A Poem From Margo
This is the poem I tucked inside the flap of Mom's Bible cover when I sent
it to Harold.
Mother’s Bible – Margo January 23, 2012
“It is well with My Soul,” “50 years, how short a time since we were wed,” “And He walks with me and He talks with me,” “He was there all the time,” “Just a closer walk with thee”.
These are the expressions of song writers and poets, but speak of my mother’s heart.
Precious tidbits tucked away in her old King James Bible, messages to her
children and grandchildren. Verses underlined and highlighted, notes from sermons preached long ago, sort of a secret code from heaven to us, oh, how we are blessed! I wish she was still
right here by my side. But she used to say, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride!
When I read her Bible, it’s like she never left. Her love for the Lord, for her family and friends,
the words so tenderly written in her own hand. Instructions for us to obey. Who’s to get her watch, her Black Hills Gold, what songs to be sung and verses to be read at her funeral. We lovingly followed her wishes and bade her good bye,
But in her Bible we draw close to her again.
Listening to her tender words and admonitions
Still wanting to please her, forgetting the hard times, loving each other, loving her Lord, her
only prayer.
Enjoy your year with Mom, I’ll
miss her precious Bible, but I’m glad it’s your turn.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Welcome
Thanks for visiting the Jean Rogers Haws Memorial Page. My name is Aimee Nolte, and I am Jean's granddaughter. I created this page to give tribute to one of the greatest women ever. My grandma passed away on December 9, 2001 and it has left a huge void in my life. I have been wishing that I asked her about more details of her life, and wishing even harder that I would've written down the things that she did tell me. One day, while thinking about Grandma's days in nurses' training, I remembered that she had kept a circle letter with all of her old roommates from that time. It occurred to me that if any of those women were still alive, I had better find out what they have to say about Grandma before any more priceless memories of her fade away forever. That is how this website started; with 8 phone calls to the women of the Emporia College Nurses' Training Class of 1944. I have never talked with such energetic 80 year-olds! These ladies are absolutely genuine, intelligent, and fun individuals. I loved talking with all of them and they had such wonderful things to say about Grandma. They called her "Jeannie" (almost all of them had cute nicknames). You can read what they had to say on the "Nursing Friends" section of this site. I decided to add other memories to the site as well. Included are Jean's Obituary, the memoirs that were read at her funeral (written by each of her children), and various memories that friends and family members have shared with me. If you wish to add to what you see here, please contact me. My contact information is under the "contact" link. I will be happy to include your memories of my wonderful grandma.
Nursing Friends' Memories
Memories from the Class of '44
Marianna Henderson (Nanner)
Jeannie was always the life of the party. Whenever anyone was depressed, she would come into their room with goodies and say, Let's have an Unbirthday Party. We don't have to have an actual birthday to celebrate. She always cheered us up when we were down. We went on affiliation in Pueblo, CO. to do our Psych. training together wih Ruthie and Skeeter. Jean and I were roommates. We had a weekend off, but if we wanted to leave the training, we had to have our parents' permission. We wrote letters home and asked for permission to go and see my brother who lived about 150 miles away on a ranch. We were gonna ride a bus there. Jeannie waited and waited for her parents to write back, and at the last second, her letter came. Well, my brother had some sort of emergency and canceled on us. We sure didn't want to waste our weekend off though, so Jean thought of a plan. She called up a girl that she knew from high school who was doing her nurses' training in Denver, and made arrangements to go and see her. We went to get on the bus, and saw the director of nursing from our affiliation there. We didn't have permission to go to Denver, so we got on that bus as quickly as we could and sat in the very back as quiet as two little mice. She sat in the front and never noticed us! When we got to Denver, we went to the Brown Hotel which in those days was the nicest place in town. We didn't have money to get a room there, but we rented a locker and checked our bags there so we didn't have to tote them around with us. We got to the Presbyterian hospital where Jeannie's friend was, and had to crawl in the window, because they weren't allowed to have guests. We spent a fun night with those girls there and then crawled back out the window then next morning. We got our bags from the hotel and rode the bus back to Pueblo. When we got there, we told the girls that we had checked into the Brown Hotel. I
