mom's eulogy
Nancy Moore was born in Swedish Hospital on Sept 19th 1931, to John and Pauline Mullen and passed away on Sunday, December 6th 2015.
I am a bit of a weather geek and read a lot about it in the winter because of skiing. According to the UW, Monday December 7th was the darkest day in Seattle in over 9 years. Interesting. However, I am certain we can all agree it was actually the darkest in over 84 yrs.
We lost someone who made the world a brighter and much better place.
I had the privilege and great fortune of being adopted by a mother who made me feel safe, loved me unconditionally and helped me develop a strong value system around honesty, integrity, hard work and compassion. No matter what happened in life, I was confident of the love my mom had for me. This confidence was key to me overcoming many challenges I have faced.
She was also a pillar when I needed her most. My Sr. year in High School at the beginning of the wrestling season my sternum was severely injured. I was out for 6 weeks. I had to lose another 10 lbs during this time. My upper body atrophied and a week before I was scheduled to return I still could not do even 1 push up. I went into her bedroom one evening downtrodden and told her I wanted to quit. I hit rock bottom. I pushed myself beyond what was reasonable and it was hopeless. She looked me straight in the eye and told me very crisply I had to continue. If I quit, I would never forgive myself. She was absolutely right and it was the perfect thing to say to me. My mom knew me extremely well.
No matter if she had a night shift (which she almost always did) she drove me to practice and never missed a game, match or meet. She was also very tough minded. She made sure I knew I “would not melt” when I did not want to play or practice in the rain. It is one of those great quotes which occasionally has been passed on to my children.
She also ingrained in me to make the most out of every day by always saying “make it a constructive day B”.
We never had much money or went on vacations but there was always food on the table and shoes on my feet. When I was 5 or 6 I remember literally throwing a penny away when I was cleaning my room. Nancy completely flipped out. I have never thrown a penny away since. My mom instilled in me a deep respect for money. It was also wonderful to finally go on a couple really big vacations with my mom to Hawaii and an Alaskan Cruise. We had so much fun and memories we'll cherish forever.
She also had a side most never witnessed unless they were in the car with her. She liked to drive a little over the speed limit and was always a little impatient with other drivers. The mild mannered Nancy was a little bit of a sailor in the car at times…apparently one of my first words learned was the S word. ☺
Watching my mom with Shelley and her Granddaughters, Emma and Aili were magical. They had so many enjoyable times together doing girlie stuff in the u village or dropping the kids off at a ski camp. My mom loved them all so much. Shelley was such a dear friend to my mom and truly loved her. We were all so lucky.
She also showed a strength which no one could tell just by looking at Nancy. She was incredibly tough. This toughness really became a central part of her survival over the last few years after her health declined. Unfortunately, she dealt with a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. She rarely fell apart and was always so excited to spend time with us and her dear friends. Unfortunately, doing the simplest of activities became a challenge. Even though she did a tremendous job fighting hard for her independence, part of me believes she was just too tired to keep going. We thought at first when she went into the hospital this time it was a routine UTI…and her labs starting showing signs of improving like she always had done in the past… and then something happened…almost like the flip of a switch..and her vitals started to decline. She made a decision it was time.
My mom’s devotion to the Catholic faith was an incredibly important part of her life. I asked her several times the last week if she was scared to pass away. She was not at all. (she was actually more worried about me) Her faith in God enabled her to look death in the face with no fear.
This strength and faith was incredibly humbling.
My mom will be missed by many. Too many to mention. Seems she always left a wake of authentic friends who loved her wherever she went. We were so blessed to have her in our life. The world was a much better place with Nancy Moore in it. We will all miss her immensely.
I pray my mom has found peace and comfort.