My mother-in-law died last week. We went to her funeral on Saturday. Here's a copy of her life sketch. She wrote it herself and asked for it to be read. (See below) She also planned the program. It went something like this.
Life sketch
Musical number I'm Trying to be Like Jesus and I Feel My Savior's Love, preformed by grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Remembrances by her seven children
Musical number, In My Father's House are Many Mansions
A short talk on the Plan of Salvation (don't know what that is? You can read about it here.)
After the funeral service, we drove to the top of the Salt Lake City Cemetery where we placed flowers on Grandma's casket, and Steven offered a prayer to dedicate the grave. We drove away, leaving that chapter of our lives.
And it was all lovely.
But the thought of my niece's cancer haunted me. Grandma had a long and wonderful life. But that's not a guaranteed blessing for all of us. My niece Kira has stage four cancer. You can donate to her here. Or buy a t-shirt--all proceeds will go directly to Kira. The dog on the shirt is a picture of Kira's pug.
Nadine's Life Sketch
Nadine (Call) Tate 89 years, graduated from this life on
Monday, July 18, 2016 at Lakeview Hospital following a stroke, a massive brain
hemorrhage. She had family at her side at her passing. She is survived by 7
children and spouses, 40 grandchildren and 83 great grandchildren. She was
preceded in death by her husband, parents, 2 sisters and 2 brothers, a
daughter-in-law, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Nadine Call was born of
goodly parents, Horace Arthur and Leona May (Papworth) Call on February 10,
1927, in a small white house in Tucson, Arizona. The doctor proclaimed that she
was premature, weighing in around 8 pounds because her eyebrows and finger
nails weren’t yet developed. I remember her telling me that they thought she
was Native American because she had pitch black hair and very olive skin,
however there is not genealogical connection to that claim. She was the
youngest of 5 children.
Nadine was born with a
testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and never ever questioned it. In
Arizona water was precious and so there had to be enough individuals getting
baptized to warrant filling up the small font. Her dad was the Superintendent
of the Sunday School so she often accompanied him early on Sunday mornings to
the church. In June following her 8th birthday when her father was
checking the church building he noticed that the missionaries had filled the
font for a convert baptism. He asked Nadine if she had been baptized yet? “No”.
He asked her, do you have white underwear and slip on, “Yes”. He told her to
take everything else off. He went up got the two missionaries for witnesses and
her dad baptized her. Then he called her mama to bring some dry under things,
telling her he had just baptized, Nadine.
Nadine dad’s brother
married her mother’s sister. She loved it when they would come down from Afton,
Wyoming. She said the Call family really didn’t know how to just laugh and have
fun but the Papworths (her mama’s family) did.. She said she would quietly sit
under the piano and listen to her mother and aunt talk and laugh. They would
laugh until tears rolled down their cheeks. None of the kids knew how to laugh
out loud. Nadine knew how to project her voice because of singing so she
developed a “cackle”. She said her brother Vaughn, would open up his mouth but
nothing would come out and his nose would quiver. Nadine preferred her
“cackle”.
Nadine was very
intelligent, with an IQ of 140 and attended the University of Utah when she was
15 years old. Despite her intelligence she was a slow reader and later the
cause was identified as dyslexia. Math was her best subject. It was while
attending the U of U she met Willard Richards Tate. While registering for school at the “U”, Nadine
ran into her boyfriend and his response was, what are you doing here? He was
upset that she would only be 1 quarter behind him as a Freshman. While they
were arguing on the front steps of Kingsbury Hall, along came his close buddy,
Willard, who sided with Nadine and said “if she’s smart enough, why not.” Nadine
told him, “to mind his own business”.
About two weeks later
during lunch she noticed Willard sitting by himself in the cafeteria, and so
just like her, always thinking of others, she asked him to join her group so he
wouldn’t have to sit alone.
On Nadine 17th
birthday Willard gave her his Lambda Delta Sigma Fraternity pin. Two months
later his entire U of U Engineering class enlisted in the Navy to fight in
World War II. Willard gave her a Diamond to “secure her.” On April 19, 1945,
she married her sweetheart, Willard Richards Tate, in the Salt Lake City
Temple. They had a lot of adventures
traveling all over New England as Willard was sent to one specialized training
after another.
While Willard was away, Nadine
worked and built up a good nest egg. On one of Willard’s leaves they bought a
little white cottage with picket fence, arbor gate and all for $8000. Her dad
helped with the down payment. They never
got to live in the house because of the housing shortage, Willard’s brother
Ralph and his family of 5 children moved in. They ended up getting a small
apartment on 3rd South by South Temple.
Shortly after the family
moved into our new home on Northgate St. in Culver City, California the Gas man
who had hooked up the gas line submitted Nadine (mom/grandma)’s name to the
Mrs. America contest which the gas company was sponsoring. Nadine was selected
as Mrs. Culver City.
Nadine and Willard loved
to tour the United States in their camper as well as traveling all over the world.
She loved the many
missionaries they worked with as she and Willard served as the office couple in
6 California missions: San Bernardino (twice), San Francisco, Carlsbad, Long
Beach, and Riverside. She wrote “Those years in the mission field were most
satisfying. Wonderful people, great working conditions, being needed and
appreciated, and most of all working side by side 24/7 with Willard in the
Lord’s work. It was a joy one can only experience, words cannot express it
adequately.” Whether it is serving missions, serving in our wards, serving our
neighbors and most of all our family. That’s what mom taught, and lived, service.
Nadine had a strong
testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was steadfast and firm in keeping
all of His commandments, and taught her family well. She said, “I’ve loved the
Lord all of my life, I’ve loved Willard, my righteous and brilliant husband
with all my heart. We have been blessed with the most wonderful and marvelous,
brilliant and righteous children. Then along came the beautiful grandchildren
and great grandchildren. Willard used to say it is the only Pyramid plan that
really works. The Lord has been so generous with us and our life. I look
forward to being with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, His Son and to sing
their praises.”
Her posterity will
greatly miss her sense of humor and her love for family.
Memory from her oldest
grandchild:
I don't have any specific memories of Grandma, mostly just clips:
* The sound of her laugh
* The way she adored and dotted on
Grandpa
* A whole wall in her closet neatly
stacked with high heels in every color
* Candy and chocolates in all of
their drawers and cupboards
* Her freezer full of dessert and
telling us that they always had dessert
* Her telling me that I was most
like her
* That Grandma was both smart and
beautiful
Tribute from Adam, her
grandson
Tribute to Grandma Tate:
"When
Grandpa died, I took it pretty hard. I'm sure every grandchild feels a special
connection with their grandfathers, but having lived with him for a summer
shortly before he passed away, I felt especially close to him.
Accordingly, when I first heard that Grandma's health was rapidly
deteriorating, I emotionally prepared myself to go through a similar grieving
process.
Perhaps, those feelings of grief are still to come - but they haven't yet. Since
learning that Grandma passed away, I've felt nothing but peace and even
happiness. There is something beautiful about the thought of Grandma and
Grandpa being together once again. Something wonderful about the thought of
them reminiscing about their past journeys together and looking forward with
excitement towards their future adventures.
I am thankful for my knowledge that thfough Jesus Christ families can be
together for forever. And while Mormons are not the only ones with this belief,
I am thankful that my Church puts such an emphasis on it. I will miss you
Grandma, but I'm sure I'll see you again someday."
Adam Tate (grandson)
Nadine Call Tate’s testimony never waivered and she endured
joyfully to the end. I know she is
happily reunited for all eternity to her sweetheart, Willard. For families are
what matter most and God designed a plan that we can be together forever.
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