Nancy Roseanne DeRobertis Harris.
Our dearly beloved Mother passed on to Glory on Dec 11, 2012, in the nurturing company of our Father, who had been rehabbing from hip replacement surgery in the same nursing home. They were able to spend those last weeks together, which was wonderful in so many ways. Mom passed away in a nursing Home in Sarasota, Florida, where she had spent most of the time since she broke her leg in February of 2010.
While we completely rejoice over her home-coming to be with the Lord, with the angels who surround the Throne of Grace, and with our beloved family members and friends who have gone before us, we are also very relieved that Mom's suffering on Earth has indeed ended. We can't help but feel bereft of her physical presence, especially at Christmastime.
We will celebrate our parents' 62nd Wedding Anniversary on Dec 23rd, 2012, with our mother in Spirit and our father still here on Earth.
Please pray for my Dad and for all of is, if you feel led.
We are working on a Power Point Presentation, but for now you can see many photos on my Facebook page whether you belong to Facebook or not:
https://www.facebook.com/kwharris777/photos_stream
Some of us, but most likely not including Dad, may be at First United Methodist Church of Sarasota during the morning services, God willing. So if you see us, we will be happy to draw aside and fellowship with you.
In lieu of flowers, please remember our sweet and beautiful mother by giving to one of the churches or charities dear to her heart.
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Nancy and George Harris are lifelong Methodists. While growing up, my brother George, my sister, Jennifer and I we were all raised in the loving congregation of Barrington United Methodist Church, Barrington, Illinois.
In each place they dwelled, they were part of the life of their local United Methodist congregation. They are members of Sarasota UMC for the last 20 years since our Dad retired.
Our spouses, children, grandchildren and significant others join us in grief over Mom's passing. Those who mourn, but still have joy and gratitude for Mom's life include especially our brother-in-love, Jennifer's husband, Michael, their son, Chris, and their daughter, Chelsea.
Our brothers' daughters Michelle, Brittany and Ashley, also know the blessings and joys of being grandchildren to our parents who could not be more loving. Brittany and her husband Bryan recently presented Mom and Dad with their ninth great grandchild, Evie.
The other eight grandchildren, who are blessed to have our Mom and Dad for great grandparents are progeny of my wonderful kids.
Krista and her husband, our son-in-love, Daniel, are parents to three boys.
And my son, Tom, has three sons and two daughters. In order by age, they are Noah, Trevor, Andrew Alexis, Seth, Jude, Colin and Lily.
Significant others who are important to us include Melissa, Linnea, and Lisa.
Our mother joins her parents, John and Donna DeRobertis, in the peace of the Lord.
Her sister Marcia and brother-in-Love, Al were there to welcome her home, as were her brother John and sister-in-love, Jean, with their sweet daughter, Janie.
Nancy has also joined her brother Dick and nephew Michael in the deep peace of Christ.
The Host of Witnesses includes our father's parents, George and Annie; their daughters Millie, Katie, and Annie; their brother Ed and sister-in-love, Alice.
Grand-nephew, Paul, sadly has also has been gathered up to Glory, but we rejoice that they are all together in the fullness of God's Grace and Peace in Christ Jesus.
Their brother-in-Love, Ron is there, too. He waits for George's sister, Betty, while watching over her and all their family members.
Mom's and Dad's nephews still on Earth are John, Charles, Russel, Tom, Dick, Dan, Patrick, Ron, George, Jeff, Colin and Gary.
Beloved nieces are Mary, Donna, Melinda, Cheryl, Marlene, Renee, Lynn, Chris, Suzanne and Missy.
Our mother loved books, art, movies, the theater, history, culture and everything about people as individuals and as nations, except the cruelty and fear engendered by war and injustice.
Her passion for books led her to be a rare book dealer who managed a store and ran a search service in Long Grove, Illinois.
With the enthusiastic support of Dad, Mom also established and owned the Renascence Book Store in the Town of Harvard, Massachusetts (on the way to Amherst from Boston.)
When our parents returned to northern Illinois from their eight year sojourn in Massachusetts, they lived again in the Barrington Area and in Evanston.
