True Story
Linda Dormer:
I know that it must have been her time...but I'm not ready to let go. But I am going to try. I will hold on fondly to the memories I have of you, Mrs. Dormer. You were fare to good for death. We all miss you terribly. You raised me up.
As a few of you know, my sister Michele's husband Chris's mom had been diagnoses with cancer however long ago. I always felt that Mrs. Dormer and I were close, and I was rather attached to her. She's such a sweet lady and always smiled, even with her fatal illness.
Michele had been trying to get pregnant for about two years, but things were going wrong. Michele and Chris tried everything that they could, but nothing worked. Until last July, after coming home from their vacation in Florida, Michele and Chris had my other two sisters, Kate and Sue, my mom, Chris's sister Dina and Mr. and Mrs. Dormer out to her house. She said that they had bought us all souviners, and when I opened mine, it was a magnet that said how special aunts are. I was confused, but my mom and Mrs. D got it right away with their photoalbums that said GRANDMOTHER on them. Yes. They'd finally gotten pregnant, and Mrs. Dormer made an annoucment as well.
"I can't have the baby call me Nonna." She'd said. 'Nonna' was her mother, and had past away that January. "But I don't want something that anyone else has. So I want to be called Grom." And the name was sure to stick. Now Cassidy Lynn, my niece, Michele's daughter, is going to turn one Febuary 21st of this year.
During that summer, Mrs. Dormer appeared to be getting worse. She was going to need a bone marrow transplant and blood transfusion. No one matched her blood exactly, but Chris would be perfect for the bone marrow. Still, the doctors only gave her until Thanksgiving of this year to live, even after the transplant, incase it didn't work.
But it did work. The transplant was sucessful, and all signs of leikemia were gone. Mrs. Dormer's white blood cell count went back to normal, and everything seemed well. She lived past Thanksgiving, she proved the doctors wrong.
We had all gone to Michele's house for Christmas, and Mr. Dormer stopped by. Mrs. Dormer couldn't come, because she was still ill and Michele had to give her two shots every day. I hadn't seen Mrs. D since August, and was saddened to find that she couldn't make it. Mr. Dormer said she wished us all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, then he had to leave. I waved good-bye, but I knew I should have told him to tell Mrs. Dormer Merry Christmas and I loved her. Something I had never told her before.
Once New Years rolled around, she had seemed to be doing fine. I woke up on January Second around 12:30, and took a seat in the living room. My mom, who should have been at work, came in the door and was talking to someone on the phone. When she got off, she seemd rather angry. "Why didn't you pick up the phone?" She said. "I called, Shell called, and you never picked up?" "Mom I just got up, I didn't hear the phone. WHta's wrong?" I replied. "We have to go. Get dressed, pack a bag just in case. Katie's in the O.R. because she has an egg in her folopian tube and Mrs. Dormer's being flown to Jefferson Hospital, She had six seizures, we need to go see Kate because she drove herself to E.R. because Chris is an asshole." My sister Kate also married a man named Chris, but he's the total opposite of Chris Dormer.
When we finally got to the hospital that Kate was in ((two minutes to late to see her off to the O.R.)) and my mom telling me thst they only gave Mrs. Dormer 24-48 hours of life left, I found myself extreamly distracted, and devistated. My mom and I decided to walk down to the cafiteria to grav something to eat. I spotted that there was a chaple just down the hall from the cafeteria, and decided that I would stop and pray for Mrs. Dormer as soon as I was done eating. We got in line in the cafteria and my mom called Michele, but she didn't pick up. So, I go to look and stuff and as soon as I'm about to tell my mom I want a sandwhich, her cell phone rings. She starts crying and then tries telling whoever is on the phone about Kate. When she gets off, she hugs me, and tells me what's what.
"Oh, Mare, she died, she's dead, oh no." She said. I'm shocked, too shocked to really say anything. We went back to the waiting area, passing the chaple. It was too late to ask God to spare her.
The Viewing would be on Friday, and the funeral Saturday. When we walked into the church on Friday night, we stopped, thankfully, in the middle of the aisle to look at three collages that Chris had put together, all of Mrs. Dormer. Mr. Dormer, Dina, Chris, and Michele all stood at the front of the church. To the left of Mrs. Dormer, lying peacfully in her casket. We walked up slowly, or, I did, anyway, and when we reached her, it just didn't fit. It didn't look like her. Mom said they had put a wig on her, but that wasn't what was wrong. I hugged Mr. Dormer and he thanked me for coming. I told him that I was glad to be there, that I couldn't live with myself if I didn't go. Dina was trying not to cry, you could tell in the way her voice had cracked when she had said "Hey, Mare." like all of the Dormers do, like Mrs. Dormer did. Chris, usually the strongest one, was or had been crying, and he held me tight, and he, also, thanked me for coming. Michele was the one who talked to me the most.
