Grandma Westfall's Viewing

Ray and I went to Island Park Idaho on the 2nd to his cousin Matt's wife Kerri's funeral. She passed away after loosing a battle to colon cancer. The morning of her funeral, we packed so that we could head right to Kimberly from Island Park, but as we were leaving the funeral, we got a call from Carolyn asking if we could get some pictures off our computer for the video they were making for mom's viewing. We decided that we would head home and spend the night, and then head out early the next morning. When we got to Idaho Ray's sisters invited me to go to the floral shop with them to help pick out flowers for his moms casket piece, and to drop off the few things we wanted to have them add to the arrangement. These few items were things mom had hanging behind her stove in the family room, and we thought it would be more personal having them added. The strand of pink roses you see in the arrangement, an old bridal, and an old piece of wood. It made the arrangement that much more beautiful I think. Below are some picks of mom's viewing, and a few others. Carolyn, DJ, Creed, Sam and Ray's cousin Dave Baker who traveled from Montana. Mike and Aunt Kathy (mom's twin)

Mom's floral arrangementsRay used to trace his mom's veins when he was a little boy, and even got caught a few times as an adult rubbing his fingers along the veins and lines of her hands. I found him doing it again at her viewing and had to capture one final memory for him.

While Ray and I were on our way home from Ray's cousin Matt's wife's funeral in Island Park Idaho, Rays sisters called and asked me if I would make the arrangement that sits on the casket. I was both honored and terrified. I felt honored that they would ask me to do such an important floral piece for mom funeral, but at the same time I was terrified that I would not do justice to such an important arrangement. I quickly called my sisters and got some advice on how to start such a large arrangement. I have only made a few small ones that have sat on infant caskets. Well, when we got to Kimberly his sisters informed me that they decided to have the floral shop make it, but that they wanted me to make the two arrangement that sat on either side of her casket. I was a bit relieved that I would not be doing the big one after all. These are the two arrangements that I put together. I really hope that they like them. This was one of the settings they had at mom's viewing. When Ray and Carolyn were looking in mom's cedar chest in her room I found an old box with slides in it from when Ray was a young boy. The date on the box was from just a few weeks after his dad had passed away so I opened it to look at the slides. I found some pictures of Ray that his parents had had taken, and Ray had never seen any of them except the one that his mom had made into an 8x10. Ray was pretty excited to see these pictures. But, what was even more exciting was the negatives that were with them of his parents wedding. The kids had never seen any except the few small ones that were in a photo book as they were growing up. So off we headed to Costco to have them made into big pictures for her funeral. The big picture below is one of the pictures we found. :)Ray and Aunt Kathy. (her and mom were identical twins)Tena getting a hug from Aunt Betty. She is his dad's sister!

This is the other side of the viewing room. They had two flat screen TVs playing the video that was made for mom of her life, and then the two pictures hanging below the TV are the other two we had enlarged that we found of their wedding. The two pictures sitting on the table were from mine and Ray's wedding. We gave them to mom for christmas the year after we got married. She had them hanging on her wall in her living room, and I believe it was the last nice picture she had with all 6 of her kids together. We received several nice plants, and arrangement from people. Ray and I were surprised to see a plant from his work. The Basket with two plants in it on the left side in this picture above is from his work. It meant a lot to Ray to have them send it, and it looks beautiful on my kitchen table. :)

