Wednesday, January 2, 2019
To Joan's Family,
It is with great sadness that I just now learned of the passing of your mother (grandmother & great-grandmother), by virtue of the Christmas card that I mailed to her being returned to me today. Going on-line, I found her obituary.
Joan and my mom, Helen Rittel were life-long friends...which is a rare & precious thing these days. My mother, being 8 years older than Joan, was Joan's babysitter. (Their parents were good friends.) Come to think of it, Shari babysat me a few times, back in the day. Joan & my mother along with their husbands, Doris & Dick, Paul & Shirley & Bud & Pat all enjoyed their monthly "couples club" meetings in each other's homes for many years in Syracuse.
Even after Joan & Dick moved to Texas, our parents remained in touch with each other. My parents fondly remembered the vacation time they spent with Joan and Dick in Texas...visiting the "ranch" location from the "Dallas" T.V. show was just one of the highlights of their time together again. It was a trip my parents talked about for a long time afterwards!
After Dick's death, Joan moved back to New York and she & my mom picked up where they left off... going to craft & antique shows together. Then, after my father died, Joan came to live with my mother for a short time to ease her over the loss. Joan was a very giving, warm and genuine lady. (She always reminded me of Debbie Reynolds.)
I hope this condolence and my memories find their way to you so many months after Joan's death. The loss of a mother is a hard one to bear. When my mom died in 1998, Joan took it hard too. Since that time, Joan and I continued sharing Thanksgiving & Christmas cards with each other. Joan's cards stopped coming a few years ago, but as long as the ones I sent to her were never returned, I figured all was as good as it could be with the passage of time. Now, my Christmas card to Joan has been returned...now she and my mother are friends together, once more, for eternity.
