Dear Friends, I am sending this on behalf of the Newkirk family. The memorial service for Helen was originally thought to be on Thursday afternoon, but is now scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. If you would like to be a part of the service electronically, please contact Linda or Patricia (Patricia@songaia.com) and they will give you instructions. In caring community, Carol
On Feb 10, 2013, at 8:36 AM, ljknutsen@gmail.com wrote:
Hello everyone,
As most of you are aware, Mom died early Saturday morning, and it was peaceful and quick. She was surrounded by all of us here, helping her make the leap. If you did not know, Mom has fought breast cancer since 1999, and was in remission until 2006. She again fought it successfully for another 5 years, but in 2011 it metastasized to the bones. She had a good run for about a year, and then last fall the pain began to increase significantly. She underwent radiation in November and found the recovery extremely difficult. In early January she enrolled in Hospice, and decided against any further tests or treatments.
Early last week it became very clear she was declining rapidly, so we called in many family to her surprise and delight. We had 5 days of chaos and joy with so many people here, including cousins, grandkids, great-grandkids, and her oldest and dearest friend, Electa. Though Jim couldn't make it from Serbia, he was with us on Skype at least once a day, as was Janie, Mom's sister. Most people left on Tuesday, except for Patricia and Lisa - Dave had to go back to San Diego.
So she had said her goodbyes, and even before people left on Tuesday her decline became more rapid. Except for a few periods of discomfort, she seemed not to be in pain. The whole Hospice team came to meet with us on Thursday, and the nurse again Friday night to assist us with her pain meds; she helped us through her final passing. Our house has again been filled with loved ones all day since Saturday, and will be again today.
We are planning for a memorial on Wednesday afternoon at her church, and we are working on a way for her far-flung friends and loved ones to attend the memorial via your computers. We will send more info later.
She has a Facebook page we are continuing to update - please go check it out (Helen E. Newkirk) - you will recognize her photo. Thank you to all of you who have so generously shared memories and stories...please keep them coming and feel free to put them on Facebook. We will continue to accept her Facebook Friend requests.
Much love, Linda, Patricia, Jim, Dave, & Lisa