Jean Dieker

I received bad news last week. My friend Annette's mother passed away. Having recently gone through similar circumstances with my uncle, I know a lot of what she is going through. I gave her an "Anything you need" blanket offer of assistance. She asked me to put together a video collage of her mother for the memorial service.

I'm sharing it here.

Before Jean passed away, I took a moment and sent her a note to thank her for one of my best friends, her daughter Annette.

I wanted to take a moment and thank you. Thank you for welcoming me into your life way back when I first met Annette and I am certain you thought I was completely crazy. I remember spending a whole week at your house one Spring Break when you got the final confirmation that I was indeed crazy. Annette and I had our schedule: Get up at noon, have breakfast, go shopping, come home and have a nap, get up at 8 get ready to go out, party until 2 am, then argue over whether or not to stop at the AM/PM for horrible food on our way home (on the way out, I would make her promise to not stop, on the way home I would plead with her to ignore the sober me and PLEASE STOP. Lucky for me, she was still the sober driver). Next day, repeat. You were a good sport having us around. You didn’t scold us and you always offered to feed us.

You and your husband welcomed me to your extended family when I was able to come to the Anniversary/Birthday/family reunion party in your back yard on your 49th wedding anniversary. Finally I got to meet all the relatives and friends that shaped my friend Annette and I must tell you, I wasn’t disappointed. I think that was the visit we went to the Elk’s Club to go dancing as well.

I had such a good time, I came back for your 50th! I remember various people telling me what I great friend I was being for Annette to come back and help her with decorations and setting up the function room for your party. I will repeat here what I told people that day, “I am as good a friend to Annette as she is to me. She is amazing and there is no way I wouldn’t be here for her or for her family. If you think I’m amazing, you should know how amazing Annette is.”

And that is another thing I wanted to tell you, thank you for Annette. I’ve known her for over 25 years and am so impressed with her. From the “party in the trunk girl”, to the “woman with her Masters” she never ceases to amaze me. Just as she followed me through the thorny rose bushes in Washington Park (and has the scars to prove it), I will follow her wherever she takes me as well. She is an amazing woman and that is a tribute to you.

I will be in Portland for a couple of days to support my friend, and pay my respects to her mother.

When things like this happen I always turn to Lyle and say, "Did you call your mother this week? When are we going to see our parents?" And so I pass that along to you. Call the people that matter to you. Make the effort to see them. You won't regret it.