Loss of a loved one.

Janet Ann Purchase
RIP 12/21/51-4/21/13

I had recently wrote a blog about the battle my mother in law was having with cancer. Sadly she passed away last Sunday April 21st. I had felt in my heart as she was slowing slipping away that I wanted to give a eulogy in her honor at her memorial service. So I'm going to share that here on my blog.

Janet was my mother in law; I am married to her son Brad. Often times we hear of stories of mothers in law being over barring, or never approving of their daughter in laws, with the logic that no woman is good enough for their son. That was not the type of relationship I had with Janet. If you don’t know about Brad and I’s courtship, it was short. We met, married and had Colton within one year! I’m not so sure Janet and Jerry were always on board with how fast things happen with us, but they always supported us and they welcomed me to the family with love and support. Janet was a care giver by nature, she wanted to take care of you, whatever it was anyone may need she wanted to take care of it. She has been there for Brad and I countless times to take care of Colton while I was sick or in the hospital. Often calling me and asking if she could take Colton to do things with him, like taking him to Anderson’s Orchard to pick apples, or to Easter egg hunts, she just loved spending time with him and us.  You didn't have to know her long to know that she would welcome anyone with open arms, love, and food! Everyone knew her in town, whether by her bright blonde hair or for the one who talked a lot that you couldn’t get away from in the grocery store! If you wanted to know something she most likely knew about it, and she knew and told you stuff you didn’t want to or care to know about as well! Someone in the family told me she had the nickname “the newspaper”! She knew things before anyone else and she loved to talk. She was a socializer, she could meet a person she never knew before and know their life story within minutes, and they too would know hers! I often say she gave her gift of gab to Colton, because he is the exact same way, and in her last days she claimed that he was worse than her! You could often find yourself on the phone with Janet not being able to get off, that was just who she was, a talker. Food was often her way into homes and hearts, she was an amazing cook! She was always making food for one occasion or another. She would often offer to make something, and then complain about having to do it, but we all knew she loved doing it!  She would often make us dinner and bring it down, or we would go to dinner at their place. I’m not sure I could have made it through some events without her bringing food for me. When Brad and I first married and were starting out she would bring us groceries’ on a regular basis and bought Colton clothes too. That leads me to another part of Janet, shopping! She loved to shop! Grocery shop, clothes shop, yard and garage sale shop it didn’t matter she could shop anywhere! Boy did she love a sale; she would buy something she didn’t even need simple because it was on sale! She would often say “well someone can use it!” But I loved that about her because we were about the same size usually so she would get me stuff too! She has a stock pile of groceries in the basement which is also very useful when we would run out of stuff since we live only about 2 miles away. We could and would often call and ask her if she had an ingredient we needed and she usually would and if she didn’t, she would volunteer to go get it and bring it to us. Janet loved to fish and hunt, and often out fished and out hunted the boys! Her and Jerry spent hours and days on the lakes fishing, often times coming home with enough fish to feed a small army.

It seems I could tell you a lot about Janet, but in reality I only knew her 1/3 of my life, a short 10 years. In comparison to a lot in this room that have known her their whole life or most of it, that is a small amount of time. It was, although plenty enough time to love her and appreciate all she has done for my family and I. So today I am going to celebrate her life and all that she was to me, finding Peace in the fact that she has gone Home. Her mortal life may be over, but she is only just beginning her eternal life in Heaven. I will rejoice in the fact that when I join her again, she will be there waiting with the same welcoming, open arms, and love she showed me here on earth.

I love you Janet, will miss you dearly, and may you fly high as an angel to watch over us.