Georgia on my mind...

Georgia Mae Smith, born in Colquitt, Georgia on a Fall evening in 1924, was always one of the most beautiful women in whatever room she entered. Her physical beauty was surpassed only by her warm, accepting personality and openheartedness. Her laugh was infectious. Quite often, people made her laugh just to hear her famous "cackle." Everyone was welcomed into her world regardless of age, religion, gender, race or sexual orientation. Georgia loved being around a diverse group of people and was always open to new ideas and perspectives. Throughout her long life, she worked hard and played hard. She maintained lifelong friendships with many people from her community, church, and workplaces.

Although Georgia Mae was a real "Georgia Peach," she lived most of her life on the West Coast, first in Portland, Oregon and then in Oakland, California where she raised her three sons, Stanley, Freeman, and Chris on her own. Even with a limited formal education, Georgia was successful in her chosen field: cooking. She was a magnificent self-taught cook who could make everything from fine French and hearty British cuisines to the best-ever Southern fried chicken, New Orleans-style gumbo and Italian spaghetti. She was a baker, too, and was well known for her lemon meringue pies, peach cobblers, and banana pudding. She honed her skills as a chef at The Public House in Oakland, and then the Metropole Restaurant in Berkeley where she ruled the kitchen for 20 years.

She loved to gamble - cards, horse racing, casinos - and made weekend trips to Reno and the racetracks. When her baby sister, Charlene Outland, moved to Monterrey, California in the 70s, they planned and co-hosted card parties and luaus and formal events together for years. They both loved to entertain. Over the following years, the sisters became best friends; talked on the phone almost everyday and visited each other as often they could. When Charlene died in June, 2015, Georgia Mae was inconsolable.

Georgia Mae was an avid reader and she kept abreast of current events. She loved children, calla lilies, beautiful clothes, dogs, margaritas, brandy, and her own cooking. You knew it was an occasion when she broke out her favorite champagne. She loved shopping flea markets and auctions. One of her favorite sayings upon entering a room was, "Look what you could have if you ain't got nobody."

She was raised Baptist in Georgia in New Hope Baptist Church. In Oakland, she first joined the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, and was later a member of the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church for nearly 30 years. But, she was fascinated by Buddhism and other Eastern religions, too. She was associated with Oakland's Perfect Liberty Church for many years. Georgia enjoyed road trips and social gatherings with members of both churches.

Georgia Mae is survived by her three adult sons, Stanley Lippitt (and his wife Bianca and their sons, Oshmin and Beethoven), Freeman Demry, Jr, and Christopher Lane, (and his former wife, Yvonne "Peaches" Lane); and by her granddaughters, Chawnette Sneed and Christin Lane; grandson, Christopher Lane; great-granddaughters, Raynette Albert, A'Nyah Ramirez, Mia Baskin, and Layah Furtado; great-grandson, Dionte' Robinson, and great-great granddaughter, Bailey Rae Albert. Georgia Mae is survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was especially close to her niece, Gloria Wilson Moore, who she treated like her daughter, and her great-niece, Amber Moore, who she named. Other members of Georgia Mae's extended family who survive her include Walter Lane and Freeman Demry, Sr. She is preceded in death by loved ones who will welcome her home including her mother, Pearl Singletary and her father, Richard Calhoun; her siblings John Lee Cook, Dora Mae Brantley, Charlene Outland, L.C. Singletary, Wilmer Singletary, and Waddell Sales, Joseph Calhoun, Patricia Calhoun and Lawson Calhoun; and life-long friends including Ad Lippitt.

One of Georgia Mae's long-time best friends, Michael Kretowicz, says of her, "Georgia touched the lives of so many people. I think about her life in Georgia and how she became a woman who cared so deeply about her family and her friends. She was never selfish. She was a beautiful soul who acknowledged people. And she could put you in your place, if you needed it. Thank all of the Gods of the universe for Georgia Mae Smith. She was more than a friend. She was a generous, smart woman who made our lives beautiful."

