[Magdalen] RIP Dorothy Mengering, 95.

[Jay Weigel]

I was sad when my mom died, and I still miss her, more so than my dad. When
your parents are gone, it means you can't ever go home again. I'm not so
sure I like this business of being at the head of the generational train,
either.

On Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 2:30 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:

> You are absolutely right, of course, but I was sad when Mom died, one month
> into her one-hundredth year of life. She had serious mobility issues, and
> her memory was not good, but Mom was still Mom, and it meant the loss of
> the last link to that entire generation, and I was sad, even though for Mom
> it was a terrific release from her earthly trials.
>
> It's a matter of attitude, to a large extent. I still remember a scene from
> Northern Exposure when the bar owner, Holling Vancouer, is talking
> wistfully about his relationship with his live-in girlfriend, Shelley.
> Holling has often observed how the Vancouers are notoriously long-lived.
> He's about sixty and she's about twenty, and in the course of the
> conversation, he makes a sad reference to that day "When I have to bury
> Shelley."  He did it so deadpan, it took a minute for the "wait, what?"
> response.
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
>
> On Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 9:26 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > In a message dated 4/13/2017 1:07:44 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> > mjl at ix.netcom.com writes:
> >
> > >>>I saw one headline about her death under the banner,  "Letterman
> > Endures
> > Great Tragedy."  Actually, what a long,  wonderful life for this lady,
> and
> > her life to 95 should be looked  upon as a triumph and blessing  rather
> > than a great tragedy  IMHO.<<<
> >
> > Said banner is, of course, a bit over the top.   A much-beloved lady
> > reaches the venerable age of 95, and her death is a  "tragedy"?  Well,
> one
> > must
> > consider how old Dave is, and how long he's  had that wonderful lady in
> his
> > life.  Whenever "my Mom, Dorothy!", Dave's  "Special Correspondent" on
> the
> > field, was featured, Anna and I would whoop and  holler, we thought her
> so
> > great.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> >
> >
> > I stuck a foot in my mouth once when I sang in the local Procathedral
> > Choir.  A soprano had lost her 97 year old grandmother, and there  was
> > much mourning and discussion of her death by choir
> > members for several weeks.
> >
> > Finally, I interjected that I had never had the opportunity to know ANY
> of
> > my grandparents since they all died in the 1920's before I was born,  and
> > that the soprano's  family should rejoice in this grandma's long  life.
> >
> > Even after these weeks of mourning, this message was not what the
> soprano
> > wanted to hear, and I was urged to apologize to her.  I didn't.   At
> least
> > the
> > wailing over her death ceased!
> >
> >
> >
> > David S.
> >
>