Page 172 - Always Virginia

160 Virginia Day Fritscher

Democrat who voted 12 days before she died. She marched in the
streets against war carrying a sign that read “No Blood for Oil.”
She was a progressive Catholic who said the rosary, made Cursillos,
and prayed nightly novenas. She stood for individual rights for each
person. She was free of bias based on religion, race, and gender. She
believed racism and sexism and homophobia are mortal sins; but
she judged no one while accepting everyone. She didn’t tell you,
or me, or anyone, what to think, but she’d sweetly tell those who
asked what she thought. She taught me tolerance. She taught me
to be myself. No matter what.
She was always upbeat, positive, and the life of the party. She
was a musical-comedy kind of woman who was a complex and real
human being. Her parents adored her. Her brothers and sisters
loved her. You, her friends who are indeed so dear to us from our
auld lang syne, enjoyed her because she was never boring. She was
a great care-giver who, at times during her life, needed some care
which was given by her granddaughters Laura and Dianna who
called her almost nightly; by Becky Mohn and her parents Chuck
and Dot; by Pat Mullane; and especially by Pam Perrilles and her
family, Marie and Jennie.
People sometimes joked that I was her only child, but for the
last 26 years she was also cared for by the son-in-law she loved,
Mark Hemry, who, most people said, looked more like her than
anyone. I am so thankful to see my mother-in-law, Claudine
Thomas, here today.
I took care of my mom from the onset of my father’s illness 40
years ago, but really she took care of me from our wild adventures
before and during World War II to the present day. She was and
always will be my Irish good luck charm. The last thing she said
to me before she went into her last surgery was, “I love you, honey.
Thank you for everything.” She was a lovely, glamourous person to
whom I can only say, standing in front of you all as witness...she was
a lovely lady to whom I can only say thanks, my dear, my mother,
my mom, I love you. “Angels guard thee, Sweet Love, till morn.”