We were very happy that Mom opened her Renascence Book Store in Barrington, too, and we always say that our parents have more books in their house than most small town libraries have. Mom often noted that she was never sorry she bought a book, but often regretted NOT buying one.
Our parents love the Lord and served Him faithfully in many ways, not the least of which was bringing us up to know that we are loved by God, while encouraging us to develop our own relationship with the Divine and to serve people in the Spirit of Love, in whatever way we might find that is meaningful to us. We were taught to love people actively by giving of ourselves.
I truly believe that the only way to love God who we cannot see, is to love the people brought into our lives. We came to know God's love because of experiencing the fullness of Love because of their loving, supportive, and nurturing ways. Both Mom and Dad were excited when I answered my call to ministry, when I felt led to be in mission in the former Soviet Union, and when I pursued the doctorate in Evangelism. Through all the ups and downs of that journey for me and for my children, our parents have been our strong tower in the Lord.
For me, one of the most grace-filled relationships I have had in ministry has been that with the members of the Barrington United Methodist Church.
The Missions Committee members voted to pray for me and support the effort almost the minute they heard about it.
And with great joy and humility, I found the dream of my teen years come true when the United Methodist Women invited me twice to preach in the pulpit of my home church -- once before I spent five months in Kazakhstan and once afterward.
Through the Missions Committee members and the United Methodist Women of BUMC, the congregation also hosted a visit by the pastor and choir members of the first Russian-speaking United Methodist Congregation in the United States. (I was blessed to be able to plant the seed, but Alexey and Viktoriya Karakcheyev watered it and faithfully helped it grow. They were the first people the Lord brought to me when I started the outreach in 1998.)
Our parents were no longer traveling out of Florida at that time, but they loved hearing about the visit, seeing photos, and hearing their anthems and praise songs on CD.
A champion for the needs of children, birds and animals, Mom had a deep sense of beauty which she found in her husband; in her children and their talents; and in their extremely beloved grand children and great grand children.
Both Mom and Dad delight in those kids they way they delighted in us, but with the pleasure and gift of being "grands" "great-grands".
Their love has always been expressed in amazing ways -- through visits and gifts and trips . . . through support and nurture, no matter what kind of crisis or trouble might have come up . . . and through the singular adoring attention that unconditional love bestows on each beloved person.
Mom and Dad appreciate the wonders and lovely surprises found in nature and they took joy in traveling and getting to know people of various cultures around the world in actively caring ways.
Mom helped to establish various community services in our town and area. She was involved with our church as a whole, and with the United Methodist Women in particular in supporting charities connected to the mission of the church to actively share the Gospel of Love proclaiming God's Grace and Mercy not just through words, but by deeds aimed at sharing that love at all times -- with family members, with neighbors, and with strangers.
These missions include orphanages and centers to serve the needs of people living in poverty, in Chicago, as well as other parts of northern Illinois. One very special association continues today between the people of a public housing neighborhood in Chicago called Cabrini Green, and the members of the Barrington United Methodist Church members They help and interact with each other not only through donations, but also through exchanges with youth groups, adult Sunday School classes, and societies.
Actively concerned with the welfare of indigenous people on reservations and with people in need of help abroad, we saw the reports about the charities come in the mail, and we were also aware of checks sent out in envelops that we brought up the hill to our rural mail box to be picked up by the USPS letter carriers.
Along with our father, Mom supported the work of The Red Cross, and The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
In addition, her passionate love for birds and animals went beyond our many pets over the years to support the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The National Audobon Society, and the World Wildlife Fund.
Mom also helped support The Koala Fund for which our cousins Renee and Dave tirelessly work.
If anyone feels led to honor Mom's memory, the best way to do that would be to support one of the churches or charities that she held dear to her heart.
After we all left for college, our mother joined our father on business trips and vacations, going around the world.
They especially loved wandering around Italy, the British Isles, France and Israel, but they found all the people and places they visited fascinating.
Mom's childhood dream of petting a tiger was fulfilled in Indonesia, where she also was able to pet a lion. Dad made posters of the photos from that dream fulfillment, and they hang one the walls of their house for all to see and enjoy.
Wherever our parents went, they enjoyed the company of relatives, friends and traveling companions.
