Our Last Days with Dad

February 2004

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After the funeral and graveside service, the extended family
came back to the church for an early dinner. I've often been on the
preparation end of these luncheons but not on the receiving end.
I see now why they are so helpful for the family, the day is
full of other events and there's just not much time for food
preparation. Mom is saying a few words before the blessing on the
food. Mark Davis, grandson, blessed the food. Mom looks very
safe there with her retired FBI agent son-in-law, David, standing by.
She also looks so natural in front of people. And she should,
she's had plenty of practice over the years in various capacities.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the adorable Relief Society ladies
who provided our dinner. If there were others, I'm sorry they weren't in the
picture. The ladies protested, of course, but I'm glad they cooperated!
Some of these same busy ladies, and others, brought dinner over the
night before. They saved us! Thank you, thank you! I understand
there was another funeral four days later. Phrew!

Mom, the ever-wonderful, is making the rounds to
each and every table to visit with everyone.
Jennifer (our baby sister we call our Redd Caboose)
and husband, Peter Kurt.

The Davis table, including Dianne and Jeff and their boys,
and Mark Davis. They arrived from southern California
just in time for the funeral.

Susan (daughter #1) and Blair Davis, and Kathy and Bob Tanner.

Geri and Walt Davis, and Michelle Davis Walz.
(Michelle babysat Jennifer and me once in the olden
days, along with Rebecca Tate, even though they
were only two years older. Mom and the other girls
were at mutual that night.)

Stephanie and Natalie Davis deciding which is the best dessert!

Brother Wilkinson of the branch presidency, he's also
Mom's home teacher. Next to him are President and
Sister Dixon. We appreciate Sister Dixon allowing her
husband to spend so many hours with Mom and Dad.

Here's a colorful table, six Browns and a Redd in the middle.
This is some of Dad's sister Arlene's family, and Jeff Redd.
Maureen, Janet, David, Jeff, Dean, Arlene, and Steven.
Dean can rest easy that due to the miracle of Photoshop, his
rabbit ears are no longer over cousin Jeff's head!

Ron and Sarah (daughter #5) Pimentel, Linda
Robinson (#4), and Bret Pimentel.

Mom and Gramma Heder.
Some of us call Gramma Heder "G.G." since
she is a great grandmother to our children.

Peter and Jennifer (#7) Kurt, and Laurel (#6) and
Michael Feddock catching up

Karen (#2) and David Barker, and Patty Kennington (#3).

Two of our girlies Christine Kurt and Breanne Feddock,
just two months apart, disappeared together. You can
run from the picture lady, but you can't hide for long!

Okay, this should make it clearer, all 8 Redd girls together.
Front row: Susan (#1), Mom (the original Redd girl), Karen (#2), Patty (#3)
Back row: Linda (#4), Sarah (#5), Laurel (#6), Jennifer (#7)

There's that good looking Brotherhood again taking
lots o'photos. Thanks you guys! (That Blair, left,
always has a cute look on his face)

Mom and her (and Dad's) 14 children:
Susan & Blair Davis, Karen & David Barker, Patty & Clint Kennington, Mom,
Linda & Craig Robinson, Sarah & Ron Pimentel, Laurel & Michael Feddock, Jennifer & Peter Kurt.

All the Davises that were there.
They had five of their seven children, a son-in-law,
and two yummy grandboys in attendance.

Sisters Linda and Karen catching up. They don't
see each other often enough, like the rest of us.

Time for the Kurts to go but not before Uncle Clint
roughs up Jake a bit first. Jake will never be stronger
than his farmer uncle!

Goodbye to Jake, Katie, and Christine,
and I know Nick is in there somewhere!

Jen is driving the first shift while Peter sleeps.
Home to the L.A. area. They need to get back to
sign new home papers tomorrow. Jen will be the last
Redd to move away from Woodland Hills. We've
had a presence there for 38 years. This is big.

Mom bids each carload goodbye.
She has flags to hang for every occasion
except this one. So she hung up these
pretty flowers and ribbons. It was
even prettier in the breeze.

More visiting as much as we can, while we can!

Patty and Clint, and Sarah.

Time for the Robinsons to go.
Linda was here with Sarah all last week to
help Mom and be with Dad.

Craig Robinson saying goodbye to Mom.

Goodbye Robinsons! Have a nice flight to Sacramento!

Ron, Sarah, and daughter Andrea cozying up on the couch.

Some of the goils just HAD to get out and get to a fabric
store. Three Davis girls here. Breanne was there, too,
buying some yarn to work on on the ride home tomorrow.

Wednesday morning, Susan and Blair go visit some friends
in Cedar City before driving home to southern California.

Patty and Laurel spending a few minutes together before
Laurel, Michael and Breanne take off for the
San Francisco area. Patty and Clint will head
back for Oregon tomorrow after helping Mom
with some things including her computer hardware.
Patty is our expert in that area.

Mom waving goodbye to Kathy Davis Bullock
driving back to Albuquerque, then goodbye to the
Pimentels in the white car ahead of her . . .

. . . then goodbye to the Feddocks.

Mom looks so cool and athletic in
that outfit and pose. She's such a whattachick.

As soon as we drove away and I wasn't thinking about what
needed to be done for the funeral, or how we could help Mom
or which person to visit with next, the sadness really hit. It fell on me
before we were even out of Mom's housing development. Good
thing we were carpooling with the P'tels and stopped here in
St. George for gas so I could make Sarah get out of the car
and cry on her. No Pimentel or Feddock wanted to be left out
so we ended up having a 6-way hug. Wahhhhh! . . . . There were
still plenty of tears left for the rest of the drive.

Stopping for hamboogers in Barstow.

Yawwwwwwwwn.
Feels like we're getting nowhere awfully fast!

After arriving at the Pimentel's home in Bakersfield
and picking up our other car that Michael and Breanne
drove down in, the P'tels were so silly and waved goodbye to us
with white hankies. We continued on in two cars toward home
in the San Francisco area.

The sun is going down, another couple of hours to go.

And finally, we arrive at Gramma and Grampa Feddock's
home where little Michael was staying for the last few days.
They help us so very often. It was bliss to squeeze my
boy after seven days without him!

Laurel and The Boy making a silly face.
We're home at last, yet our lives have
changed, and normal is different now.
Thinking of Mom, missing Dad.

THE END

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