J-'s mom, Barbara, passed away on October 9, 2024.
Barbara had fallen and broken her hip 3 days before, but seemed to have had a successful surgery and was on her way to recovery -- but, the next thing we knew J-'s uncle called and J- needed to get on a plane to Michigan right away.
I only met Barbara once, in August when we visited. She welcomed me with a warm hug at the door and I found her to be sweet and curious throughout our time together. She had nice eyes and a gentle smile and, although our visit was short, I felt that we had a nice connection. I received the same warm hug from her at the end of our visit while I thanked her for everything and, as I released the hug, I noticed she had big tears in her eyes. After she and J- exchanged hugs and "I love you"s, I took a photo of the two of them together before we headed to the airport.
A few weeks later, Barbara sent J- a Detroit Lion's t-shirt, and included a smaller matching one for me. 💗
At her service, people spoke about Barbara's commitment to serving others, her faith in God, and how she was always quite early everywhere she went. :) People also personally shared with J- about how much his mom talked about him and how proud she was of him.
I'm so sad that you've left us, Barbara, and I'm so grateful that I got the chance to meet you. 💙
