My deepest regrets and sympathies are with you, in your loss of your dearest friend, your wife, your mother, LaVonna.
She was a true and great friend to so many, will be truly missed by all of us. I am enclosing a poem, that brings me comfort in the lost of my dear friend. I hope it will comfort you also.
I met LaVonna when Brad and myself rented a mobile home next door at Little Pines. I did not get to know her for quite sometime, as she and John, were gone for the winter, in sunny Florida.
That spring, after they returned, I was out in the lawn digging in the dirt to plant some flowers, and a small shadow approached me from behind. A very directive voice told me, "you do not want to plant those flowers there"! I looked behind me, rather offended and said, "Why not, this is where I, want them!" She replied, "they are inpatients, and they need to be in the shade". She then, went to her place and got a shovel to plant the flowers where they belonged. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this bossy neighbor, but her friendly smile, bright eyes, and honesty, impressed on me to believe her and let her put them in the shade.
Thus began our friendship and my love of growing flowers and digging in the dirt. I would walk over to your house and admire her beautiful plants and flowers, and ask her questions, she readily answered them all. She knew all the names of flowers and took great pride in telling you about them. When I would come home with plants, she was out her door and showing me where to plant them, assisting me in every way. She and John, had the most colorful and prettiest yard in the park, due to her knowing flowers and how to plant them and take care of them. I wanted to have our yard to look as good as theirs.
No matter how busy she was, during those years as park manager, she always had time for her neighbors, to say a friendly hello, offer some good common sense advise or tell you a story. I never met a woman that cared as much or worked as hard, as she did for that park. She disliked riffraff, and slovenliness. If you wanted something you worked for it, those that did not, she had no time for.
The kindness she showed me, left impressions on me that will not be forgotten. She did not have to say anything, she showed how much she cared, by what she did. Ask her a favor, and it was as good as already done.
When I worked third shift, I would sleep during the day, and wake up in the afternoon, to find a fresh bouquet of flowers in a vase on the table. Sometimes I thanked her, other times I did not, but that little gift, meant so much to me.
She never interfered in anyone's personal life, or spoke about her own troubles or worries. She always had something positive and uplifting to say. LaVonna, had a knack of knowing what to say and when, but make her angry and she let you have it, but we all knew that if she was that angry, she had good cause to be! I would see those little size 5's walking as fast as they could carry her, across the yard, to another neighbors house, and I would not say a word, I knew that someone had hit the limit of her patience. She was fearless when angry, and would take on the biggest and strongest, and put them in their place with one sentence.
One day a skunk had got under our home, and sprayed, I was in tears wondering what to do. My mother and sister were coming to see me later that day. They raely came to see me so I wanted everything to be just perfect when they got there. With compassion and empathy for me, she brought over every kind of cleaner, deodorant she could find. We decided to pull some of the skirting off to get some of the smell out and spray deodorant under the house. I went to work spraying under the side of the house while she walked to the back to pull off more skirting. I heard her holler and saw her run, and out came the skunk at her heels! He was more afraid then her, I believe, but it was the only time I ever saw her scared, she quickly told me she was not scared, only startled! Just a small part of her true grit!
She was gifted in knowing how to appreciate little things, and take great joy in helping others and doing what ever she could to make someone's day a better one. She used to tell me, at Pleasant Acres, she would plant a little kiss on the old people's foreheads, when she put them to bed. She said so many of them had no one who cared or loved them.
She could make something out of nothing, give her a few weeds, dried flowers, and a ribbon, and she would make the most beatiful of centerpieces, or arrangements that money could buy. She had an attention to detail and true talent. I am so lucky to have some of these pieces in my home.
In the 10 years I knew her, hes brought great joy to me every time I was with her. I would look at her, and see how hard she tried, how hard she worked, how much she cared, and never complained. I would ask God, to make me, just half as strong as her. Her giving and caring actions, always spoke louder than her words. I am thankful, she was in my life, she taught me so much, in the short time I knew her.
She gave us much to strive for.
She was a treasure, a priceless gift, lent to us for such a short time. I will cherish her memory and the memories of her forever.
May God comfort you in your loss.