"I keep trying to fix her hair, fix her neck, but it's not her, Mare. It just isn't her. She's not here, not like she used to be." She hugged me then, her voice had cracked too. She heled my hands and looked down at them, spotting the ring on my finger. "She gave that to you, you know." She said, her voice cracking yet again. I hugged her harder. Of course I remembered that Mrs. Dormer had given it to me, why did she think I wore it, why I still wear it now? We sat down near a corner, my mom making conversation. And then I did something I barely do.
I cried. I cried hard and my throat and eyes grew sore. I couldn't stand it; she couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. This had to be a mistake. I walked back up to her casket before we left, and noticed something. Three or so pink roses with baby's breath, a ribbon tied onto the flowers. It read GROM.
At the funeral the next day, it got even worse. Four people read uligies, and I cried each time. The first three I teared up mostly, trying not to, trying to hold it in. But then Dina and Chris got up, and Dina began to read. She wrote it like a letter, starting "Dear Mom," which grabbed everyone's attention.
"I was getting ready to go on a swimming retreat when I realized I wouldn't see you for ten whole days. That thought alone made me not want to go. But I knew that when I got back, you would be ready with a smile and a hug, and that made me feel a little better." This held our attention. She went on about how she had dreamed of all the things that they would do once Mrs. Dormer was well again, about Dina's to-be wedding, about her futur children, everything.
"I think that the hardest part about this is that Cassidy isn't old enough to know you. But Chris and Dad and I are going to make sure that she knows her Grom." And that was it. I lost it right there. I couldn't see, but it didn't matter, because now it was time for the burial. Walking down the aisle, I noticed something. Not only were a lot of her student there, but there was not one dry-eye in that room.
The wind had picked up by now, but it was a very nice, very odd 72-degress. After the priest said a prayer everyone was to place their rose ontop of her casket. Mr. Dormer wnet first, holding Cassidy, his 'rock', and placed it into the center. Dina and Chris held hands and at the same time placed their roses on top. Chris kissed the top of the casket, his eyes beginning to ater, and the wind picked up momenterily. As if she tried to tell him it was okay, if if trying to hug him. Before we left, I placed my rose on the casket, walked a few paces, then looked back, tearing up. The wind blew and rocked the casket, keeping me on edge.
"She's waving good-bye. Mare." My mom said from behind me. And I lost it again, as I tried walking away, waving back to her.
At the luncheon at the Springfeild Contry Club, Chris made a surprisingly humorous comment.
"Ya know, I should have known that Mom would have cranked the temperture up to 71 in January and made us go to a golf course when I can't play." The remark made me smile, seeing as he could say it. We later found out that the Dormer has gotten new wedding bands for their 25th anniversary, who knows how long ago, and Chris wore his mom's newer one on his pink, and Dina wore her original one.
We also found out that Mr. Dormer gave her the eternity necklace this Christmas.
As a few of you know, my sister Michele's husband Chris's mom had been diagnoses with cancer however long ago. I always felt that Mrs. Dormer and I were close, and I was rather attached to her. She's such a sweet lady and always smiled, even with her fatal illness.
Michele had been trying to get pregnant for about two years, but things were going wrong. Michele and Chris tried everything that they could, but nothing worked. Until last July, after coming home from their vacation in Florida, Michele and Chris had my other two sisters, Kate and Sue, my mom, Chris's sister Dina and Mr. and Mrs. Dormer out to her house. She said that they had bought us all souviners, and when I opened mine, it was a magnet that said how special aunts are. I was confused, but my mom and Mrs. D got it right away with their photoalbums that said GRANDMOTHER on them. Yes. They'd finally gotten pregnant, and Mrs. Dormer made an annoucment as well.
"I can't have the baby call me Nonna." She'd said. 'Nonna' was her mother, and had past away that January. "But I don't want something that anyone else has. So I want to be called Grom." And the name was sure to stick. Now Cassidy Lynn, my niece, Michele's daughter, is going to turn one Febuary 21st of this year.
During that summer, Mrs. Dormer appeared to be getting worse. She was going to need a bone marrow transplant and blood transfusion. No one matched her blood exactly, but Chris would be perfect for the bone marrow. Still, the doctors only gave her until Thanksgiving of this year to live, even after the transplant, incase it didn't work.
But it did work. The transplant was sucessful, and all signs of leikemia were gone. Mrs. Dormer's white blood cell count went back to normal, and everything seemed well. She lived past Thanksgiving, she proved the doctors wrong.
We had all gone to Michele's house for Christmas, and Mr. Dormer stopped by. Mrs. Dormer couldn't come, because she was still ill and Michele had to give her two shots every day. I hadn't seen Mrs. D since August, and was saddened to find that she couldn't make it. Mr. Dormer said she wished us all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, then he had to leave. I waved good-bye, but I knew I should have told him to tell Mrs. Dormer Merry Christmas and I loved her. Something I had never told her before.