Charlotte Spencer died in Cox Medical Center on September 20, 2015 in Springfield, MO due to complications of the brain hemorrhaging. She was 96.
Ms. Spencer was born on September 5, 1919 in North Little Rock, AR to her parents, Mary and William Taylor. She graduated from North Little Rock High School. She married Charles Spencer in 1941. The Spencers moved to Springfield where Charles worked as a High School Coach and Susan taught the middle school. She retired in 1986 and dedicated her remaining time to educating and caring for her grandchildren, as knitting, sewing, and dancing.
Ms. Spencer was a patient and supportive teacher with a passion for literacy and the arts. Inspiring creativity and dedication in others was her life-long goal.
Ms. Spencer is survived by her son James Spencer of North Little Rock, AR; her daughters, Janice and Helen Spencer; her sisters, Claire and Ruth Spencer; her brother Richard Spencer and three grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, William Spencer.

Agnes M. Vande Burgt, Little Chute, age 76, died Friday January 17, 2014 battling Alzheimer’s Disease at Appleton Health Care Center. She was born in Kaukauna, Wisconsin on May 5, 1937 to the late Antone and Josephine (Meulemans) Verhasselt. Agnes married Clayton Vande Burgt on August 22, 1959 at Holy Cross Parish. She worked at Riverview Sanatorium and retired from Parkview Health Center in Oshkosh in 1999. Agnes enjoyed cooking, sewing, making crafts, traveling and spending time with her family. She will be loved and missed by many. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will love and miss her dearly. Agnes was also a member of St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church.

Agnes is survived by her five children, 19 grandchildren and over 15 great-grandchildren. Her children as follows; Dan (Diane) Vande Burgt, residing in Indiana, Theresa (Keith) Wolle, residing in Clarksville, TN, David Vande Burgt, residing in Colorado, Diane (Tom) Vande Burgt, residing in Beaufort, SC and (Doris (Jeff) Vandenberg, residing in Hortonville, Wi,

Grandchildren include; Sabrina Stanley, Amber Rich, Bonnie Rich, Paul Rich, Jo Ellen Fambrough, Erica Wolle, Carrie Krause, Jeffrey and Antone Vandenberg, Thomas Camron, Belton and Kevin Johnson, Destiny and Clayton Vande Burgt, Amber, Jessica and Conner Vande Burgt.

Great grandchildren; Tyler Stanley, Aylsia Stanly, Ashley Stanley, Raven Johnson, Dominic Johnson, Holly Rich, Gavin Stevenson, Katherine Rich, Henry Rich, Steven Fambrough, Abigail Fambrough, Elliot Johnson, Ethan, Evan and Aydan Krause

Siblings: Len (Joyce), Jim (Marilyn), Joe (Joanne), Earl (Dolly), Fr. Dave and Tom(Terri) Verhasselt, Rose (Gerry) Vande Burgt, Dorothy (Ted) Vosters and Pat (Bill) Brockman; and sisters and brothers-in-law: Evie Verhasselt, Rose Seegers, Joanne (Louis) Bellin, Gloria (Merle) Verhagen and Duane (Shirley) Vande Burgt. She is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In addition to her parents, Agnes was preceded in death by her siblings: Bob Verhasselt, Betty (Rich) Van Zeeland and infant twins; and sisters and brothers-in-law: Elizabeth Verhasselt, Clarence Seegers and Virgil (Beth) Vande Burgt.

Special thanks to Appleton Health Care for taking such great care of Agnes during her end of life.

Clayton John Vande Burgt, Little Chute, age 80, died Tuesday September 8, 2015 after being diagnosed in July 2015 with Liver failure. He was born in Little Chute on February 27, 1935 to the late John and Antoinette (Van Ryte) Vande Burgt. He proudly served in the Army from 1955-1958.

Clayton married Agnes Verhasselt at Holy Cross Parish on August 22, 1959. Together, they enjoyed traveling and spending time together. She preceded him in death on January 17, 2014.

Clayton was a truck driver for over 40 years, officially retiring from Van Groll Trucking in 2005. He was a member of St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus Council 4489.

Clayton collected farm toys and enjoyed taking care of his yard. He will be loved and missed by many. His children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will love and miss him dearly.

