Monday, April 4, 2011

'Mrs. M' Dead At 84

Long-time followers of this blog may remember occasional posts about 'Mrs. M', a neighbor, born German, naturalized American after escaping Hitler's Germany during before W.W. II, volunteer hospital worker in her retirement years, and... a devoted Democrat in her political views. I have just learned that Mrs. M died in mid-February, of lung cancer (though she had quit smoking 27 years earlier), a couple months short of her 85th birthday. We had spoken briefly by phone within the month before her death; she lived upstairs and I can no longer climb a flight of stairs, so face-to-face visits were no longer an option.

Her real given name, which I can now speak without fear of her being harassed, was Margarete. We had some wonderful discussions about political matters. She was less than enthusiastic about the changes in the Democratic Party over the last decade, but continued to vote in all primaries and regular elections... sometimes I think our naturalized citizens take their civic responsibilities more seriously than many of the rest of us. Margarete is survived by a couple of adult children and a world of friends. I shall miss her greatly.

8 comments:

  1. What a nice tribute to your neighbor! I am sorry for your loss,

    I agree that immigrants appreciate their duties as a citizens more seriously. I saw it in my family as my mom's parents were German immigrants at the turn of the 20th century and my work with the Hispanics in my areas. Seeing their pride in having the right to vote was really heart-warming

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kay, I have many good things to say about Margarete. She was not typically the nice-nice, grandmotherly sort of person you expect in someone her age; she had seen enough of life to have an astringent edge to her otherwise basically positive attitude... not unlike me. But unlike me, a kinder soul never walked the earth than Margarete. Margarete was determined to help... it was her reason for existence, and while her health held out, she did every reasonable thing to help her family, her friends, her neighbors and the patients in the hospital where she volunteered. I miss her a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MandT, thanks for your kind thought. Margarete is surely at peace now. Any of us would be content to have lived life the way she did.

    ReplyDelete
  4. She probably felt the same about you. Sounds like you were great neighbors.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I appreciate learning about Margarete and your respect for her. She knew what was important in life and did it. Blessings upon her.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kay, thanks again. Margarete was wonderful... always polite, but never timid. I am trying to learn from her example.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ellroon, thanks for your kind wishes. We are the ones who are blessed, to have shared some of our lives with Margarete. She was one of the genuinely good ones!

    ReplyDelete

USING THIS PAGE TO LEAVE A COMMENT

• Click here to view existing comments.
• Or enter your new rhyme or reason
in the new comment box here.
• Or click the first Reply link below an existing
comment or reply and type in the
new reply box provided.
• Scrolling manually up and down the page
is also OK.

Static Pages (About, Quotes, etc.)

No Police Like H•lmes



(removed)