Laura and I sold our first house and we’ve taken our first steps on our path to the countryside. We are renting an apartment in an idyllic spot that I know you would love. We’re overlooking a small fishing lake on the grounds of an ancient country estate on the edge of a quintessential English village. I think of you so often now whenever I look out the window. There are two resident herons fishing in the mornings and evenings. I can just picture your eyes lighting up at their graceful flight around the lake. Each night we go to sleep to the mournful serenade of a tawny owl. There’s even a great crested grebe! I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen one of those. The woods are full of deer and other various critters. Wildlife just surrounds us and I know that would have made you so happy.

On August 3rd, 2011, we held a ceremony for my mother in Prerov, Czech Republic – her birth place and now her final resting place. I shared some of these words with the family and friends who joined us.

--

Thanks everyone for being here to mourn, remember and celebrate my mother’s life. I’d like to tell you about her. 

She loved life

Everything my mom did demonstrated her love for life.

+ Her smile and cheerful laugh.+ Her relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and even pets (namely Teddy, her yellow Labrador Retriever).

+ Her passion for work. She was a committed teacher who loved her students, and they loved her.

+ She loved traveling. Iceland, Alaska, Hawaii, London, Paris, Prague, the San Juan Islands are a few of her favorite places.

+ Music, opera, the arts. Her favorite Opera, La Traviata, she recently introduced and explained to her granddaughters Sophia and Sasha.

+ Wine and food. Nothing relaxed her more than a glass of wine after a long day at work.

+ Her garden. Some of her happiest times, even while she was sick, were spent gardening.

In her most difficult times during her illness, she remained hopeful, optimistic, forward looking, courageous and cheerful. She simply wanted to live.

She loved the natural world around her

She loved to experience, study and protect the natural world.

+ She experienced the environment through hikes, bird watching and mushroom picking. She loved to do this with family and friends, most recently with Sophia and Sasha.

+ She studied the natural world as a scientist and teacher. She loved reading about nature, animals and evolution. She admired authors like Stephan Jay Gould and Bill Bryson.

+ She wanted to protect the natural world. The work of conservation groups like The Audubon Society, The World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club was important to her.

She loved us

+ She loved my Dad, and everyone who knew them could see that. Their relationship has been a model for me.

+ She loved Tom and me. She took such good care of us, through her last days. She inspired us to be interested in ideas, places and people. I owe so much to her: my curiosity and interests, the quality of my personal relationships, my optimism and confidence, and my capacity to love and be a parent.

+ She was a caring, loving sister, daughter and mother-in-law.

+ My mom adored her granddaughters – Sophia and Sasha. She was well on her way to introducing them to the things to which she introduced me. We will do our best to make sure that she is always a part of their lives.

In the past few years, my mom organized family trips to France and Hawaii – the Hawaii trip for my Dad’s 70th birthday. These were special gatherings that gave us life long memories. These are the types of things she did for us, because she loved us so much.

Saying goodbye

My mom left us too early. As she told my Dad, she had plans and she needed more time. 

We had plans with her too:

+ To travel with her even more.

+ To celebrate her 70th, 80th and 90th birthdays.

+ To watch Sophia and Sasha graduate college and get married.

+ To sit around together and just look at each other without saying anything.

+ To love her and to give her more time to love life, the world and all of us.

We miss her and love her very much.

In August last year we were visiting Frank and Jitka in their new home in Woodinville. Jitka started to feel better. They had so many plans for the future.

Jitka was so exited with her new garden. Every morning we took a walk around the property. Jitka took daily notes and/or pictures about plants.

We watched the deer and birds eating the raspberries. She was happy to share it all with everybody, her family, friends, birds, deer even the bear.

It was August, almost the end of the summer. We did not know something else would end way to soon.

All we are left with are memories and we thank you for them.

Olda a Maria