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Van · 02-18-2011, 08:40 AM

To all:

Thank you very much for the thoughts and prayers, they are greatly appreciated. She was quite a lady and although it was hard for all of us with her passing it was especially tough on me as I was there for her every day as her health rapidly failed for the past two years. In the end we did celebrate her life. I will tell you a bit about this 90 year old wonder.

She was born and lived in Istanbul (I am first generation US). She met my father and they married in the "old country" then moved to the US in 1952. My father was previsouly in this country and immigrated through Ellis Island like many thousands of others. When they settled in the US they had nothing. But through hard work, my father raised enough money to start a small restaurant. They prospered from there and eventually purchased the old Howard Johnsons on Wollaston Beach. They converted it to the Clam Box (which it is still). They worked hard for many years, my sister and I were still quite young. Several years later they sold the business to family.

In 1987, they traveled to Greece to attend the wedding of my cousin. On the wedding day, my father suffered a heart attack and was gone. That was extremely hard on us. Weeks later, he was brought back to the US and we had a proper ceremony.

Now alone and bored, Mom decided to attend Quincy College (and it was free for seniors). She graduated a few years later but was not done yet. She then attended UMass Boston (again free for seniors) and earned her Suma-cum-lauda bachelors degree in French in 2000. At age 80 !!!! She even made the local newpaper. We had a huge graduation party for her. Other than her grandchildren (my two), it was the highlight of her life. I kept kidding her that now that she got her degree "when is she going to get a JOB" !!!! Always good for a few laughs. In the next several years, her health began to fail and by 2005 she could not really get around anymore with out a walker. I did everything I could to allow her to stay at home. By 2008 she was pretty much house bound and very depressed. I constantly had home health providers coming and going. At this point. as with many elderly, they are ready to "go". That what she would say all the time ! After the holidays this year, she had a vertebrae fracture due to osteoporosis. She had sugery in January then rehab. But she was not doing well. We think she was giving up. In rehab around the first of February, she developed pneumonia and went to the hospital. It was just too much for her body to handle. Three days later she was gone.

She was a wonderful lady and made many many friends along the way. Even at 90, she was making friends and people came to visit her all the time. She was lucky to have kept her wits about her at that advanced age. She was still pretty sharp all the way to the end.

She will be missed, but is now in a better place, with my Dad, her mother and her beloved brothers.

I hope you enjoyed a brief history of her life, it was tough to write.
Thanks again for all your kind words.
Van

02-18-2011, 08:40 AM	#30
Van zoom iTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Quincy Posts: 4,145	To all: Thank you very much for the thoughts and prayers, they are greatly appreciated. She was quite a lady and although it was hard for all of us with her passing it was especially tough on me as I was there for her every day as her health rapidly failed for the past two years. In the end we did celebrate her life. I will tell you a bit about this 90 year old wonder. She was born and lived in Istanbul (I am first generation US). She met my father and they married in the "old country" then moved to the US in 1952. My father was previsouly in this country and immigrated through Ellis Island like many thousands of others. When they settled in the US they had nothing. But through hard work, my father raised enough money to start a small restaurant. They prospered from there and eventually purchased the old Howard Johnsons on Wollaston Beach. They converted it to the Clam Box (which it is still). They worked hard for many years, my sister and I were still quite young. Several years later they sold the business to family. In 1987, they traveled to Greece to attend the wedding of my cousin. On the wedding day, my father suffered a heart attack and was gone. That was extremely hard on us. Weeks later, he was brought back to the US and we had a proper ceremony. Now alone and bored, Mom decided to attend Quincy College (and it was free for seniors). She graduated a few years later but was not done yet. She then attended UMass Boston (again free for seniors) and earned her Suma-cum-lauda bachelors degree in French in 2000. At age 80 !!!! She even made the local newpaper. We had a huge graduation party for her. Other than her grandchildren (my two), it was the highlight of her life. I kept kidding her that now that she got her degree "when is she going to get a JOB" !!!! Always good for a few laughs. In the next several years, her health began to fail and by 2005 she could not really get around anymore with out a walker. I did everything I could to allow her to stay at home. By 2008 she was pretty much house bound and very depressed. I constantly had home health providers coming and going. At this point. as with many elderly, they are ready to "go". That what she would say all the time ! After the holidays this year, she had a vertebrae fracture due to osteoporosis. She had sugery in January then rehab. But she was not doing well. We think she was giving up. In rehab around the first of February, she developed pneumonia and went to the hospital. It was just too much for her body to handle. Three days later she was gone. She was a wonderful lady and made many many friends along the way. Even at 90, she was making friends and people came to visit her all the time. She was lucky to have kept her wits about her at that advanced age. She was still pretty sharp all the way to the end. She will be missed, but is now in a better place, with my Dad, her mother and her beloved brothers. I hope you enjoyed a brief history of her life, it was tough to write. Thanks again for all your kind words. Van
	~..~..~.. ><((((º> Things done at the last possible minute are done with the greatest possible information. Procrastination is, therefore, the most efficient means of doing things.