The most significant happening was the passing of Jo-Anne’s mom on the 13th of November. Helen Loraine Purvis was born on February 11th, 1926, and she lived a wonderfully full life until just the last few years. She and William Martin were married a long and happy 62 years.
While we have talked about her Alzheimer’s affliction and relatively slow decline during the summer, this fall she declined even faster and passed away quite peacefully, with both Rick, Jo-Anne’s brother, and her husband Bill at her side.
She and Bill were both in the Army during WWII and met in Ottawa; Leighanne, our dauther was always proud to say that “My Grandma wore Army boots.” It is still undecided where her ashes will be spread and most likely will wait until we return to Canada in the spring.
We will all miss a wonderful wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, friend, and basically well rounded, intelligent, and fun person; yet fond memories will be with us all forever.
