A Very Special Lady
The reason I did not post a story last weekend was due to my Mother-In-Law Berna Deanne getting Covid earlier in the week, and then she came down with a case of pneumonia. This caused her to get admitted to Portneuf Regional Medical Center in Pocatello. I drove down to see her on Thursday, and she said she was feeling a little better. She told me she just wanted to go home and be with her cats. When I called her on Friday, she told me the doctor had released her to go home, but the nurses in Rehab wanted to send her to American Falls and build her strength back up.
We found out on Saturday that Friday night she had a stroke. We didn’t have many details about her condition, so Kristi and I drove over to see her on Sunday. There are many details I could write about seeing her, and the events that occurred in the following days. I will simply let you know that she passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday night. For the rest of the story, I would like to pay tribute to this amazing lady and the life lessons I learned from her.
I first met her when I came to the house to pick up Shannon for our first date. I was a little scared to meet Shannon’s parents. Berna Deanne came up to me and was so kind and nice. Ralph on the other hand came to me and said, “What are your intentions with my daughter?” I truthfully replied, “To treat her with the respect you would want me to.” Ralph told me he would hold me to that. My relationship with Berna Deanne began to grow closer starting that day. I’m not sure if it was because she liked me or felt sorry for me. But you know me, as long as I win, I’m don’t care what the reason is. I do have to say that Ralph and I had a good relationship throughout the years as well.
Berna Deanne reminded me so much of my Mom. They are two very strong ladies that grew up in a time where there weren’t as many comforts and luxuries as we have today. They both had to work on the farm and then take care of everyone and everything in the house. They were two very strong hard working ladies. Berna Deanne also worked very hard taking care of a lot of families in her community. She was a true example of compassion and commitment.
The most important thing I admire about her is her testimony of our Heavenly Father. She has helped me through a lot of my trials and has taught me the healing power of faith and trust in a power greater than ourselves. I will always be eternally grateful to her for that.
The greatest comfort I have from this is the tremendous reunion she was able to have with Shannon, and the rest of her family. That puts a big smile on my face, and warmth in my heart. I am going to miss calling her and reading her my story each week. I am going to miss telling her about her grandsons, and great granddaughters. I am going to miss talking to her about the joys and heartaches of being a Utah Jazz fan.
She was an amazing strong lady, and we will all miss her very much. I would encourage you to let the people in your life know how much you love them and appreciate them. I will simply end this story by saying, “Goodbye Berna Deanne. We will always Love and Miss You.”