Eulogy for 1929 Irma Dorothy Livingston
To everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. - Ecclesiastes We are gathered here today to honour the memory of our mother, Irma Dorothy Livingston Sherman, so that together we may acknowledge and share both our joy in the gift that her life was to us, and the pain that her passing brings. In sharing the joy and the pain together today, may we lessen the pain and remember more clearly the joy. Irma was 85 when she passed away peacefully on Friday, October 31, 2014 in Kennewick, Washington. Even at that age, we wish that we had more time; and perhaps that during the time we had, we had spent more of it together. While we know that she is at peace and that her struggles are at an end, there is sadness for those of us still here on earth. Even though she is gone, Mom has left the legacy of her strength and perseverance. She was born during the Depression on a farm in Upper New York State and, as we all know, farm life is a difficult life. Mom once told me that, at the age of 13, she was sent to the neighbour?s farm to work as a housekeeper. She still managed to graduate from high school and went onto nursing school. She graduated from Binghamton Nursing School around 1949. The following year, she was married to Manville (John) Sherman on March 4th, 1950. Irma and John moved frequently during their early years of marriage. Mom stated that they moved 13 times in a 2 year period. It is exhausting just to think about it! And she managed the moves while caring for small children! The one thing that Irma and John had in common was music and dancing. Mom loved to sing and dance. Her dream career was to be a singer and a dancer. Irma was also a very talented pianist and she could play the accordion well. I remember as a very young child, Mom and Dad would play the piano and banjo, respectively, and the kids would dance. They taught us how to square dance as that was the dance of the season during those years. As time went on, Mom ended up working mostly graveyard shifts at Missoula General Hospital. Again she demonstrated her strength by working long nights and caring for eight children after we got home from school. We were blessed to have a hard working mother to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. After Dad left Mom in 1970, she was devastated but she did manage to keep a stable home life for us four youngest children. In the 70?s, it was difficult being divorced and a single parent, so Mom sold the house and moved us to New York and Pennsylvania. I believe Mom thought it would be easier to be closer to family and her roots after going through the divorce. However, Mom truly loved the Rocky Mountains and the Big Sky country of Montana so we moved back West after only a year of being away. When we returned to Montana, we lived in low-income housing for a short time before moving to Wheeler Trailer Village which was on the outskirts of Missoula. Mom was happier having a home of her own, even if it was a mobile home, especially since she was still working nights at the hospital and she worked part-time during the day giving allergy shots at a doctor?s office. It was amazing the hours she put in on the job and still managed to be a mother and a father to her children. When Irma finally got to the "empty nest" stage of her life, she moved to Spokane to be closer to her children and to see more of the world. In 1982, she decided to take employment with an international company and took a job in Saudi Arabia. While working abroad, Mom got to do another of her favourite things- She got to travel! She visited several European countries and Egypt; sometimes alone and sometimes with Jesse or another companion. I am sure she has wonderful memories of those times! Unfortunately, Irma fell on a wet floor and injured her knee on the job while in Saudi Arabia. She returned to the States after the fall to get medical treatment and physical therapy. She stayed with my mother-in-law, Lorraine Robinson, during this time and they got to be friends. When Mom was able, she returned to work and took a job at Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis near Tacoma. She retired from Madigan in 1996 and decided to move back to the Spokane area and closer to the Rocky Mountains. Irma wanted to live where there were lots of trees. So Joyce helped Mom secure a nice home in Loon Lake for her Golden Years. Mom moved into a trailer court that is filled with tall stately pine trees that smelled wonderful, especially after it rains. While living in Loon Lake, Irma met a confirmed bachelor and retired school teacher named Paul Schaffner. Mom and Paul had a very unique relationship and they were very supportive and caring of each other. I believe that they were soul mates and they exhibited real unconditional love. Mom transitioned into assisted living in January 2008 and Paul continued to visit Irma on a regular basis. Mom would always light up when Paul came to visit and they would spend hours just sitting and holding hands and listening to Lawrence Welk. Unfortunately, Paul passed away in November 2012 but I am sure that they are reunited now. Eventually, Irma got to the stage of her life where arthritis and dementia took her ability to walk and then she lost her ability to communicate easily but she never complained. During the last couple of years, Mom suffered from stiff muscles and arthritis but she could still smile in spite of the pain she must have been enduring. In closing, I want to share one very important thought- Mom truly died peacefully. Her hands that had been clenched for a long time opened as she transitioned to the ethereal world. She is no longer in pain. The Bible states that the rainbow is a symbol of hope. I saw a beautiful rainbow as I was driving to see Mom after she had passed. It made me believe that she is safe in heaven with her family and loved ones. We will miss her being with us but we can find comfort in knowing that she is free of pain and happy again. - written by her daughter, June Alice Sherman Robinson, in Nov. 2014