My Precious Mom

My young mom

Mom loved her plants

This picture was taken long before any of
us were a gleam in her eye

Mom & my brother Richard

Margaret Ellen John Gano

1916 - 2013

What can you say about a little lady who was always a pillar of your existence? No matter where you went or what you did, you knew she would be there somewhere routing for you. It feels strange that after all these years, she isn't here anymore. Well, maybe not here in person, but I know her spirit lives on in all of us.

I guess the best thing you can say is:

Thank you

Thank you for sense of humor you instilled in us

• Mom used to say that whenever things look their worse, think about how funny this story will be one day.
• Mom found herself in any number of situations that if it hadn't been for her sense of humor, I'm not sure how she would have coped. Traveling across the country and oceans with children of varying ages would try any reasonable person, but mom took it in stride and laughed a lot about it later
• Mom could see funny parts of a movie coming long before they occurred.  
• She would start laughing when everyone else in the theatre was silent.    
• Once it embarrassed my brother Jim so badly that he got up and moved to another seat far away from us. 
• Another time, she and I went to an afternoon showing of “My Fair Lady”. The theater was packed to overflowing and the opening segment showed a screen full of beautiful flowers. Mom leaned over to me and whispered “Boy, Kathy, this is a dark movie”. I looked over at her and said “It wouldn't be so dark if you took off your sunglasses!” You could hear her laughing throughout the entire place! Good thing Jim wasn't with us or he would have had no place to move.

  Thank you for the love of needle art and fine fabric

• Mom loved to sew and do needlework.
  • She made most of the clothes I wore to elementary school and you could normally find pieces of odd fabric and remnants in boxes around the house. This is one trait I definitely inherited.
  • The first time she went to Callaway Gardens for the needlework school, she told me she was envious of a lady who had her daughter with her. So the next year, what did mom do? She outdid that lady when she paid the tuition for Jeanie and me to join her there. She was so proud to have both of us with her that year.

Thank you for the love of good music, theater, and especially ballet

• As we were growing up, about all we heard mom and dad listen to was classical music and show tunes on old 78 rpm records. Then dad built a stereo system and the very first record they played on it was the Broadway musical “Camelot”. One year as an anniversary surprise, I lured them to Miami without telling them why. I was able to get tickets in the orchestra section to see Richard Burton do “Camelot”. Mom sat there with tears in her eyes when the show started. At least she didn't start laughing.
• Mom put me in ballet classes at a tender age. I was never quite sure why but I know Jeanie took ballet when she was about the same age. It may have been to get me out of her hair for a little while or to try to make a young lady out of an incorrigible tomboy. Oh the hours she spent waiting at ballet studios – I will ever be grateful. She also found ways to get to tickets to see any of the touring ballet companies that came our way. But mom was never a pushy “stage mom” and I am ever thankful that she wasn't. She allowed me to dance on my terms and that may be reason I love ballet to this day.
• Besides ballet, whenever a Broadway musical touring group came to town, she would get tickets and we would all get dressed up to troop down to the auditorium to see the show. Without a doubt, her favorite musical was “Oliver” and, of course, we had the record and knew all the songs. I can distinctly remember her putting dinner on the table singing “Food, glorious, food” and if you asked for seconds, the first thing out of her mouth was “Mooooorrre? You want some mooooorrre?

Thank you for the love of history

• I was always awed by mom and dad telling us about their experiences during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I used to ask “Did you really see Japanese airplanes flying over your head?”
• And being in Pensacola was a neat place to live because mom took us to all the old forts where we ran wild through them all.
• Then when we lived in Norfolk, she took us to Williamsburg at least once a year and I think she found the old town as fascinating as I did.

Thank you for your culinary gifts

• Oh, how mom loved to make sweet things. She always ended a meal with dessert. Woe be unto he or she who did not eat their dessert right after dinner – you had to become adept at hiding it! Memorable treats – raisin-filled sugar cookies, Christmas danish, but most of all, cherry pie.           
• Mom also fixed colorful meals. She always said all the foods on your plate had to be different in color. None of knew why or cared, but our plates were sure pretty.
• Another thing mom insisted on was that the television could not be on while we ate dinner. Maybe that is the origin of the “Seven minute meal”? Let me tell you about the “Seven minute meal” - mom worked hard to prepare a very nice dinner, called us to the table, and when everyone got up to leave the table after eating, Jeanie noticed it was only seven minutes from the time she sat down. The “seven minute meal” joined the ranks of family lore.

Thank you for the faith I carry

• One Sunday when I was about eight years old, I went to church with a friend. The service really bothered me and when I came home, I asked mom if we were all going to hell because we didn't go to my friend's church. Very patiently mom looked at me and said, “There are lots of good people in this world and I simply can't believe God would send them to Hell just because they don't go to your friend's church.” Mom was so wise when it came to answering questions from her young daughter.

There is so much more that I can thank mom for but the best thing I can thank mom for is for loving us unconditionally and for allowing us to grow up to be the individuals that we all became. Please join me in wishing mom “God speed.” 

Love you lots, mom.