honor on her birthday. We shopped till we dropped and toured “The Strip.” We also attended a Wayne Newton show, which was something mom would have thoroughly enjoyed. I know she was looking down with a smile when one of our brothers had a chance to tell Wayne Newton Mom’s story and he graciously acknowledged her birthday with a bottle of champagne and a photo shoot with him to memorialize the occasion.

Over the four days we were in Vegas, we had some laughs, shed more than a few tears (I was leading the pack on that one) and overall reminisced about the wonderful person that Mom was. To some this may seem like an unusual way to mark her passing but what I know for sure is:

Betty Would Love That!

Even though Mom didn’t make it to her 90th birthday, we are so thankful to have this video clip of her 89th and last birthday to remember the kind hearted gentle soul that she was. Spoiler alert: have a tissue handy…

We plan to publish a new post every Monday so stay tuned for our next one entitled “Well That Was Fun.”