A Matriarch has passed.

Last night my Aunt Marie passed away.  At ninety years old it took lung cancer to take her down.  She was my mother's oldest sibling.  In a family of five girls and one boy, she stood out as the one, in my mind, with the power and strength to lead.  Born in the early 1920s, she grew to adulthood during WWII.  Aunt Marie retired from Fort Omaha.  Though she was the smallest in the family, I have no problem envisioning her bossing solders on the job. 

I remember the irises she used to collect and grow at her house.  The iris always brings to mind my mother and her sister Marie.  Uncle Art and Aunt Marie used to have more than their share of family gatherings at their house.  The cookouts and baseball games in the summer.  The Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners they took turns hosting with the rest of her sisters and their families will always be well remembered. 

One of my favorite memories is one baseball game played in their very large yard.  Everyone participated.  The three Uncle Toms all played.  To differentiate between them we called them Uncle Tom Tom, the only boy amongst the five sister,.Uncle Big Tim, my aunt June's husband, and Uncle Round Tom, Aunt Claire's husband. 

Mother turns grief into help for other new parents

Posted: Jun 08, 2012 4:56 PM CDT Updated: Jun 08, 2012 5:03 PM CDT

Reported by Josh DeVine - email

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - The grief of losing a young child means a new mission to attack a terrible problem in Tennessee.
Perry Williams died in his crib just about 5 months into his life.
A stray blanket may have been to blame, and Friday, on the baby's first birthday, his mother - a Brentwood EMT - is intent on playing a part in a statewide solution.
Tennessee has the third-highest rate of infant mortality in the country, and that includes Katherine Williams' son, Perry.
"Today is my son's first birthday," Williams said. "You would do anything to be able to rewind the clock and go back."
Perry died in the crib in early November. In her grief, Williams developed a mission.
The SleepSack Project aims to promote the best information for new parents.
"I don't call it prevention. I call it risk reduction," Williams said. "I want parents to know that they have done everything possible."
Now, she donates her time and money with six hospitals to promote the one thing that might have made a difference for Perry.
"If I can make just one parent not have to go through what I did, because that, it's your worst nightmare. But the problem is you never wake up," Williams said.
It might just be catching on. At Baptist Hospital, for example, every new parent will get a lesson on how to use a SleepSack as a means of trying to cut that sobering statistic in Tennessee.
"And in healthcare, for someone who turns around what they do and really wants to give back is huge," said Donna Darnell, with Baptist Hospital.
Friday, nurses at four area hospitals gave new parents the SleepSacks that Williams purchased.
Each featured Perry's picture.
New mother Bethany Romkee received one after giving birth Friday morning.
"You hate to hear any parent lose a child. And that was one of our fears. We do know that children, all of us, are in God's hand, but we can take the precautions," Romkee said.
And that gives meaning to a loss for Williams and too many other moms in Tennessee.
"You don't just get better. It's something that you learn to live with. And you try to find meaning for your child's life," Williams said.
Baptist Hospital officials said they plan to implement its SleepSack program in the coming weeks. The state recently took on this issue of infant mortality, as well.
For more on the SleepSack Project and resources for new parents, visit: http://www.firstcandle.org/ or http://safesleep.tn.gov/.
And to contact Katherine Williams, email: williamsk913@yahoo.com.
Copyright WSMV 2012 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

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