Clayton is survived by his five children, 19 grandchildren and over 15 great-grandchildren. His children as follows; Dan (Diane) Vande Burgt, residing in Indiana, Theresa (Keith) Wolle, residing in Clarksville, TN, David Vande Burgt, residing in Colorado, Diane (Tom) Vande Burgt, residing in Beaufort, SC and Doris (Jeff) Vandenberg, residing in Hortonville, Wi, Grandchildren include; Sabrina Stanley, Amber Rich, Bonnie Rich, Paul Rich, Jo Ellen Fambrough, Erica Wolle, Carrie Krause, Jeffrey and Antone Vandenberg, Thomas E Johnson, Camron Clayton Johnson, Belton M Johnson and Kevin H Johnson, Destiny A and Clayton R Vande Burgt, Amber, Jessica and Conner Vande Burgt.

Great grandchildren; Tyler Stanley, Aylsia Stanly, Ashley Stanley, Raven Johnson, Dominic Johnson, Holly Rich, Gavin Stevenson, Katherine Rich, Henry Rich, Steven Fambrough, Abigail Fambrough, Elliot Johnson, Ethan, Evan and Aydan Krause

Siblings of Clayton include: Rose Seegers, Gerald (Rosie) Vande Burgt, Gloria (Merle) Verhagen and Duane (Shirley) Vande Burgt; and brothers and sisters-in-law: Louis Bellin, Joyce, Jim (Marilyn), Joe (Joanne), Earl (Dolly), Fr. Dave and Tom (Terri) Verhasselt, Dorothy (Ted) Vosters, Pat (Bill) Brockman and Evie Verhasselt. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In addition to his parents and wife Agnes, Clayton was preceded in death by his sister, Joan Bellin; brother, Virgil (Beth) Vande Burgt; 2 infant siblings; brothers-in-law, Clarence Seegers, Len and Bob Verhasselt; and sisters-in-law: Betty (Rich) Van Zeeland and Elizabeth Verhasselt.

Adolfo Garza, (Garzita) 52, left this earth to rejoin with his father in Heaven on September 14, 2015 after an arduous battle with a long illness.
He was born to Marina Garza homemaker and the late Jose Garza, Hotel Garza Manager in Laredo, TX. He was blessed with a large and loving family. He is survived by his Mother Marina Garza and his brothers and sisters: Jesus Garza, Minerva Garza, Ofelia Guzman, Fernando Garza, Lucinda Garza, Jose Garza Jr., Lourdes Pedraza, Margarita Morales, Norberto Garza, Guadalupe Garza-Brown and Ana Garza.
Adolfo was a free spirit. He lived his life the way he wanted to. No one could tell him where to live, what to do, or what was best for him. He loved to joke and make people laugh. He loved to give people gifts. He would give you the shirt of his back if you needed it. He is remembered as a fun, loving, flirtatious, a big kid in a man's body.
Adolfo worked many years for a Car dealership as a car detailer. He was known as being very meticulous and as having a great attention to detail.
Adolfo will be buried at the Evergreen Cemetery at 11:00 AM,on September 23, 2015.

I’m Free
Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free.
I’m following the path God has laid you see.
I took His hand when I heard Him call.
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day `
To laugh, to love, to work, or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I found that peace at the close of day.

If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joys.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Oh yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow.
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I savored much.
Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief.
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your hearts and peace to thee.
God wanted me now; He set me free.

Unknown author.

Memorial Fund
https://www.plumfund.com/memorial-fund/memorial-fund-for-adolfo-garzita

Our families, Krouks, Ackermans, and others are lucky in having some wonderful fathers. I imagine that, for a son in my position, we probably have the same few things to say. I am lucky to be able to say them.

First, I want to say he was a wonderful father and I love him. And, while the occasion is sad, I am glad to be amongst all of you who also love him. One: Love.

Second, I want to say that I am grateful for all that he taught me about life … so much. Among those things, he taught that life is wonderful and constantly calls upon us to experience its fascinations, pursue its adventures, and share with those that we love. He taught by example how important it is to be polite and caring towards others. He taught me too many things to mention. But, I believe these things are his parenting legacy. Two: The Most Important Lessons in Life.

There is a third thing which I want to say. I will save it for the end of my remarks. In the meantime time, I would like to share with you a few things about my dad from our times together.

Oddly, I was raised by an atheist named Bernie but, I find myself at a Jewish funeral for a man named Ben. I think perhaps that, to a greater or lesser degree, we all contain multitudes. Maybe my father a bit more so than others.