Once New Years rolled around, she had seemed to be doing fine. I woke up on January Second around 12:30, and took a seat in the living room. My mom, who should have been at work, came in the door and was talking to someone on the phone. When she got off, she seemd rather angry. "Why didn't you pick up the phone?" She said. "I called, Shell called, and you never picked up?" "Mom I just got up, I didn't hear the phone. WHta's wrong?" I replied. "We have to go. Get dressed, pack a bag just in case. Katie's in the O.R. because she has an egg in her folopian tube and Mrs. Dormer's being flown to Jefferson Hospital, She had six seizures, we need to go see Kate because she drove herself to E.R. because Chris is an asshole." My sister Kate also married a man named Chris, but he's the total opposite of Chris Dormer.
When we finally got to the hospital that Kate was in ((two minutes to late to see her off to the O.R.)) and my mom telling me thst they only gave Mrs. Dormer 24-48 hours of life left, I found myself extreamly distracted, and devistated. My mom and I decided to walk down to the cafiteria to grav something to eat. I spotted that there was a chaple just down the hall from the cafeteria, and decided that I would stop and pray for Mrs. Dormer as soon as I was done eating. We got in line in the cafteria and my mom called Michele, but she didn't pick up. So, I go to look and stuff and as soon as I'm about to tell my mom I want a sandwhich, her cell phone rings. She starts crying and then tries telling whoever is on the phone about Kate. When she gets off, she hugs me, and tells me what's what.
"Oh, Mare, she died, she's dead, oh no." She said. I'm shocked, too shocked to really say anything. We went back to the waiting area, passing the chaple. It was too late to ask God to spare her.
The Viewing would be on Friday, and the funeral Saturday. When we walked into the church on Friday night, we stopped, thankfully, in the middle of the aisle to look at three collages that Chris had put together, all of Mrs. Dormer. Mr. Dormer, Dina, Chris, and Michele all stood at the front of the church. To the left of Mrs. Dormer, lying peacfully in her casket. We walked up slowly, or, I did, anyway, and when we reached her, it just didn't fit. It didn't look like her. Mom said they had put a wig on her, but that wasn't what was wrong. I hugged Mr. Dormer and he thanked me for coming. I told him that I was glad to be there, that I couldn't live with myself if I didn't go. Dina was trying not to cry, you could tell in the way her voice had cracked when she had said "Hey, Mare." like all of the Dormers do, like Mrs. Dormer did. Chris, usually the strongest one, was or had been crying, and he held me tight, and he, also, thanked me for coming. Michele was the one who talked to me the most.
"I keep trying to fix her hair, fix her neck, but it's not her, Mare. It just isn't her. She's not here, not like she used to be." She hugged me then, her voice had cracked too. She heled my hands and looked down at them, spotting the ring on my finger. "She gave that to you, you know." She said, her voice cracking yet again. I hugged her harder. Of course I remembered that Mrs. Dormer had given it to me, why did she think I wore it, why I still wear it now? We sat down near a corner, my mom making conversation. And then I did something I barely do.
I cried. I cried hard and my throat and eyes grew sore. I couldn't stand it; she couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. This had to be a mistake. I walked back up to her casket before we left, and noticed something. Three or so pink roses with baby's breath, a ribbon tied onto the flowers. It read GROM.
At the funeral the next day, it got even worse. Four people read uligies, and I cried each time. The first three I teared up mostly, trying not to, trying to hold it in. But then Dina and Chris got up, and Dina began to read. She wrote it like a letter, starting "Dear Mom," which grabbed everyone's attention.
"I was getting ready to go on a swimming retreat when I realized I wouldn't see you for ten whole days. That thought alone made me not want to go. But I knew that when I got back, you would be ready with a smile and a hug, and that made me feel a little better." This held our attention. She went on about how she had dreamed of all the things that they would do once Mrs. Dormer was well again, about Dina's to-be wedding, about her futur children, everything.
"I think that the hardest part about this is that Cassidy isn't old enough to know you. But Chris and Dad and I are going to make sure that she knows her Grom." And that was it. I lost it right there. I couldn't see, but it didn't matter, because now it was time for the burial. Walking down the aisle, I noticed something. Not only were a lot of her student there, but there was not one dry-eye in that room.
The wind had picked up by now, but it was a very nice, very odd 72-degress. After the priest said a prayer everyone was to place their rose ontop of her casket. Mr. Dormer wnet first, holding Cassidy, his 'rock', and placed it into the center. Dina and Chris held hands and at the same time placed their roses on top. Chris kissed the top of the casket, his eyes beginning to ater, and the wind picked up momenterily. As if she tried to tell him it was okay, if if trying to hug him. Before we left, I placed my rose on the casket, walked a few paces, then looked back, tearing up. The wind blew and rocked the casket, keeping me on edge.
"She's waving good-bye. Mare." My mom said from behind me. And I lost it again, as I tried walking away, waving back to her.
At the luncheon at the Springfeild Contry Club, Chris made a surprisingly humorous comment.
"Ya know, I should have known that Mom would have cranked the temperture up to 71 in January and made us go to a golf course when I can't play." The remark made me smile, seeing as he could say it. We later found out that the Dormer has gotten new wedding bands for their 25th anniversary, who knows how long ago, and Chris wore his mom's newer one on his pink, and Dina wore her original one.
We also found out that Mr. Dormer gave her the eternity necklace this Christmas.