Annabelle
Lee Davenport
July 15, 1930 - October 30, 1996
To
live in the hearts of those who loved you is to live
forever.
We didn't know that morning He was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you, the day God called you home.
You left us wonderful memories, your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you, you are always by our side.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same;
But as God calls us one by one,
the Chain will link again.
This page is dedicated to the memory of my mother who passed away from lung cancer. She was a great lady. She was a fighter and a survivor. She started life out the hard way. She was due in October 1930 but was born July 15, 1930 weighing 2 lbs. 14 oz. Her twin sister, Isabelle Lee, had a bad heart and only lived for a day. Mom was a very small child and frequently sick. She missed a lot of school but graduated from high school in 1949. She was a single mom of four for many years until she and my dad got back together when I was 13. She had numerous health problems but she managed to always rise above them. She discovered she had diabetes right before having laser surgery done on her eyes for cataracts. She also had glaucoma. In October 1992 she suffered a massive heart attack and nearly died. She had to have five-way bypass surgery and suffered a stroke following the surgery. She managed to overcome these obstacles and got around better than I could at times. We spent a lot of time together the last three years of her life. I remember when I was pregnant with my last child and I would tire easily. She would drop me off at home and go pick up one of my other sisters and keep going. In the summer of 1995 a small knot that she'd had on her leg for over 10 years began to grow. In August she had it removed. It turned out to be a rare malignant form of muscle cancer. The doctors were certain they had gotten it all and nothing else showed up on her tests. In March of 1996 she had a complete cancer check up and was given a clean bill of health. She got down sick the first part of June with what her doctor thought was a viral infection. She was sick for weeks. My dad finally had to take her to the emergency room where they discovered one of her lungs had collapsed. They ran a scope down into her lung to see what was going on and thought she had a large aneurism blocking the opening. They sent her to a hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. During exploratory surgery it was discovered her lung was full of cancer. They told us it was a rare and slow growing type that she had probably had for years. They wanted to remove the lung to buy her some more time. She had surgery in August 1996. When the surgeons opened mom up they discovered a large tumor attached to her heart. There was nothing more they could do for her. They told us she probably would not live to come home but she did. She could not eat and slowly starved to death. My last child was born the end of September and mom passed away a month later. My dad, my two sisters and I got to be with her when she died. It was a very rare, unique and oddly beautiful moment that I feel privileged to have been a part of. She was there when I came into the world and I got to be with her when she left it. I miss her very much. She was one of my best and dearest friends and confidantes. She was the mom that all the neighborhood kids flocked to. My friends told mom their secrets. She loved to paint and was very artistic. She also loved to dance and was an accomplished tap dancer. In her last years her passion was crocheting. We all have blankets, lap robes and afghans crocheted by her. She was wife to John, mom to Denise, Patricia, Roger and Lisa and grandma to John, David, Frank, Rachel, Heather, Jared and Mikaela. She is much loved and much missed!
To laugh often and much
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of small children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or
a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
You were a success Mom! I love you and miss you!
I'M FREE
Don't grieve for me,
for now I'm free
I'm following the path God laid for me.
I took His hand when I heard him call;
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way;
I found that place at the close of day.
If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared a laugh, a kiss;
Ah yes, these things, I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life's been full, I savored much;
Good friends, good times,a loved ones touch.
Perhaps my time seems all too brief;
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me,
God wanted me now,
He set me free.
Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be the household word it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was;
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of your mind because I am out of your sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before-
Only better, infinitely happier and forever-
We will all be one together with Christ.
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This page updated January 17, 2000
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