Barbara Baker Westfall

After nearly 44 years, Barbara and George are together again. On Jan. 31, 2011, in the home of her daughter, Lynne, she passed peacefully surrounded by daughters, Tena and Carolyn. Mom had a stroke and traumatic brain injury at her home on Jan. 14. Due to the extraordinary care provided by EMTs, doctors and nurses at St Luke's and St. Al's, her children were able to enjoy choice, tender, memorable moments together before her passing. Barbara was born Jan. 26, 1929, in Oakley, Idaho. She was an identical twin born to Simon and Mollie Baker. Her childhood was simple, carefree and challenging. This she shared with eight siblings in the remote valley of Lind, Utah, an area settled and named after her maternal grandfather. Her family moved to Kimberly for greater educational opportunities the year she was to go to the ninth grade. There she graduated from Kimberly High School. Always active in the LDS church, she received the honor of Gold and Gleaner queen with her sister, Kathleen. This acknowledged their commitment to Christian principles of charity, service, faith, hope, chastity and modesty. Barbara attended BYU and Utah State, where she enjoyed playing basketball and showing her beautiful stallion, Comet, and his tricks to adoring audiences. When her father became ill, she left school to help take care of him and the farm and was unable to finish her studies in art. She shared her artistic talents with family, including her children, by drawing and painting during most of her life. Barbara married George Edward Westfall in the Idaho Falls Temple on March 5, 1953, and they were blessed with six children, all of whom survive her: George Michael (Karen), Tena Marie Blackburn (Tracy), Barbara Lynne Luff (Kelly), Carolyn Nielsen (David), Carl James (Lana) and Raymond Stanley (Mickie). Her children blessed Barbara with 31 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Surviving siblings are Simon Baker, Mollie Dalton, Norman Baker, twin sister Kathleen Randell (Gene), Rachel Fairbourne (Paul) and Diane Rentleman. She was preceded in death by her husband, George; parents, Simon and Mollie; brother, Lawrence Baker; sister, Emma Hansen; and great-grandchild, Alex. George passed on March 1, 1967, leaving Barbara a single parent. However, she was able to manage this challenge with the help of her widowed mother, Molly, relatives, ward members and the community. As the head of her family, she experienced many challenges, yet ultimately had the joy of a home where love of God and service to others were not just guiding principles but fundamental elements of life. Barbara's life was characterized by her service to Church, love and loyalty to family, education, horses and gardening. The chasm left in our hearts by her passing will be bridged upon our reunion in the eternities. Visitation for Barbara will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, at Parke's Magic Valley Funeral Home, 2551 Kimberly Road in Twin Falls, and for one hour prior to the service from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Kimberly Stake Center. The funeral for Barbara will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 7, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Kimberly Stake Center, 3857 N. 3500 E., Kimberly, Idaho. Interment will follow the service at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in Twin Falls. All services and arrangements are under the direction of the Parke's Magic Valley Funeral Home of Twin Falls.

Time spent in Boise (long post)

On the 14th of January, we got a call from Ray's sister Tena that his mom had fallen at her home, she had hit her head pretty hard, and was in a coma. They were in the process of preparing her for life flight to Boise, and Ray and I pulled the kids from school and headed up as quickly as we could. The Neuro Doctor told us that there was not much he could do for her with her DNR and DNT she had recently had prepared, and he felt that she had a matter of hours before she would pass. Mike, Karen, and Carolyn headed to Boise from Cedar, and Tena, Ray, Lynne, Carl, Lana, Kelly, Tracy, and I took up residence at the Hospital taking turns sitting at mom's side holding her hand and telling her we love her. Heather came and Tenas 5 kids showed up at the hospital to say their goodbyes to grandma. Once in a while we would feel like Ray's mom would squeeze our hand when we would ask her too, or when we would talk about certain things, and when Mike got there we told him about it. He told the Trauma Surgeon, who was her Doctor as well, what was going on, but told him we were prepared to say our goodbyes at this time if that is what needed to be. He headed towards mom's room and asked us to wait for him in the waiting room. After a few minutes the nurse came out and asked for mom's kids to meet him in her room. When they got back to her room, he told them he was not sure if they were talking about the same patient. He said when he got in her room he noticed she tried to make sure she was covered, and then he told her who he was and said Barbara open your eyes which she did, then he said give me a thumbs up, again she did what he asked. He told them he expected to see a patient who was completely comatose but he did not. This left Ray and his siblings feeling both confused and a but anxious with what her outcome could be. After they asked him what we should do he said he could not tell us what we should do, but that if it were his mother, he would wait for a bit and just give her some time to see if she could heal herself. So, with that advice we decided that is exactly what we would do. She stayed another week in the Hospital, and Carolyn stayed by her side the whole time. Mom would not open her eyes much, and we were never really sure exactly what she remembered, or the Era of time she was living in. Ray and I were able to head back to Boise when my sister Tracey volunteered to take Ellie and Jake for a long weekend. Ray and I got to Boise, checked into our room, and then went to see mom. Carolyn told us stories of how mom was able to communicate with her quite a bit. That evening Ray left for the Motel room to get some much needed sleep, and Carolyn and I were in mom's room visiting. We noticed that she kept pointing to the corner, and talking. Carolyn asked who she was talking to and she said daddy. Then Carolyn asked her if here mom was there she said not daddy. Then all of a sudden she got this really sad look on her face (like a child who hasn't see there mom for a long time). She pointed up and whimpered Momma, her breathing got quite shallow. Carolyn quickly phone for Ray to come quick as we thought that she was about to pass away. Ray showed up, and we waited and listened as she continued to talk/mumble to loved ones who have passed to the other side. Oh what I would have done to be able to hear both sides of the conversations she was having with these loved ones. Carolyn asked if Dad (Dad passed when Ray was just 4) was there and mom said yes. Carolyn told her to tell him she loved him, and mom said he knew. She did not pass away, and lived through the night. The next morning when we were talking her Doctor and told him what had happened he said that it is called Sun-downers (patients who come closer to death at night but do fine during the day). The next day, we were asking her questions and I said Ray was her son, we then asked her who was holding her hand (Ray was), and she said that guy was. It made Ray and I wonder if she had fallen back to a time when her children were all young. Later during the day Ray and Carolyn headed to the cafeteria to get lunch. I was alone with mom, and I began to talk to her about her kids, and their spouses. I started with Mike, that he was married to Karen. I then went down the line and ended with Ray, and that I was his wife. As I finished with this sentence she opened one eye looked at me squose my fingers, and said DON'T BE FOUL! I got a kick out of this and teased her saying mother, I am not foul. I then proceeded to tell her about her grandchildren, how Rich was her oldest, and then I proceeded to tell her the names of each of her grandchildren and which ones were married. I ended with telling her how Jake was her youngest grandchild, and how he was Ray's youngest child. She then squose my hand quite hard again, opened her eyes, looked at me and said STOP TALKING FOUL! I just started laughing and told her I was not talking foul. At that point Ray and Carolyn both came back in the room, and I proceeded to tell them the conversation her and I had just had. The next day the Trauma Surgeon said he thought it would be best to move mom to a Rehabilitation Hospital, and hope that her recovery would progress. They transported her, and Carolyn once again took up residency on the couch of the new place. The first couple of days mom talked a bit, on Sunday evening Ray and I were visiting with her while Carolyn went with DJ and Kristen and their girls (who had come to pay a quick visit), anyway we were watching Hockey and Ray told her if she got better he would take her to a Hockey game, and I said she doesn't like Hockey, and she said I might. (LOL) She never really regained much consciousness after that. She kept slipping further and further away. After a week at the Rehabilitation Hospital, the family finally made the decision to transport her back to Lynnes home where she could be closer to home, as that was mom biggest wish as the place she was at was not doing much for her. Mom passed 45 minutes after they brought her home. All she wanted was to be home. We will miss her so much, and Ellie and Jake have spent quite some time shedding tears for a Grandma they loved so very much. She lived 82 years and lived such a life. She lived on her own, taking care of 8 horses, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 3 bunnies. She cut her own firewood daily, and still rode horses all the time. Although mom faced many challenges in her long life, she also had lots of happiness raising 6 beautiful children, being with each as they were sealed to their own spouses for time and eternity. She welcomed 27 grandchildren, 9 grandchildren in law, 4 step grandchildren, 4 step grand in law, 16 great grandchildren, 4 step greats. She was preceded in death by her loving husband George, and Great grandson Alex. We love you mom!! 1/26/29- 1/31/11

