Rhonda wrote - My MOM was one of the strongest and blessed woman I have ever known. She grew up one of five children in a close knit family in Spokane Washington. She met and fell in love with my Dad when he was a Marine stationed in Washington. They married and quickly had four children- me being the first and Bruce coming along less that a year later. She said we were “Irish Twins”. She became a teacher when our family settled in California in the mid 60’s. We moved to Oak Park when it consisted of nine streets, an Elementary School and park in the middle. She would commute to Camarillo every day to teach at El Descanso Elementary School. I can remember going up on Saturdays to to help her change her bulletin boards and make copies of assignments for her students. We would grade papers in the evenings. When I was in 3rd grade, it seemed like I had a “double dose” of education and twice as much homework! When I was in Junior High, she and my Dad got divorced and she was left to raise us four kids on her own. I made her life miserable for several years. Being a parent now, I truly regret what I put her through, but she never gave up on me. Although we didn’t know it back then, it was very difficult for my mom to make ends meet on a teachers salary living in Agoura. I can remember her hiding food under her bed so Bruce (who ate as much as us 3 girls put together) wouldn’t eat it all before the next payday! She would fix “end of the month” stew and it always managed to taste good. We would make our annual trip to the Garment District in downtown L.A. every summer to buy our back to school clothes. She taught me to sew my own clothes too. She took us to the library and we would stock up on books and read all summer when we weren’t swimming in our pool or at the beach. She made it a priority to back home to Spokane every other summer to visit her family. My best memories are times we spent at the cabin built around a pine tree in the middle on Twin Lakes Idaho with all my aunts and uncles and cousins. During this time, Mom developed kidney disease. It finally came to the point where she was going to have to go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant. Her younger sister Marilyn selflessly donated her kidney and we are forever in her debt. She truly gave my Mom the “gift of life” and made her quality of life so much better the rest of her life. She really babied that kidney! Mom took an early retirement and spent her days traveling, playing bunco and spending time with her many good friends. She loved to go to Mia and A.J.’s sporting events and was so proud of all her grandchildren. She volunteered and curated for the Conejo Museum. She loved history. Once a teacher always a teacher. Looking back, she had several trials and tribulations in her life, but she always seemed to come out “smelling like a rose”. It was like she had guardian angels watching over her constantly. Steve once said she was like a cat with 9 lives! A lot of you were her guardian angels. For that we will always be grateful.