Farewell to your Mother, Cousin Alden

Some of you may remember my friend Alden Oyer from Santa Fe. I have known Alden for over 30 years and we have found we have a lot in common. As many of you remember, Alden is a fifth cousin by marriage. Last year Alden lost his dear wife Carolyn and this year he has lost his mother. Alden will be at the campout in July and will also join our family to celebrate Sharon's graduation from law school. Alden and I have travelled with Sharon and we both made it to her graduation from Emory University.

Alden's mother had a minor stroke a couple of weeks ago and preparations were being made to send her to a rehab place when she died. It was the kind of thing where Alden was getting positive reports on her condition and suddenly she was gone. Life can be so fragile. Here is the obit for Alden's mother:

Lillian A. Oyer, 89, of Stroudsburg, Pa, formerly of Easton, Pa, died Monday, May 5, 2008 at Pocono Medical Center, East Stroudsburg, Pa. Born: On July 5, 1918, in Stroudsburg, she was a daughter of the late Ervin J. and Lucy S. Diehl Heller. Personal: Her husband, Paul A., died in 1960. Lillian was a 1936 graduate of Stroudsburg High School and graduated from the Easton Hospital School of Nursing on September 15, 1939 as a registered nurse. She began her nursing career at the Easton Hospital and after the death of her husband, went on to work for the private practice of Dr. George Laubach, retiring in 1985. Memberships: Lillian was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, Stroudsburg. Survivors: She is survived by a son, Dr. Alden T. Oyer of Santa Fe, NM; twin sisters, Lorraine Heckman of Stroudsburg and Louise Gage and her husband Charles of Stroudsburg; a niece, Cynthia Williams and her husband Douglas of East Stroudsburg, and a nephew, Jeffrey L. Gage and his wife Lori of Gainesville, Fla. A daughter-in-law, Carolyn Oyer, died in May of 2007. Services: Funeral services will be held Monday at 1 p.m. from the church, 9 North Ninth, Stroudsburg, with the Rev. Gail Kees officiating. The family will receive friends Monday from 12 p.m. until the time of the service in the church. Private burial will take place in the Easton Cemetery, Easton. Memorials: Donations should be made to the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation, 206 East Brown Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301; or to Heart and Vascular Institute at Pocono Medical Center, 206 East Brown Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301.