Norma O'Shaughnessy
My condolences to John & the entire Curtis family. I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for your terrible loss. When I heard about my friend Emily passing on, my heart was so sad. But now, as I write this note, I feel some comfort because she’s been released from the severe physical and emotional challenges that she faced for so many, many years living with the effects of MS. Emily left such an inspiring impression on me and anyone who was fortunate enough to know her. She was so positive about living life and making the most of every day. She dearly loved her husband and adored her children and grandchildren. She spoke of each one of them often and with so much love. Their achievements were a great source of delight and pride to her. She loved the daily phone calls she received, the greeting cards that made their way to her hands and into her heart and all of the fresh flowers delivered weekly from some member of her family. She even shared them with the staff and fellow residents by having them displayed at the nursing station for all to enjoy. She shared many wonderful stories about her life with her family and also the life she lived in Minoa. Emily never wavered in her delight at picking out her daily wardrobe. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t going out…she just always wanted to look and feel her best. When I worked at Sunnyside, she delighted in coming to the physical therapy room where she challenged herself to do a certain number of pull-ups on the weighted pulleys. Eventually, she got up to 100! When writing became next to impossible, she spent hours practicing with pen and paper until she could write a few words. A few words on paper and she was as proud as she could have been. She never ‘ran’ from a challenge. In early 2011, I had to leave my job due to health issues of my own, after which I felt such a sense of failure to Emily and the other patients that I cared for. Whenever I went to visit her, she delighted in the visits and always spoke about her family with a happy smile. She loved the Activities staff member named Denise who kept her busy with projects for as long as she could perform the tasks. She was always alert and on the ball and it was she who reminded me of the names that I may have forgotten after leaving work. She ‘directed’ any new dining room staff member as to where the residents should sit for the lunch meal…she was like the resident maître de. On a recent visit I had with her, she began to look sad as her dentures were in for repair. ..she was without them for some time. It broke my heart when she kept her head down as she tried to hide her smile. That was not like my dear friend Emily. I usually took a photo of her to send to her dear friend(s) in FL. I stopped taking them sensing a need to help her maintain her dignity and pride. When I went to see her for what would be our last visit, I saw that she would no longer smile at all. When her husband sat lovingly by her side trying to tease a smile from her, kindly treating her with the love and respect that he always had, she finally forced a smile. I took the last photo that day, though I never truly thought it would be the last one. Now she is with the angels and she and God are both smiling. Well done, good and faithful servant Emily. You’ll be dearly missed, but we all know without a shadow of a doubt where you are. Your courage and grace in the face of such a challenging foe will forever serve as inspiration to all of us. Take care and may God bless the entire Curtis family for all of the love they showed to Emily. I will be praying for all of you. May God bless you all with healing and comfort in the days ahead.
Very sincerely,
Norma O’Shaughnessy, Kirkville, NY
Monday May 18, 2015 at 4:27 pm