Sledding down the BIG HILL!

We took the kids sledding for New Years, and every time we do, I tell myself we wont do it again until they are much older, and then I find that I am saying it again just one year later. Will I ever learn? They start out each year scared to death of the big hill, and of course I have a boy who fights and says unkind things about how he doesn't like me and wishes I would go away, all because I am giving him this experience of sledding down a big hill. :) Then the next thing you know he and his sister are hiking up the big hill all by themselves, and coming down like pros. This year we didn't stay as long as we might normally have because the princess had to use the bathroom, and the school was closed. We still made the best of the time we had while there.(There they go heading up the big hill by themselves)(Here they come down the big hill)

(By the end they got a little brave and tried a few tricks)

Christmas

This year our Christmas was small, simple, and very enjoyable. My wish is that we can have more just like it. I decided that the kids were not in need of any toys at all, and so we they each got a pair of boots (jake cowboy, and ellie ugs), they each got an mp3 player full of their favorite music, a couple of outfits, and wii games (udraw, and mario kartz), and then a couple of extra things they had wanted. The kids seemed to enjoy every gift they received, and I enjoyed the fact that my pocket book didn't shrink in size too much. (Have I ever told you how much I love these three?)
(Jake showing off his MP3 player in his Christmas PJ's)
(Ellie showing off her new Pink nun chuck for the Wii in her new PJ's)

(The kids were both way excited about their new boots)

Happy 6th Birthday Alex!

Happy Birthday to you Alexander Pierce LuffHis little smile was so contagious! Taken too soon, though he will never be forgotten. We miss him every time we count how many great niece and nephews we have. The numbers are growing bigger and bigger, yet he will always remain the first. First time we got to go to the hospital and be a part of a greats birth, and so many firsts with this angel. 14 months was not long enough, yet it was all the time he needed to accomplish the mission our Father in Heaven had for him upon this earth.

He and Jake are only 10 months apart, and I imagine they would be great friends today. I learned so much from you Alex, and am grateful for the lessons you taught me. Thank you for being our first great, and thank you for being our angel great now. We love and miss you always!

Love you forever little guy, Aunt Mickie and Uncle Ray

Ward Christmas Party

This year at our ward Christmas Party instead of inviting The fat Jolly old man to come surprise the kids with candy, the committee decided to invite the Three Wise Men to come tell stories about the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It was different but enjoyable, and Ellie and Jake enjoyed getting pictures with the Wise Men for a change.