My mother, Mary Jeanette Bowen Rasmussen, passed away November 18, 2011. She was the last of the eleven siblings in her family. This past year she and I had spent enjoyable time scanning old family photos, and her telling me about the people in those pictures. Little did we know at the time that the woman who's doctor kept remarking about her very good health, would find out in October that a new pain in her side would be diagnosed as pancreatic cancer. She died four weeks later.
Her loss is certainly a sad event for our family. However, we are grateful for her 81 years of good health, and the memories we have. With her passing I have also lost a link to our past. Her date of death is now part of my database. No longer can I go to her for family information.
You never know when you might lose a parent. Spend some time with them while you can to document what they can share about family history.
