To view the photo album, click here.
This blog has been started in loving memory of Doris Seward, 1926-2007. Doris passed away in her sleep on May 20, 2007. She was a devoted wife of Ron, who survives her, a loving mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, and great friend to many.
Doris and Ron raised our family so well that the respect and honor we feel for them has no bounds. Together, through their caring, they have created friendships that extend across the country and around the world.
We have chosen to hold a private, family memorial service, for a variety of reasons. In light of our inability to visit with the many friends and family, who live all across the country and as far away as Saudi Arabia, we offer this blog as an opportunity to celebrate Doris’s life. We invite anyone who knew her to share in this celebration, by adding to this blog, or by just reading and remembering Doris’s contribution to the value of their own lives.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that a contribution be made in Doris’s name to the Ohio Masonic Home (Address: Ohio Masonic Home, 5 Mason Drive, Springfield, OH 45504) or a charity of your choice.
To add an entry in this blog, click on Comments below, then click on Other in the box on the next page. Entering your name is optional.
To see a slideshow click here.
If you would like to read the transcript from the memorial service, click here.
8 comments:
All of us at the North Unitarian Universalist Congregation offer our deepest sympathy to Doris' family, and of course, especially to you, Ron, on Doris' shocking death. I believe that one of the reasons her death feels so shocking to me personally is that Doris had gotten through so much in her life by the force of her unfailing good humor that it is hard to imagine that she wasn't somehow immortal. Doris was in many ways the moral pillar of this church for many years. Her compassion was amazing. She never failed to greet a visitor or seek out someone who needed an extra word of encouragement. We miss her very much.
Dear Ron,
I was so sorry to hear about Doris' passing. Please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved wife of so many years.
Sharon Johnson (former member of North UU Congr. before moving to California in Jan. 2005)
Carol and I extend our deepest sympathies to Ron and the Seward family for their loss. Reflecting on the years that we knew her, Doris was never at a loss for a smile or an encouraging word, regardless of the circumstance. Like all people and members of families, the Sewards enjoyed many highs and lows. Doris could always be counted on to focus on the highs. What a positive life force she has been. We are glad to have known her and more than saddened by her loss. A poem by Robert Frost sums up our feelings:
Nothing gold can stay
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Dear Ron,
The news of Doris' passing took away my breath and brought up the tears. I can't believe she's gone. Even though we haven't been in touch often since moving to South Dakota, the two of you were always still THERE, and our thoughts and conversations frequently revolved around you.... Now, this loss. There is some consolation in knowing that gentle Doris died peacefully, but still the loss. There is consolation, too, in our dear remembrances of her. We are so grateful to have known and loved her. May you, and your entire precious family, feel her presence always through the memories you share of her, and the tears, and the laughter, and in the silence when spirit plunges most deeply into that love which cannot be taken away. All my love and affection to you, Ron. Deep peace to you.
I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of Doris' passing. She was such an amazing, sweet, thoughtful person. I still remember her smiling face on Sundays at church, seems she never met a stranger, and her hospitality in your home in Columbus for spirituality group meetings. She had such a compassionate and positive way about her. She will be missed by many. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family Ron.
I will always remember Doris with a sparkle in her eyes and a smile on her face! My heart goes out to you, Ron, and to your entire family, my childhood friends.
I believe that Doris was the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person I have ever known. Caring was her middle name. I loved her beautiful, sincere smile! I am honored to have known her.
My heartfelt condolences to Ron and family. Remember that Doris will always be with you.
It never takes long after the passing of a loved one for the fond memories and feelings of sorrow to start flooding our hearts and minds. For days my mind has been swimming with what my Grandma means to me and what I could possibly say about her that could possibly reflect the power that my memory of her holds. I was challenged by Uncle Stan that I did not get up to speak at our memorial service, but he could have no idea that the decision to stay seated had been challenged within my own heart from the very moment that I had the opportunity to stand. This is the feeling with which I write today, knowing that I had much to say, and much to share with all of you, and cannot let any of that go completely unsaid. Better late than never…
Grandma was not the same to me as she was to many of you, as she was just that – Grandma. Not a parent or disciplinarian. Grandma was my teacher and my playmate; the one who I could always count on to love me, spoil me, be proud of me, and entertain me. More than anything, what I remember of Grandma, and what she left me with, were the lessons I was taught in her guidance. I spent a lot of time with Grandma Seward when I was very young, and the lessons she taught me are quite possibly countless. Some she taught me on purpose – how to enjoy reading and how to wrap presents. Most were taught by example.
From Grandma I learned the best way to treat strangers. I learned to always treat others with kindness and respect so that you may expect kindness and respect in return. In her life and in her passing, I learned how important it is to show love to those in my family, and those in my life who I truly love. Grandma taught me that the hostess always sits in the chair with easiest access to the kitchen. Grandma demonstrated that it is important to always be humble, but not let anyone humiliate you. She always made sure the work was done before the play started. She showed me how to make cookies, and how to be patient when the snicker doodle dough has to be refrigerated overnight (make chocolate chip cookies today!).
Grandma taught me the kind of woman that I aspire to be. She had strength in her gentleness. She had unmatched integrity and valued integrity in others. I learned that you cannot expect from others what you do not offer of yourself. I have learned the value of respecting good fortune in life as blessings and not to take those blessings for granted. Grandma taught me to always do the best I could at what I was doing, but that I did not have to do everything. She taught me that sometimes the best treasures could be found in the oldest and plainest of books. These and many more were the invaluable lessons that I will never forget and can only hope that I can demonstrate.
There is nothing in the world that can equal a grandmother’s love. It is the same with the love of a grandfather, mother, father, and brother. None of these are the same as any other, but each one and many more have had a vital role in my life. Grandma loved me in the way that in thinking about it today, I still gain confidence, comfort, and the desire to return my love to her in the same selfless manner that she gave it to me. It is extremely hard to describe the love given by another. I only know the feeling of being loved; never judged, put down, or put aside. When Grandma talked to me, I was the most important person in the world to her, just like everyone else that she talked to. She gave me all of her attention, even though I am sure that some of the time I didn’t make sense or she may not have agreed with what I had to say. Grandma always valued my opinion and she was always champion for whatever cause I had taken on. Grandma had a way of being everybody’s biggest fan.
In order to truly honor Grandma Seward’s memory, I have to make some resolutions in my own life. I resolve to never push anything to the side that is important to someone I care about; to love honestly, wholly, and without reserve; to make decisions because I feel they are the best decisions and not just to please myself or someone else; to always listen completely when someone (anyone) is trying to speak to me.
As I know all of you could, I could pour out my affections for Grandma Seward infinitely, just as I could for any of my grandparents and family. While this may not be the most well-written or thought-out tribute, it is a tribute nonetheless, to this woman who was incredibly special to me, and a truly wonderful Grandma.
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