RIP Mom

My mother passed away yesterday unexpectedly. Although we didn’t have a close relationship, I still feel that I knew her very well, and I have a small story to share ~ My husband and I moved to Fremont several years ago along with an exodus of other Hormel employees from all over the US. Not surprisingly, one day my husband ran into a coworker who was also from South Dakota, an older gentleman who had known my husband as a confirmed bachelor. Surprised that he got married, this man asked Duane who his wife was, and my husband told him. The man became very excited, “I remember her mother!” this man said. He went on to tell the tale about watching this very beautiful young woman who would regularly cross a field near his home on horseback. And this was a memory that was still sharp and vivid in his mind. It is a statement about my mother, her passion for horses, and her youthful and exquisite beauty, that 30+ years later, just the memory of watching her brought a rise of excited admiration and awe, and a sparkle, to an old man’s eyes. RIP Mom.