Nellie.

There is a lot I didn’t know about Nellie until I read it in her obituary, today. I didn’t know she came to the DC area only a few years after my father was born in a country far away and here she remained for the rest of her life. I didn’t know she was Catholic or helped found a Church in the area.  I had no idea that she received a civilian award for her work on the Manhattan Project. I didn’t know she had five children, 12 grand-children, 18 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson. 

What I do know is simple. She was a delightfully sweet and had a deprecating sense of humor. I don’t think I ever saw her in a bad mood when she was in the water.  I was amazed that she, after her first stroke, got back in the water and continued to do synchronized swimming, gracing us with her kind, loving, presence. I know that while I would grumble and whine and struggle to get into the water, she would laugh, take her time, and get there all the same. What I do know is that I looked forward to seeing her smiling face each week and I was very sad that when, two years ago, she stopped coming due to her second stroke. 

She, by all counts, lived a life filled with love and laughter. But I’m still sad. I’m sad because the world is just that little bit dimmer for her light having left it. And though I may not have known her that well, I’m sad because I will miss her.