They visited historical and cultural sites while enjoying the cuisines and taking in the theater, opera and concert opportunities. I am always touched by the knowledge that Mom loved the musical,"Chorus Line" and saw it performed in many different cities over the years. The song and dance number "One" truly describes our incredible and special Mom.
Because of Mom, our lives were filled with music, art, literature, plays, and outings to enjoy architecture. We sat squirming on Sunday afternoons while watching Leonard Bernstein's "Young People's Concerts" on television. Mom also bought us records teaching about each musical instrument of the orchestra.
We all learned to play the piano, and while Jenny and George chose to move onto the clarinet, I fell in love with the violin. Mom sold the piano long after we gave up lessons, though. She got tired of hearing us and our friends play "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks." The Etians lived up the hill from us, and although George no longer took piano lessons a lifelong friendship with that family began when Jenny I an I waited for one another to finish the lesson while spending time with one beloved daughter of the house, who was also our first babysitter there.
We often had family poetry readings when we could choose from many anthologies or other single volumes of poetry. Giggles of laughter accompanied "The Akond Of Swat" and "'Twas Brillig." Mom loved Emily Dickinson's Edna St. Vincent Benet's poetry as well as the Classical and Romantic British and American poets. I got to know and love Robert Frost's poetry, among others, but everything from limericks to ballads was allowed . . . from T.S. Eliot to Keats and Shelley, from e.e. cummings to Edward Lear.
Once I was on a silent retreat day, walking in the woods along the western shore of the Chesapeake with the Communion and Healing Prayer group I belonged to at my home church in Washington, D.C. All of a sudden, inspired by a dramatic vista in front of us, a friend and I started to recite Benet's "Renascence," by memory. We were amazed and thrilled that we could both recite it together.
That was thanks to Mom, joyfully encouraged by Dad.
We also always read Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales" on Christmas Eve. Visiting friends like the Braithwaites joined us, and I have so many wonderful memories of holidays and other times with the many loving people in our lives.
Mom and Dad love to play card games with us and with their friends. George is the only one who has inherited mom's and Dad's love of Bridge, but as a family and with friends, we also played Pinochle, Mille Bornes, silly kids' poker games, and many other card games and board games. The evenings full of Bridge games with our parents' friends always included home-made pizza and falling asleep to the laughter and conversation with the people Mom and Dad love, both relatives and friends. The following morning Jenny, George and I gleefully raided the refrigerator for leftover pizza. And there were always snacks and chocolate-covered chocolates still on the folding table in the living room.
Whenever we were on road trips to family picnics or just a Sunday drive somewhere, Dad enthusiastically taught us the history of Chicago, and often focused on the Labor movement.
As we traveled, we delighted in being with Mom and Dad.
There are several very special trips my kids remember well. The first was when Mom joined us in Tucson at Aunt Marcia's and Uncle Al's to accompany us on a road trip up the coast of California, Oregon and Washington to Seattle when we moved from Florida to Alaska for a new Air Force assignment during January of 1983. Then Mom flew with us to Anchorage, after we put our car on a ship.
And in the summer of '83 when Mom and Dad met us in Las Vegas, spent time with them at places like, Caesar's Palace and Circus, Circus!
Then in the summer of '84, both of my parents were able to come to Alaska to visit us.
Krista, Tom and I had a great time with them when they came with us to Denali Park to see Mt McKinley up close and personal. They also toured the Kenai Peninsula, Portage Glacier, and the Alyeska Resort area.
My sister, my brother and their families all have their own memories of special visits and trips. We also were blessed with many times when there with reunions with all of us and with members of our extended families either in Florida, in the Chicago area, or in Missouri.
Some of our parents' dearest friends were their siblings and cousins, so we were only continuing the traditions of our very loving and wonderful extended family. It's just how we grew up.
And there is no more joy we could have had than to be able to be together in good times and in sorrow, with our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in Chicago, Indiana, and Missouri.
Our parents also maintained lifelong friendships with those they met in high school and in college; their neighbors in the West Pullman area and other parts of the Southside of Chicago; in Tower Lakes and the Barrington area; in Massachusetts; and on Longboat Key, Florida.
