Happy Sunday Facebook Friends! This has been a very tough week for the Wynne family with the passing of our matriarch; Esther Wynne. With that said; my grandmother would have wanted us to move on and enjoy our lives. I am posting my Dads beautiful Eulogy that he gave at it her funeral on Friday. I will miss her; but her spirit will be in my heart forever. TRIBUTE TO ESTHER “GG” WYNNE THIS PAST MONDAY-ON LABOR DAY—ESTHER WYNNE, MY MOM, OUR BELOVED GG, THE MATRIARCH OF OUR FAMILY, PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF 95. AS ALWAYS, GG WAS FIERCELY INDEPENDENT TO THE VERY END. SHE PASSED AWAY AT THE TIME OF HER OWN CHOOSING AND ON HER OWN TERMS—WITH DIGNITY AND A CLEAR MIND. IT IS PARTICULARLY FITTING THAT GG PASSED AWAY ON LABOR DAY—A DAY WHICH CELEBRATES THE GREAT AMERICAN WORK ETHIC. ASIDE FROM HER FAMILY-- WHICH ALWAYS CAME FIRST NO MATTER WHAT-- WORK WAS THE DRIVING FORCE IN HER LIFE, ESPECIALLY AFTER GRANDPA TOM-- THE FIRST AND ONLY LOVE OF HER LIFE—PASSED AWAY ALMOST 24 YEARS AGO. GG WORKED FOR OVER 50 YEARS IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS. HER WORK ETHIC, ONE OF HER MANY DEFINING QUALITIES, WAS SO STRONG THAT, QUITE LITERALLY, SHE NEVER MISSED A DAY OF WORK IN HER LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCE. AFTER GG MOVED TO MALIBU, SHE BECAME THE FACE AND VOICE OF THE PARADISE COVE BEACH CAFÉ, GREETING CUSTOMERS AND TAKING RESERVATIONS WITH THE SAME WARMTH, GRACE AND CHARM THAT PERSONIFIED HER WHEN GREETING FAMILY AND FRIENDS. TRUE TO HER NATURE, GG RETIRED ONLY WHEN SHE WAS READY—AND NOT ON SOMEONE ELSE’S TIMETABLE. STUBBORN AND INDOMITABLE—ANOTHER OF GG’S DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER TRAITS—GG WORKED UNTIL SHE WAS 90 WHEN SHE HERSELF DECIDED TO RETIRE—NOT BECAUSE SHE COULD NO LONGER DO THE JOB, BUT BECAUSE SHE COULD NO LONGER DO THE JOB WITH THE FLAIR, STYLE AND VERVE THAT SHE EXPECTED OF HERSELF AND WHICH HAD COME TO DEFINE HER IN THE MINDS OF ALL WHO KNEW HER. AT THE TIME GG PASSED AWAY, SHE WAS ONE OF THE RELATIVELY FEW REMAINING MEMBERS OF OUR COUNTRY’S ‘GREATEST GENERATION; YET SHE WAS NOT IN THE LEAST BIT DETERRED BY THE FINANCIAL INHIBITIONS WHICH CONSTRAINED MANY OF THOSE WHO GREW UP DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION. WHILE GRANDPA TOM PAID FOR EVERYTHING IN CASH THROUGHTOUT MOST OF HIS LIFE, GG WHOLEHEARTEDLY EMBRACED THE NOTION OF CHARGE ACCOUNTS AND CREDIT CARDS. THROUGHOUT THEIR MARRIAGE, GG NOT ONLY PRACTICED—BUT MASTERED—THE ART OF SHOPPING ON CREDIT, DEFTLY AND SECRETLY USING MULTIPLE CHARGE ACCOUNTS AND CREDIT CARDS, INCLUDING THOSE OF OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, IN ORDER TO HIDE HER CREDIT PURCHASES FROM GRANDPA TOM—WHO, I FIRMLY BELIEVE, KNEW ALL ALONG WHAT GG WAS DOING BUT CHOSE, FOR THE MOST PART, TO INDULGE HER. GG SPECIALIZED IN BUYING SHOES AND CLOTHES-- LOTS AND LOTS OF SHOES AND CLOTHES. SINCE GG KEPT NEARLY EVERYTHING SHE EVER BOUGHT, IT SEEMED AS IF SHE HAD JUST AS MANY OUTFITS--WITH SHOES TO MATCH--AS ANY COSTUME DEPARTMENT IN HOLLYWOOD. THOUGH SOMEWHAT SELF-INDULGENT WHEN IT CAME TO SHOES AND CLOTHES, GG WAS GENEROUS TO A FAULT WHEN IT CAME TO HER FAMILY. SHE ALWAYS LAVISHED HER KIDS, HER GRANDKIDS AND HER GREAT GRANDKIDS WITH EXPENSIVE, METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED, AND ELABORATELY PACKAGE BIRTHDAY AND HANUKAH GIFTS. GG STRONGLY BELIEVED THAT SHE WAS AHEAD OF THE CURVE WHEN IT CAME TO THE WORLDS OF FASHION AND POP CULTURE. WHEN IT CAME TO GIFT GIVING, SHE VERY MUCH