I suspect we all would recognize him as Captain Krouk. My father loved his career as a pilot. He found the idea that humans could lift themselves off the surface of the earth and soar in the clouds wonderful beyond words. He was enthusiastic beyond measure that HE HIMSELF could, by applying his mind (and in the early years his physical talents), make a machine accomplish this whenever he liked … and he could take others with him on the ride. He loved the doing of it and the doing of things in general.

I cannot think of a single thing that my dad did not like about his career as a pilot. He was very lucky in that regard. His love of it all extended to aspects which many could not quite fathom. When I was a teenager, he used to call me up and suggest that we meet in a city, such as San Francisco, for lunch at the tail-end of one of his work trips. It wasn’t that it was particularly convenient for either of us to get there. We flew strictly space available and typically had to change planes twice to make it in those days. And, we weren’t even traveling together. To me, this seemed like a lot of work to see a guy who would otherwise be home later that same day. But, to him, he just thought, how could anyone not want to go? How could you not want to DO it? And so, sometimes we did.

My father loved exploration and adventure. These are particularly wonderful attributes in a father. Let’s rent a plane and look down on our own house! Let’s race go-carts! Let’s meet legendary cyclist Eddie Merckx! Let’s get a tour of an automobile factory! Let’s take a sea-plane between these Caribbean islands! Let’s clock our dog’s top running speed in our VW Bug! Let’s go to a jazz club in Montreal! Let’s snorkel! Let’s see the Soviet Union! Let’s tour Italy using only public transportation! Let’s figure out how to sail (again)! Let’s see an Edward Albee play! Let’s go on a 50 mile bike-ride, including a summit of Sugarloaf Mountain!

I would be remiss if I did not make clear that the adventure did not always have to be new … in virgin territory that is. He loved just walking around, particularly in cities, to “stumble into” things or to go on a quest to find particular things. I very much enjoyed many adventures with him in Manhattan that involved nothing more than walking around and perhaps looking for “that old falafel place” in the Village. Or, having him to host us for a dinner at Tele’s, that Greek restaurant in Queens.

My father, much to the horror of my mother, wanted us to find our passions in life and pursue them … to be happy by doing, rather than to acquire the means that might make us happy. Between the two of them, it was clear that I absolutely had to work very hard at something that paid well AND, at the same time, do what made me happy regardless of compensation. I think it is fair to say that love and respect was not the reason that the marriage didn’t last.

Actually, I do not know why my parents’ relationship did not work out; I do not even know if they did. But, I know that he was very sad about it and he cared about my mother deeply. I believe that to be true for all of the women that he made a life with, or seriously considered making a life with. My impression is that he was very genuine and loving in all of his relationships and saddened by their ends.

My father was very intelligent; remarkably and proudly so. He loved to put his mind to work … to DO things with his mind. To know how things work, why they work, and to know how to alter the outcome. That gave him great joy.

At the same time, he was a gentle and caring guy. I think that this combination of intelligence and gentleness sometimes led him to feel lonely. I think there were things that he knew to be true and yet could not bring himself to say. I think he chose to believe that people have in them goodness and good sense and that, given time, those properties would bubble up around the internal obstacles to effervesce at the surface. Many are the times, not just as a child, that I only saw in retrospect the long time that he waited for the better parts of me to surface and make right my course. That can be lonely. It requires patience and love. He was deeply kind and caring.

And, this is more or less where I want to end my remarks … the third attributes that sons of wonderful fathers wish to share on the occasion of their passing. Three: Kindness.
I believe that the last months came as a surprise to him. I know that they did to me. Because of him, I know life to be full of wonder. In many respects, he led a charmed life. So much luck, adventure, joy, and love. Now, I see with aching clarity that life cannot be counted upon to be wonderful or even humane back to us. Why these unspeakable events? I am sad to say that I see no reason for them. A final, tragic lesson about life.

I also know that this is one of those truths that he would think is better not said. And, I know that he would wait for my better self to effervesce. So, he has had one last patience to endure with me.

Truly, though, his suffering is finally over. So, let us be thankful for that.
Our families are lucky to have many wonderful fathers. I was lucky to have one of them as my own.

Now, my father is gone. I will miss sharing adventures and love with him.