Tribute

If I had to use one word to describe my mother, it would be "FUN". She loved to laugh and went out of her way to make everyone she met smile. She was warm, loved watching people and could strike up a conversation with anyone. She had a way of charming even the dourest and unfriendly people imaginable. It was a skill she honed and perfected for years as a waitress. She loved working with the public. I rarely heard her tell stories about bad experiences, preferring instead to tell stories that were funny or heartwarming about her customers. Even as much as she loved people, she loved animals more. Dogs, cats, birds...it didn't matter. I honestly thought she would die petting something she shouldn't, but she went another way. She would make friends with every animal in the neighborhood and referred to houses as "That's Muffin's house" instead of the human owner's name. She was interested in everyone and everything. She wanted to watch everything on tv, and had a childlike fascination with everything from History to the guy making balloon animals at the carnival. She cared for everyone, especially the less fortunate. From my earliest memory, she never tolerated language or attitudes that were considered racist/derogatory/insulting towards people who were different from us. She was well ahead of her time and environment when it came to equality and inclusion. She was smart but preferred celebrity gossip to Shakespeare. She was organized to a fault but always had a sink full of dishes. She was vulnerable but the toughest broad on the block. She was feisty and tender, sweet and spicy, complicated but full of the simple pleasures of life. She was a character and there will never be another like her.

Friends & Family

Daughters: Rebecca McCarthy (Jeff) and Carol Bennett (Rick); Grandsons: Eric Foutch (Ashley), Ryan Foutch (deceased), and Sam Bennett; Brother: Joe Reardon Sisters: Susan Davis, Annette Hodge, Pam Milbourne, Jane Graham; And her favorite (fur)children: Abbi, Midge, and Piglet