WANTED HER FAMILY TO HAVE WHAT SHE ALONE DETERMINED TO BE THE LATEST AND THE GREATEST, ALL WITHOUT REGARD TO COST, OR, FOR THAT MATTER, WHAT THE RECIPIENT MIGHT WANT OR LIKE. FOR THAT REASON, GG ADOPTED A METHOD OF GIFT GIVING THAT EFFECTIVELY ENSURED THAT EVERY GIFT SHE GAVE WAS VIRTUALLY UNRETURNABLE WITHOUT HER PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND CONSENT. GG NEVER STOPPED PERFECTING THE ART OF SHOPPING ON CREDIT, TAKING IT TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN HER LATER YEARS BY BUYING THROUGH CATALOGUES AND PAYING EVERY BILL WITH THE LOWEST POSSIBLE MONTHLY PAYMENT, THEREBY, IN PROCESS, TOTALLY DISREGARDING THE MATHEMATICS OF COMPOUND INTEREST. I SUSPECT THAT THIS EXPLAINS WHY THE STOCK PRICES OF MASTERCARD, VISA, AND ALL OF THE PUBLICLY TRADED RETAIL CLOTHING AND CATALOGUE COMPANIES PLUMMETED LAST TUESDAY MORNING. WHILE GG EMBRACED THE WORLD OF CONSUMER FINANCE EARLY ON, SHE WAS NOT, IN HER EARLY YEARS, PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN POLITICS. HOWEVER, THIS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY WHEN, FOR REASONS I CAN ONLY SURMISE, SHE BECAME A ‘BORN AGAIN’ LIBERAL DEMOCRAT. THIS PROMPTED NUMEROUS HEATED POLITICAL ARGUMENTS BETWEEN US OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS SINCE, AS A CONSERVATIVE, I EMBRACED AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY THAN DID GG. DESPITE MY LEGAL TRAINING, I NEVER ONCE WON A POLITICAL ARGUMENT WITH GG. THIS IS BECAUSE GG WAS NEVER CONSTRAINED BY FACTS OR LOGIC. IF CHRIS MATTHEWS OR RACHEL MADOW OR EVEN AL SHARPTON SAID SOMETHING ON MSNBC, THAT WAS SETTLED, INDISPUTABLE FACT, AND NOT EVEN HER SON THE LAWYER COULD CONVINCE GG OTHERWISE. AND IF, GOD FORBID, I CRITICIZED PRESIDENT OBAMA OR, FOR THAT MATTER, ANY OTHER DEMOCRAT, GG HAD AN IMMEDIATE REJOINDER THAT FORECLOSED ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION: NO MATTER WHAT IT WAS, ”IT WAS GEORGE BUSH’S FAULT.” GG’S MAIDEN NAME WAS ESTHER STRONG; AND STRONG SHE WAS--STRONG IN SPIRIT; STRONG IN WILL; AND STRONG IN CHARACTER. THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT GG’S MOST IMPORTANT AND EVERLASTING LEGACY WILL BE THAT HER GREAT STRENGTHS HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN TO HER 2 CHILDREN; TO HER 5 GRANDCHILDREN; AND TO HER 9 GREAT GRANDCHILDREN--AND WILL, BY THEM, BE PASSED DOWN TO THE GENERATIONS OF OUR FAMILY STILL TO COME. GG WAS AN AMAZING WOMAN; A REAL PIECE OF WORK. SHE WAS A GLITZY, FOXY, FANCY, VIBRANT, BEAUTIFUL LADY WITH TREMENDOUS SELF-ESTEEM—AND THE CLEAVAGE TO BACK IT ALL UP. ABOVE ALL, SHE WAS A FIERCELY INDEPENDENT WOMAN WITH A DEEP LOVE OF FAMILY AND AN UNBOUNDED ZEST FOR LIFE. IN THEIR PRIME, GG AND GRANDPA TOM PROJECTED A “MOVIE-STAR” LIKE PANACHE THAT MADE THEM THE LIFE OF EVERY PARTY—AND THERE WERE MANY PARTIES IN THEIR HEYDAY. IN MANY WAYS, AND IN MY MINDS EYE, GG WAS GRANDPA TOM’S “LUCY”-- AND HE WAS HER “DESI”. I CHOOSE NOT TO SAY GOODBYE TO GG. RATHER, I WILL FOREVER THINK OF HER AS REUNITED WITH GRANDPA TOM, BOTH ALIVE IN SPIRIT--AND BOTH IN THEIR PRIME— PARTYING IT UP AND HAVING A BALL, AND ENJOYING AND LOVING EACH OTHER TO THE FULLEST, ALL THE WHILE HE IS YELLING AT HER FOR SOME SILLY REASON HE CAN NO LONGER REMEMBER-- AND WHILE SHE, AS ALWAYS, IS IGNORING HIS YELLING COMPLETELY. I LOVE YOU MOM AND I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU. GIVE MY LOVE TO DAD.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 18:16:49 +0000
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