She always liked gardening and planting flowers, so one of the first things she did after arriving in Nevada County was to put up a garden fence in the field and started planting Summer vegetables. The vegetables grew well in the warm country sun. She really couldn’t grow much in Daly City because it was foggy most days, so living and having a vegetable garden in the warm sun made her very happy. She joined the local country club with her family and enjoyed golfing, swimming, and sun bathing again. She also joined the women’s golf club at Beale Air Force Base where she enjoyed golfing with her friends for many years. She continued working in the banking industry and was a passionate member of several women’s groups and enjoyed serving her community. She was a former member of Toastmaster International, National Federation of Business and Profession Women, and Nevada City Chamber of Commerce. She was a life member of Soroptomist International and loved all her friends there. Another passion she had was crocheting, where she won many Best of Division, Best of Show and first place awards for her afghans in competition at the county fair. She also enjoyed playing the piano, painting, puzzles, playing cards, reading, sadoku, bird watching, crafting, cooking, and eating. She loved watching her grandchildren grow up, and later loved to see her great grandchildren starting their young lives.
In 2000 at the age of 65, she suffered a brain aneurism, and almost died. The doctors gave her anywhere from one hour to 5 years left to live. She fought back learning how to walk, write, play golf, crochet, and talk again. She never regained great speech, but you could usually figure out what she was saying. She made it almost 20 years with a high quality of life after that grim diagnosis. She suffered a broken femur in her leg in June of 2014 and the hard recovery started again. She was in the rehab facility for about 5 months, and used one leg well with the brace on the other with no weight bearing allowed. She wanted to live and die at home, so the nursing home was out of the question. We moved her back home in October of 2014. She learned how to walk again, but needed an assistant with a strap around her waist with a hand in it to make sure she didn’t fall. She stopped walking in late September 2017, and spent the next 2 years in bed. A section of her bedroom wall was quickly removed so that she had a large view of her living room and fireplace. She did not feel confined to a bedroom with her great views inside and outside. She continued crocheting and winning awards, and lived a high quality of life. She continued to enjoy watching the birds, hummingbirds and squirrels eating outside her large sliding glass door, as well as reading and watching her orchid, rose, and flower gardens grow. One of her favorites was watching the rain and snow fall, sipping a hot Mocha while enjoying a large view of the fire in her fireplace. Breakfast was her favorite meal and she looked forward to a home cooked meal in bed every morning, and another day of watching television, crafting, watching the birds, watching her family grow, and abundant life all around her.
She leaves behind her sister Jane Sheppard, son Edward and his wife Jill, son James, her grandchild Scott and his wife Lindsay with their children Kiley and Blake, and grandchild Nattalie. As per her request, there will be no service. Her family will gather for a private visit at San Juaqin National Cemetary where she will be burried with her husband. Her mind was very strong until her last days here, and she never missed a beat for 20 years after the brain aneurism. She was one of the bravest woman I have ever known. She was the toughest woman I have ever known. She was an amazing woman. She was a great woman. She will be dearly missed by all. I want you to know that she Loved her family and friends very much! She was a miracle to us all!
