A Life Triumphant
Thank you, mom,
Thank you for EVERYTHING you’ve done for me.

Thank you for giving me your time. I’m deeply thankful for it.
You are why the good times are long lasting memories and why the bad times aren’t important.
You were always a lady, gracious and loving. Your wit was unparalleled.
You were one of the smartest people I know, accomplishing anything you set out to do.
You were first to step up if anyone needed help. You gave freely, the TRUE meaning of unconditionally without expecting anything in return.
You were always accepting of others, without prejudice.
I am grateful that to you, successes were just that, and failures were learning experiences.

Thank you for being there to advise me, even if I didn’t always follow your suggestions.

Thank you for making such an indelible mark on so many lives.

I am always proud of you just as I hope that you have been of me.

I thank God for the time I have had with you, too short though it may have been.

I cherish all the times that we laughed and remember the times that we have cried.

I am comforted in the fact that you have been such a large part of my, John’s, Ali’s and Ben’s life.

I can only hope that I have a modicum of the influence on my children’s lives as you have had in mine.

Thank you for being my best friend.

Thank you for being you!

Kristi

Friday, May 10, 2019

Dear Kristin and Kathy,

If I had to pare my list of the women I most admire to three: it would include my wife Pam, my mother Sidney and yours.
Of course I never called her Marcia until we were much older but, like so many others, she helped shape my young life.

I consider myself to be well educated, but have always felt that it was because of the fine education I received at St. Andrew's and Carden El Encanto.  High school and college merely put a point on it.  Class clown that I was, I was repeatedly granted a scholarship to these two fine schools, and I'm proud to be a member of the first graduating class of 1974 at Carden El Encanto.
I'm so grateful that Marcia took stock in me, and that we kept in touch through the years.
She proofread the most recent chapter of a book I've been working on, offered a suggestion or two and gave me an  “A:”  Strict as she was, her approval always mattered to me, and I will miss her deeply.
What a beautiful note Kristin.
Best to you both.
Love from Neil & Pam Duggan