Where do I start?    Soooo many memories.  Guess I’ll start at the beginning.   Dee was my 1st birthday present, born on my 1st birthday.   I don’t even remember a birthday celebrated without her until I went to college.  We were, as one of our aunts used to call us, Irish twins.  Even though we didn’t look much alike, nor did we have the same personalities, we were almost always best friends.  Of course there were the fights in high school of who was wearing what (since we were the same sizes).  And fights over piddily little things.  But as we grew older and had our own families, we became much closer.   We loved taking beach trips before kids and then again when our kids were young.  We taught them how to love the ocean as much as we did.   She was so good at calling, checking to see if I was doing ok, what was happening in my life.  She loved her family and adored Wayne and her girls “to the moon and back”.   She used to drag me to Daddy Jacks or whatever night club was the trending thing when I came home from college for the weekend.   She loved to dance (I didn’t).   And she would always give me a hard time about not dancing.   She never met a stranger and could talk to anybody about anything, and really cared about that person.   I remember a trip we took on our last birthday.   I treated her to a spa treatment at some place maybe in Greensboro.  She loved massages or someone playing with her hair.   I miss her, her smile and her silly sayings.     

Dee Dee was a close friend to my parents and, as the mother of my best friend Sarah, she treated me as a child of her own. I was only 10 when Dee Dee passed, but I vividly remember the warmth of her presence. When she was nearby, I felt comfort. Whenever she saw me in the hallways of Douglass Elementary, I remember she would pull me into a hug and give me a quick kiss on the forehead before sending me on my way, as if to say “I’m here if you need anything”. I was thrilled whenever she joined us for camping trips at the lake, because I knew she would be the most fun-loving and carefree person there and she lifted everyone’s spirits. One camping trip, we were all fishing and Dee Dee suddenly started to reel in a big one. Everyone was excited and cheering. The big one turned out to be a shoe! Dee Dee wasn’t disappointed, she screamed with laughter and celebrated- so we all did too. It’s even evident in photos how much joy and love radiated from her smile. Dee Dee lives on in all of us who she shared her spirit with, especially her daughters Emily and Sarah. Not only can you see her radiant, smiling face in theirs, but her unflinching love and caring nature are embedded in who they are. Dee Dee, thank you for sharing love, laughter, and light that I, and many others, will carry on.

My mom, Sue, always loved taking the long drive up Eden to see her mom and Dee Dee, Wayne, and the Gillies. We did all holidays and events down Ginny Road. I vividly remember Sue, Josie, and Dee Dee singing "We Are Family" in their car when they arrived back from running errands one Thanksgiving. Can't believe it's been 20 years. I always remember the good times with Dee Dee. 

Oh wow I canNOT believe it has been 20 years!

I remember sledding with DeeDee, Sue, Dave and Josie down the hill on Ginny Rd, and waiting for their dad (my Uncle Donald) to hook our sleds up to his tractor and haul us back up that long steep hill to do it all over again!

Our parents would get us cousins together often to play, swim, visit at Grandpa’s and be together.

DeeDee was a little bit of a daredevil mixed in with her practical side…I always wished I could be as carefree as she seemed to be! Her genuine smile and happy nature endeared her to everyone!

What a wonderful mother and role model she was to her most precious girls…she truly loved them and put them before herself and her own desires.

Being a Hospice nurse may have been her final job, but it was one that exemplified her love for others.

I’ll always remember her funeral service - what a beautiful tribute that shared so much of her heart and love for others. The butterflies were a special touch…so creative!

DeeDee would be so proud of her girls now and the lives they have created!

I’m not sure how old I was, but I remember it was after mom had her mastectomy. She was tending to the garden topless without a care in the world. As funny as that sounds, she taught me to be confident and to love my body no matter what.