How to say good bye a final time...

The Christmas Card is out and we know it's hit a few mailboxes. Like normal, I have posted the letter with links to some of this year's highlights.

This past week we traveled again, this time to say good bye to Matt's grandmother, Lee. During the service I heard the perfect way to explain her passing, Vicki (a niece who gave the ceremony) stated it plain and simple, Lee was finally freed from the body that had come to betray her these past couple years. I've only known her since her strokes had stripped away so much from her so hearing the stories, seeing the pictures, and getting more of her story was something to let me know a little more about the woman that used to care for my husbands during the summers as he grew up.

It was a wonderful time to see family despite the situation. I've always enjoyed Matt's family and their closeness despite the many miles never ceases to amaze me. Their bonds including the joking and the genuine concern for each other is what makes me proud to be a member of the family. Everyone was able to make it back for the funeral and arrangements, which is no small task, especially if you consider that people came from CA, NV, UT, MS, ND, AZ, and MI.

We took off on Tuesday-when we had our first big snow of the year coming down at our house, the family viewing was on Wednesday, the funeral on Thursday and we took off late on Friday... it all seems a blur looking back. I think a few memories stand out to me specifically... seeing everyone pick up where they left off the last time we saw them, how good Lee looked as we said good bye, seeing the pictures from the past and the memories that were shared (each time I get a bit better grasp on the family tree), seeing my mother-in-law in the most pretty pastel pink, and seeing how important family is to my husband and the lengths he goes. Makes me fall in love with him a bit more.. and doing that looking good in a suit doesn't hurt at all either. He was the family trendsetter as he was the one who started the family to wear pink and purple to the viewing and the funeral in honor of his grandmother's favorite colors.

 

Another thing that's happened that I blazed over was Thanksgiving! We spent it at Wes and Kristi's house, a first for them. Was a full house and the amount of food could have feed the block. It was a good day with family too. As expected I overate and hurt so bad for the remainder of the day.

Best meal: so many meals.. my favorite was probably my last one all together with the Remynses before we flew out at Old Burdick Pub with family friends Dee and Luann Bigelow. Kevie and I shared a double double burger with white cheddar truffle fries and fried pickles. Matt had a grilled club. There were so many conversations and stories and laughs, the food was good too which always helps.

ALR: Is she all ready? (reference Lee's casket)
MJR: Yep, she's got her slippers, her robe, her purse.
ALR: What's in her purse?
MJR lists off a few items
ALR: No cigarettes?
MJR: We need to go pick some up.
Kevie: Don't forget the lighter.
Sara: I can bum a final cigarette off her. Just like old times.

 

LEE REMYNSE
Lee Remynse was loving wife, mother and grandmother and a cherished friend. She was generous yet frugal, laid back yet fun loving. Delighting family and friends with her wit and humor, Lee was proud to see that trait rub off on her children. In so many ways, she made life sweet for the family that meant the world to her.

Lee’s story began in Kalamazoo, Michigan during the harsh years of the Great Depression. Families were struggling to survive yet managed to make life pleasant by their resilient spirit and hopeful outlook. Lena Mae or Lee as she was always called, was born July 25, 1931, the fourth of Lambert and Minnie (Talma) Dieterman’s five children. She enjoyed a childhood of friendships and fun, which characterized her life into adulthood.

Growing up on the city’s north side; Lee attended the area schools and graduated from Kalamazoo Central. She went to work for the Upjohn Company, a major employer in central Michigan. Yet more than being a preferred place to work, the site provided the setting for a romantic relationship to begin. When Lee met Robert Remynse, she formed an instant crush on the handsome young man. While it was true that she had to chase him a bit, Robert didn’t mind being caught because they both knew they were meant to be together. So it was that Lee married the love of her life on December 17, 1954 and received his daughter Nancy into her heart.

When their sons Rick, Randy and Kevin who was suppose to be a girl, were born, Lee and Robert raised them on Beethoven Avenue in Portage, along with their dog Betsy. One of Lee’s favorite stories to share about Betsy was the time she was sleeping in the middle of the road. A driver coming down the road laid on his horn to get the dog to move. If Betsy was rattled, it couldn’t have been half as much as the driver, whose horn stuck and could be heard all over the neighborhood.

Always looking for ways to save money and work for items that the family could use, Lee became masterful at “couponing.” At times, she and the kids went “dumpster diving” so they could help her snag the valued UPC codes from various products and she could send away for rebates and promotional gifts. If she wanted new furniture for their home, she worked to purchase what she wanted. When Robert and his brother-in-law Tom Cross opened a diner in Vicksburg, Lee was right there working the counter. She and her sister Heddy ran the Sugar Shack for many years, giving customers the hamburger and soda fountain experience.

Lee’s best friend and “partner in crime” for over 60 years was Joyce Carruth. The two of them could sit for hours talking on the phone, smoking and drinking Pepsi. They also shopped together, sometimes on foot but certainly by screen. Lee loved QVC the home shopping network and redecorating her house was a good way to use some of her purchases. When she sat down with a good book, it was most often a Perry Mason mystery.

If, from time to time, Lee gave into a craving for peanut butter with chocolate, it can be said that she absolutely indulged in a favorite pastime—casino gambling. Every year, she and Robert spent a month traveling to Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada for a little video poker. Their road trips included a side trip to California to see their son Kevin and to North Dakota to see their son Randy, where they also played at the Indian band casinos. Lee always said that if she hit a Royal Flush she was going to use the winnings to buy her daughter-in-law Michele a new stove. Unfortunately, the dream never materialized, and it has been said that Michele needed therapy to get over the loss of a new stove.

Having such high regard for her daughters-in-law was typical of Lee, who loved them as daughters and easily welcomed them into her life. It was because of these quickly formed bonds that when Lee’s health began to fail, Jerri and then Michele naturally became her caregivers. The family was grateful for their dedication and loving care over the last four years. When the family grew to include grandchildren and later a great-grandchild, Lee couldn’t have been happier. She loved having them around and spoiling them with such goodies as Klondike bars. The time she spent with grandkids Matt, Nathan, Eric, Beth, Kevie and Jason at the summer house on West Lake made for great memories. The entire family will always remember Lee’s love and laughter.

Lena Mae Remynse, age 84 of Portage, Michigan died at her son’s home in North Dakota on November 27, 2015. Her husband Robert Lawrence Remynse preceded her in death October 7, 2013. Lee was also preceded in death by her brother Henry Dieterman, her sisters Marge Wdowicki and Heddy Cross and her daughter-in-law Jerri Remynse.

Members of Lee’s family include her children, Rick Remynse, Randy (Michele) Remynse, Kevin Remynse, step daughter Nancy (Ashraf Maher) Remynse, her 6 grandchildren: Jason (Sara) Remynse, Kevie Remynse, Matthew (Amanda) Remynse, Nathan (Rachel) Remynse, Eric Remynse, Beth (Christopher) Fryling; her great grandson Jason Remynse II, her sister Martha Veldcamp-Spencer as well as many other relatives.

Visit with Lee’s family on Wednesday December 2, 2015 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Life Story Funeral Homes, Portage  where a funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.