My mother-in-law..my friend...

Sherri and Bill,

I am so sorry for your loss.

Sherri,

I am sending you and Bill hugz! It is difficult losing a loved one, let alone at the holidays, thats for sure! It is great to hear that you had such a special relationship with her and that she was able to enjoy her life to the fullest all the way to its end! I am sure that both you and Bill will be feeling her love as she continues to be your "angel" looking over the two of you, as well as the rest of the family/friends! May you all be able to celebrate her life and continue the memories! Hugz Dawn

Sherri & Bill,
My heart is with you both. I know Jean will be badly missed by you all. What a blessing she didn't have to suffer. She was a great Mom,Grandma, friend  & "other Mother" to you. You definatley have had a wonderful relationship with her, & I know you will miss her. Bill, Dana & I do understand your sorrow, having lost both of our parents around the holidays. 
 Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you & when & where the funeral will be.  I so agree, she is in heaven -no more pain, suffering, cares or worries, & rejoicing with her loved ones there. I also send my thoughts to Bob-I am sure he is crushed. May you feel the peace of God surround you all.
Love & prayers,
Ellen

Sherry
My heart goes out to you and your family .
That is so sweet that she got together her first love.
Loss is never easy and she will be missed ,but everytime we lost someone we loved my gmal would tell me not to worry God just needed a special angel and it sounds like Jean was one here on earth to.
Neil and I will keep your family in our prayers and huggs to you and Bill.

oh sherry and bill Im so sorry for your loss ..remember always the wonderful memories and moments she passed onto each of you in life.

Sherri I am so sorry that your MIL passed away and I know it will be difficult to say goodbye. This is a bad time to lose a loved one as is anytime. It is especially difficult at this time of year. Hope the New Year will be better for you and your family. Michelle

Sherri and family...you are in my thoughts and prayers. Sounds like Jean went peacefully and without suffering.  I enjoyed reading about your dinner dates with Jean ,Bob, Bill and yourself, the memories are so precious. Sending you a warm hug today....DEB

Sherri,

4 husbands is a long time to wait to meet the perfect Mother in law.  I know her passing is hard and she will be deeply missed by your family.  Try to remember the joy and good times you've had with her as your family makes it way down the foggy road.  There will be a day when you see light at the end of the road.  God is merciful in not making her suffer and letting her have a good, good life. 

My thoughts and prayers will be with your family in the coming weeks!

Frankie

I want to thank all of you for your wonderful, heartfelt messages. Instead of trying to answer to each of you separately, I hope you don't mind my doing it this way.

Annette, Shana, Jeannie, Tammy, Jenny, Jana, Christie, Sandra and Michelle....
Thank you so much ladies. It is so comforting to know that I have sisters on the board who do so understand and are here for me.

Andrea, I am so sorry for the loss of your MIL. They can certainly be very special to us, can't they? Deborah...I'm sorry about your brother's passing last Friday. My oldest sister died from cancer when she was 32 (1991). I won't say that time has made it easier..but with time, I do find that I hold on to those good memories more and more. We were the type of siblings that had more than our share of not so good ones..and they have practically gone non-existant over the course of time and it is the good ones my heart remembers.

Dawn, Deb, Ellen, Frankie, Lisa....
We will be meeting with Bill's sister & BIL (Suzie & Doug) at the funeral home on Monday to discuss the arrangements. It will most likely be after Christmas. It will be closed coffin. I guess Jean didn't want anyone staring at her dead face. That sounds like her. She wants to be remember for LIFE! And that is how I will always remember her. I always thought the world of her since I had first met her. She was just so full of life!

Jean's relationship with Bob helped bring her & I even closer together. She was able to confide in me on topics that her generation didn't feel comfortable confiding with their daughters..ie..sex. Naturally, she didn't feel comfortable talking to her kids about wanting THAT kind of relationship with Bob. I think it is so wonderful that she was able to feel like a woman again before she died and it makes me feel good to know that she felt confortable talking with me about that.  I will miss those double dates. I'm not sure who were the kids on those dates. lol. I think it's very sweet Deb that those dates stuck in your mind. It's something to hope for, huh? To find love again at 82 yrs old...and with your first love from over 60 yrs ago....?

I do feel for Bob. After high school, for whatever reason, they split up. Each of them married, had kids, etc. Bill's dad died ~ 15 years ago after battling cancer. Bob's wife died about a year before him & Jean reconnected. The last year or so with his wife, he nursed her with her illness. Then he gets with Jean and for the last 6 months or so, was nursing her. He is such a giving man. I am sure it is crushing him to lose not one, but two loves within such a short time.

Tracy...we have stressed to the kids that they are to continue with ALL plans as they were. That is the way Jean would had wanted it. Shellie's grandmother on her mom's side had paid for a 7 day caribean cruise for all of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren....including the round trip flights to Florida & hotel rooms for the day before & day after. It is something that Shellie has been looking forward to all year. Shellie & Shyanne are to fly out the day after Christmas. We made it clear to Shellie that this trip is an opportunity that doesn't come along every day and that Jean would be livid if Shellie didn't go on it. And she would have been. Yes, this means that Shellie will miss the funeral. I am going to ask Monday if I can bring her to the funeral home to say her good-byes though. I am hoping that they will allow that.

So...we will be continueing with all of the plans set...with a hope that Jean is looking down smiling. But knowing Jean? She will be busy trying to get some of the other people playing a game of poker, skipbo..or now that she has no more pain....bowling. Jean will always be remembered by those who knew her as being full of life...even in death.

Jean not only treated me well but she also opened up her heart and her arms to my kids and grandkids. Tiffany was 18 and Jay 16 when Bill & I met. You would had thought though that Bill was their father also with the way Jean always expressed concern about them, etc. Of course, that endeared her even more to us. When we told the kids the news, Jay tried to handle it 'like a man' but did have to leave the room a few times for his 'sinus's'. Tiffany had tears flowing but I have to really hand it to her for the woman she has become. She tried so tactfully not to take away any at all from Shellie's grief and was very sensitive to it. I was even impressed with Shellie. We thought for sure that it would be a 'drama Queen' moment (Shellie is good at those) but this time, she handled it with the appropriate behavior.

Thank you once again. Bill & I do appreciate all of you and the love you so willingly share with us.

Sherri

So sorry about your loss... My MIL moved into my back y ard in 1981 ( a moble home) I took care of her and we had a great life together for 16 years.. she helped raise my boys and I loved her dearly. Believe me I know your pain.. It was like loosing my own mom all over again when I lost her.

Be well and know that you had a great life together, and she went peacefully.

Linda Kay