|
|
|
|
Home > Fellowship Plaza Apt. A202 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
When my wife and I moved to our current residence in December of 2012, an elderly Caucasian lady asked us if we had moved to A201 with a bright smile. The previous resident, Mrs. Viola White used to live here until her son who resides in Arizona took her with him. The reason was she was near 100 years old, and her daughter (who was about 80 years old,) had passed away before her so her son was to take care of her instead.
It didn’t take me that long to see what kind of person she really was. She would always be smiling brightly, but with a dark side of some physical affliction. Turns out she was having a painful and difficult treatment while fighting cancer. But she would always be smiling and encouraging, and that was something to look up to. Every Monday 9AM in the morning she would prepare coffee and simple refreshments were prepared by her! Even if she was in such a bad condition…
Sometimes I would see her while passing by, and she would say that she is thankful to be alive today. Even if she was getting skinnier, she was ready to be taken by the Lord. It was natural to talk about religion, and she said she used to attend church but after getting this cancer, she was unable to attend while getting treatment. She would not hide anything from me, and told me about her story. After graduating high school, she got married had three daughters. One of them is residing in New York, but she had visual impairment. Her oldest daughter lives in the vicinity and works as a high school English teacher. She also told me about her great grandson being born too premature and worried about his growth and wanted us to pray for him, along with her eldest daughter who was having a surgery on her knee. After about a month or so, after her daughter was treated and was visiting Mary, she introduced to me her daughter and said, “This man is the one who prayed for you.”
Mary would help the neighbors around her by making the weekly newsletter and the planners. She made a computer class for Koreans and Chinese elders, and she also found Korean and Chinese volunteers to teach in the library. She has also served many times as the president of the committee for the residents. Everyone who knew her would always praise her for being diligent and having such a great heart in serving others. She knew her body was not quite alright, but she would always suggest and would agree to help in every resident meeting.
About last autumn (2014), there was a garage sale in the senior apartment. Mary had helped from the start to finish in this as well. She helped graciously in taking the money which was a hard task. I remember that she smiled and said that the amount of money that came from the garage sale was more than enough for the resident’s activities because it broke the previous record of funding. But one Monday morning few months after the garage sale was over; I couldn’t see her in the morning! She used to serve us coffee all the time, but instead the office employee served the coffee and said, because her health had gone a bit down, she no longer could work.
She spent many days of suffering while being treated at the hospital, despite of all that she would still smile and encourage people. But in middle of May, I was able to see her with her smiling face once more! I was so happy and while chatting with her, she told me she got better and was discharged from the hospital and would breathe slowly and deeply. She said, “I am thankful that I am able to get the bright sunlight to my face again and able to walk.”
In front of my senior apartment, I see a red car that she drives around with. For many months, the car stood still, not moving but suddenly, the car was no long in the spot, but moving so often. The reason was because Mary was out doing her business. Although she had to have a disability plaque placed in her windshield… But after about 3 weeks later, she was readmitted to hospital yet again. On the 1st of July, she had passed away peacefully. Her body was cremated.
Hearing the tragic story, the apartment’s resident’s council had a quick gathering in this emergency. With their family members present, it was decided that the memorial service to be held at the apartment’s large hall. With the funds from the resident’s meeting, lunch was provided for the family and visitors. On the 11th of July, around 10:30AM in the morning, all her family members and those who had known her came. What surprised me was, that despite the preceding being in English, about 170 people had gathered for the funeral. I think this was a record for the apartment’s history. To have gathered for a single resident, literally about 2/3rd of the overall current resident had gathered.
Several people had spoken for the memorial service. One of them had left a rather impacting feeling. She was an elderly Chinese lady. Despite her knowledge in English, she said she had many memories of her, but the one she was fond of was that 14 years ago, when she had just become a member of this community. She had received a police ticket after driving rather clumsily, and while she was worried about that she cannot speak English that well enough, she had to visit her country on the day she was to appear at court. Since she was in difficult situation, she spoke with Mary and she offered to help, and after calling the court, she was able to extend the day of court appearance. After returning from China, she was worried about her lack of English, but Mary said that she was going to go with her and encouraged her, and she spoke this while in tears.
That’s right! Because of her kindness and care, many people have attended and paid their respects to Mrs. Mary C. Coehlo. Her funeral didn’t even have a funeral photo, just several pictures of her past memories.
Mary had lived and passed away at the age of 81, born in the state of New York, and had her last day at the city of Saratoga in California in Fellowship Plaza A, room 305. After spreading her beautiful smiles to everyone of every culture around her in their hearts…
(July 14th, 2015)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The pair of Geese that left… 
Mrs. Mary C. Coehlo