Thank you all for being here. I know Mom’s spirit is here with us in this historic hall, and is as thrilled as I am that many of her dear family and friends are gathered today to celebrate her remarkable life with us all.

Mom was born in the summer of 1938 on a farm in rural Michigan, a daughter of Europe whose parents were immigrants from Denmark and Germany. She was born premature, so tiny that her resourceful German mother nursed her to health with an eyedropper and a sewing machine drawer for a crib.

Mom would grow into a resilient, loving being who left a legacy that continues to inspirw. Youngest of seven siblings, mother of five, grandmother of seven, great-grandmother of three … and hike leader of hundreds.

Not to mention the scores of folks she touched with her regular talks for many years at the Thursday Welcome Group, started at the Center for Spiritual Living in Yucca Valley. These were more than talks. She would pick a topic, scour the Internet for related quotes... Read more and images, then use them to print out on her home computer multiple-page packets to share with her audience and allow them to participate. An important part of her talks were wonderful songs by Paul Gerken, who we are so thankful is here today with his music.

Just listen to some of the topics Mom covered in her Welcome Group talks. They offer a window onto the kind of person she was and the values she held dear:
Care for the Earth
Hope for the Future
Look for Beauty Everywhere
Friendship
Overcoming Life’s Obstacles
Can We All Get Along
Everyone Should Have a Home
And, my favorite, her longest topic title: “Look for the Good, Let Go, Move On, Forgive.”

These topics came from a few simple precepts Mom lived by and never shied away from sharing them with others: Do good, be kind, lend a hand to those less fortunate, stay aware of what’s going on in the world, stand up for causes you believe in, keep an open mind, even with your enemies … spend time in nature, and bring others with you to share in its bounty.

Mom loved our 5-acre family homestead up the hill in Landers, her home for some 45 years. She created a veritable Garden of Eden with the plants and wildlife she nurtured there. In her golden years, Mom delighted in watching the sun rise each morning. She danced in the rain (when it came), and ventured out to travel abroad, visit family, and lead so many hikes across this region and beyond.

During holidays and birthdays, her Lemon Merengue Pie and Danish Applesauce Cake were legendary.

She loved purely – family, friends and foes alike – and was deeply loved in return. From the outpouring of love that has come her way, my sister and I have quipped that she wasn’t just ours – she also belonged to the community.

Per her wishes, Mom’s earthly remains have been laid to rest with her beloved late husband, Dale Burdette, in the beautiful Desert Sands Garden at Joshua Tree Memorial Park, just a couple of miles east along Highway 62 from here. You won’t find markers with their names – but their ramains are one with the garden. It’s a beautiful spot, overseen by a lovely sculpture of a giant dove – Mom’s favorite bird – and offering commanding views of the Mojave Desert Mom loved so dearly. Visiting hours for the garden are seven days a week, sunup to sundown.
Of course, you can also honor Mom by thinking of her on your favorite hike, at your favorite quiet spot in nature, or when a cute rabbit crosses your path or a gentle dove flies overhead. I believe her spirit flourishes in these places, and with these animals.

I’m going to close with words that are not my own – they came to me upon awakening one morning just a couple days after Mom’s passing. I woke up with these words running through my head, over and over, as if they were on auto-pilot, outside of my conscious control.

I can only think they’re a message from beyond that Mom wished to share with all of us. And here they are:

“I know you’re up there, Mom. Planning and leading hikes to every corner of the firmament. For so many family and friends, and animal companions who you are with now. And I bet they’re loving it. I hear the views are pretty spectacular.”

Thank you. Read less

Thank you all for being here. I know Mom’s spirit is here with us in this historic hall, and is as thrilled as I am that many of her dear family and friends are gathered today to celebrate her remarkable life with us all.

Mom was born in the summer of 1938 on a farm in rural Michigan, a daughter of Europe whose parents were immigrants from Denmark and Germany. She was born premature, so tiny that her resourceful German mother nursed her to health with an eyedropper and a sewing machine drawer... Read more for a crib.

Mom would grow into a resilient, loving being who left a legacy that continues to inspirw. Youngest of seven siblings, mother of five, grandmother of seven, great-grandmother of three … and hike leader of hundreds.

Not to mention the scores of folks she touched with her regular talks for many years at the Thursday Welcome Group, started at the Center for Spiritual Living in Yucca Valley. These were more than talks. She would pick a topic, scour the Internet for related quotes and images, then use them to print out on her home computer multiple-page packets to share with her audience and allow them to participate. An important part of her talks were wonderful songs by Paul Gerken, who we are so thankful is here today with his music.

Just listen to some of the topics Mom covered in her Welcome Group talks. They offer a window onto the kind of person she was and the values she held dear:
Care for the Earth
Hope for the Future
Look for Beauty Everywhere
Friendship
Overcoming Life’s Obstacles
Can We All Get Along
Everyone Should Have a Home
And, my favorite, her longest topic title: “Look for the Good, Let Go, Move On, Forgive.”

These topics came from a few simple precepts Mom lived by and never shied away from sharing them with others: Do good, be kind, lend a hand to those less fortunate, stay aware of what’s going on in the world, stand up for causes you believe in, keep an open mind, even with your enemies … spend time in nature, and bring others with you to share in its bounty.

Mom loved our 5-acre family homestead up the hill in Landers, her home for some 45 years. She created a veritable Garden of Eden with the plants and wildlife she nurtured there. In her golden years, Mom delighted in watching the sun rise each morning. She danced in the rain (when it came), and ventured out to travel abroad, visit family, and lead so many hikes across this region and beyond.

During holidays and birthdays, her Lemon Merengue Pie and Danish Applesauce Cake were legendary.

She loved purely – family, friends and foes alike – and was deeply loved in return. From the outpouring of love that has come her way, my sister and I have quipped that she wasn’t just ours – she also belonged to the community.

Per her wishes, Mom’s earthly remains have been laid to rest with her beloved late husband, Dale Burdette, in the beautiful Desert Sands Garden at Joshua Tree Memorial Park, just a couple of miles east along Highway 62 from here. You won’t find markers with their names – but their ramains are one with the garden. It’s a beautiful spot, overseen by a lovely sculpture of a giant dove – Mom’s favorite bird – and offering commanding views of the Mojave Desert Mom loved so dearly. Visiting hours for the garden are seven days a week, sunup to sundown.
Of course, you can also honor Mom by thinking of her on your favorite hike, at your favorite quiet spot in nature, or when a cute rabbit crosses your path or a gentle dove flies overhead. I believe her spirit flourishes in these places, and with these animals.

I’m going to close with words that are not my own – they came to me upon awakening one morning just a couple days after Mom’s passing. I woke up with these words running through my head, over and over, as if they were on auto-pilot, outside of my conscious control.

I can only think they’re a message from beyond that Mom wished to share with all of us. And here they are:

“I know you’re up there, Mom. Planning and leading hikes to every corner of the firmament. For so many family and friends, and animal companions who you are with now. And I bet they’re loving it. I hear the views are pretty spectacular.”

Thank you. Read less