They also especially treasured their brothers and sisters in Christ in the churches they joined. As I've already mentioned, Mom loved serving in the women's groups rummage sales because of the fellowship, and because of the chance to help people in need.
Dad was involved in the United Methodist Men, too, and they always made sure we were involved in the activities and trips of the children's ministry and the youth groups. Our parents never failed to make sure we knew how proud they were of us, our children and our grandchildren no matter what we were going through in our lives.
There are no more supportive parents anywhere.
When we were growing up, Mom and Dad made friends with many of the parents of our pals. They also thoroughly enjoyed the books and the members of Great Books Discussions Groups in North Barrington and in Wellesley, Massachusetts when they lived in the Boston area for eight years in the early '80s.
Mom comes by her love of movies honestly and our whole family shares it.
In the 1920's our Grandma Donna, Mom's mother was working in the ticket booth of a movie house in Chicago owned by our great grandmother, Mamie Rose, along with Mamie Rose's sister, Daisy and her husband Lewis. Grandma Donna was fifteen years old when she sold a ticket to a young man who had immigrated to Chicago from Bari, Italy, with his family when he was six years old. Yep, you guessed it. That is our Grandpa John.
I was blessed to go with friends to Ellis Island several years ago and saw my grandfathers name on the dedication wall. Grandma Donna had made sure they placed it inn memoriam to Grandpa. Our Mom was a wonderful cook, and since our family has a long tradition of abundant hospitality, we especially enjoyed entertaining friends and relatives who came to see us after we moved to Tower Lakes. from Chicago or wherever. Some of our parents dearest friends are the Braithwaites, the Dites, our next door neighbors the McBrides, and the Laaksos, who led us to Tower Lakes.
Dr. Laakso worked with Dad and they were great friends.
A time came in the late 50s when the City of Chicago allowed a new highway to be built that connected the interstates that converge there. It is called "The Dan Ryan Expressway", and in places it is 18 lanes wide.
I don't know about now, but at the time it was the widest highway in the world. Many neighborhoods, stores and office buildings were torn down to make way for The Dan Ryan, including the building that housed the company where Dr. Laakso and Dad worked.
And the Laaksos already lived in Tower Lakes, so the decision to move the research lab to Jewel Park in Barrington was helped along by his familiarity with the area.
So even though we had looked at many homes in brand new housing developments as the Chicago suburbs were expanding through the 60's, the minute we came to Tower Lakes to visit the Laaksos, we knew we could not live anywhere else.
As city kids we were amazed at the beauty of the lakes, rolling hills and trees.
Being there reminded us of the summer we went to a Methodist family camp on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin and no place is more special to me. We often talk about that first drive between the entryway stone "towers" off Rt. 59.
We heard each other "ooh and Ah" over each beautiful new view as the car wended its way on the roads surrounding the small lakes.
Other wonderful and loving friends of our parents include the Strouses, the Cooleys and the Prices.
I know I am leaving precious people out, but please understand that we all loved all of our family friends and relatives very much. We cherish visits with them as well as the memories of those who have already passed on.
I am so grateful to think of the love waiting for Mom and how much she must be enjoying being with everyone. I can only imagine her in a place like a beautiful vineyard hung with Japanese lanterns.
It has tables laden with delicious food and drinks that are placed between the rows of vines. Children gaily play as all the grown-ups laugh and joke, or talk together quietly, catching up with one another.
The vineyard is on the edge of a beautiful mountain lake and a delicate pink Italian palazzo sits part way up the hill on the far side of the lake. The view reminds me of Lake Como. Growing up we had many wonderful family dinner celebrations dinners in a Restaurant called "Como Inn" in Chicago .
Maybe that's why I can so easily envision what it might be like for Mom now, being welcomed home by everyone who loves her.
In North Barrington in general, and for Tower Lakes in particular, the parents of our friends were like aunts and uncles. These included the Moms and Dads in the McBride Family and the Laakso families as well as the Kapros family, the Stockslager family and many others.
A lifelong learner, our mother has an Associate of Arts degree from a Chicago community college. She also studied Home Economics at The Illinois Institute of Technology, where she and our father met.
