Here we have a woman who did everything right. Let's look at the big picture of a woman who listened to the Church, loved her family and formed what we could say was an ideal life. She met a good Christian man, married him, and started a family. She was open to life and never backed down from the gift of children. Raising seven children certainly created wealth beyond belief. Her whole life was about family. Then, when the chips were down at the end, her children stepped forward to share in her final days. Her husband Ken, of 67 years, cared for her beyond what any of us know.

But let's look at her life. She and Ken raised their children in the Catholic faith with fortitude. Sending them to school at St. Elizabeth and then fulfilling her duty by living the faith at home. At night, my wife remembers her mom coming in the bedroom and placing the sign of the cross on her forehead with holy water. What a profound statement to the life of this woman. As we look back on her life and see what a gift she was to us, let us now pass this gift on in our lives.