Duie

My great aunt Duie passed away about a month ago, and in preparation for her memorial service tomorrow, my sisters and parents and I wrote a eulogy together that Kari is going to read.


Duie was always Duie to each of us.  She was never Aunt Duie, Great Aunt Duie, or Great Great Aunt Duie.  She was informal and loving and wonderful.

Duie was there for my mom from her earliest years.  After mom’s mom Angeline passed away, she lived with her Grandma and two doting aunts – Duie & Allie.  How much better could she have had it?  Mom’s memories from those early years are brought back by pictures and old movies of special events, such as Duie giving mom her first perm at 3 years old.

Later Aunt Sharon and mom would go back to stay with Duie for a week in the summer.  Duie always made sure the milk man left lots of chocolate milk.  She also made mom’s  favorite breakfast, fried egg and bread dipped in sweet creamy coffee.

We loved shared vacations, camping trips, and visiting Duie and Lee in Florida in the winter.

We always requested her signature frostbite dessert when we came for lunch on Sundays, and we could finish the whole pan.  She would be sure to call in to the radio station on the Sunday we were over for our birthday  to have them dedicate a song.  She was always ready to go out for breakfast or lunch and loved it when the children would be there.  We shared many joys and sorrows and she always demonstrated to us her love for the heavenly Father by faithfully praying for each of us.

Kari, Lindsey and I have always been lucky to have Duie as our bonus Grandma. She loved us like we were her own. We always loved staying overnight at Duie’s. She made sure we were comfortable sleeping on her pull-out davenport.  She would turn off the chimes on the clock so we could sleep, she would read us all six of her children’s books, including Poochie the Dog, Donald Duck, and the book about Pleasing Jesus.  She used the same inflection each time, and I think we knew them all by heart.  In the morning she was sure to strain the pulp, or “hairs” as we called them, in our orange juice.  She would let us dip buttered windmill cookies in coffee and always had mentos and werthers in a drawer for us to snoop.  We would go fishing in her pond behind the condo using bread inside of plastic bags, I am surprised how many we were able to catch.

Duie was very involved in the lives of our children as well, we are so glad that they will have fond memories of her.  When they were babies, she called them little fatties, in the nicest way possible. She would take the kids for rides on her walker, read to them, and get down on the ground and play at their level, even if we didn’t think she could or should.

The evening she passed away it seemed that it wouldn’t  be much longer so Mom called Shirley so she could talk with her one last time.  Mom then called Charlene who prayed with Duie.  We like to think Char prayed her right into heaven as she took her last breaths.

Duie loved her nieces, nephews, and extended family and is sorely missed by us all. We treasure each of these memories and many more. And we are grateful for the strong example of a life of loving Jesus that she provided for us.