t was mostly true! We did another affiliation in Kansas City. That was our pediatric. We spent 4 months there. Quite often, we would climb up the fire escape and sunbathe on top of the nurses home in our bras and underpants. There was an airport close to there and planes would fly over pretty regularly. One of the girls dated one of those pilots...I cant remember who, but she found out that they had a pretty good view of us girls as they flew over! Once, I remember I was working nights and Jeannie was working days. It was a Sunday, around noon and I had probably been asleep for about 3 hours when Jean came in my room and woke me up. She said, "Nanner, you've got to get up! They're having your favorite at dinner...strawberries and fried chicken!" I didn't want to get up, but she dressed me and walked me over to the dining room and sat me down in there. I fell asleep at the table while Jeannie was getting our food, and when she got back, she woke me up and I said, "What is going on?" Jean just said, "Well I couldn't let you sleep when I knew they were having your favorite food!" After graduation, Jean was in South Dakota and called me up (I was in Dodge City then) and wanted to celebrate. Well, I took a bus up to Sturgeuos and I remember thinking, I had never seen so much snow or been so cold in all my life! I got off the bus at Rapid City to change busses, and it just happened that Jeannie was there...just by chance, she was in Rapid City for some reason. We got a ride with someone to her parents' house and after we were there a few days, we wanted to go see Elaine up in Lemon, SD. I had met Elaine in Kansas a few years back. The only way to get there was to ride in the back of the mail truck! We bounced and froze all the way there...about a 5 hour ride, I think. We had fun visiting Elaine. When we were in Kansas City and had spare time, we'd hop on a bus and ride over Grand Central Station which was a huge, beautiful train station. We liked to sit there on the bench and just watch the people go by. Once, we went shopping and tried on very expensive fur coats. We pretended to be rich, like we might buy them, but really we just wanted to see how wed look in them...just for fun. Once, Jeannie and I traded boyfriends. What happened was: I was seeing this boy, Johnny and we started to get pretty serious. We'd have dances there at the nurses home with the men from the cadet program at Emporia State. Well, Mother Douglas, the house mother told me that I'd gotten too serious with Johnny and that I'd better quit seeing so much of him. You see, we weren't allowed to get married while we were in training, so she kept a good eye out to see we didn't get too serious. I asked Jeannie if she'd take Johnnie to the next dance cause I just didn't want to dump him. She took him and they had a great time. The two of them dated for awhile after that too. I didnt mind. They had fun and I stayed out of trouble. We would also go to relax over at a place called "The Lop." We'd say we were going to go "Flop at the Lop." Everyone picked up smoking during training. You know, no one ever told us that it might be bad for our health. We just smoked because it was a way to relax. If you were stressed out, you'd just go and have a cigarette. That's just the way it was. I think most of us quit later on though. We were all just like sisters. There were a lot of ups and downs. That made us close. We shared life together. No matter what, Jeannie was always happy. She was also really serious about her religion. Years later, after they moved down to Arizona, my husband and I would come and visit she and Harold. We always had a great time. I remember hearing all about your aunts and uncle...and about you. You grandma was so proud of all of you.
Juanita Kidd (Skeeter)
Jeannie was a dear friend of mine and boy, did
she love her Black Hills. We vistited Mesa in 1991 with Nanner and her husband. We had such a great time. She and I went to California when she was in the Army. Jeannie called me in the middle of the night from South Dakota...see, we had been planning to go to California, and she had just gotten it all figured out. She wanted me to meet her in Cheyenne, Wyoming the next day. I was in Emporia. I had to pack up quickly and make arrangements to leave, but I did it. We each took a train to Cheyenne. Our trains pulled up to the station right at the same time and we hung our heads out of our windows and waved to eachother. Jeannie sang to me, "Meet me in St. Louis,Louis" as the trains pulled to a stop. We went to get on our train to CA and got on the wrong one. Luckily, a man told us which train was the right one before it left! So,we went to Los Angeles. We moved in with some girls who worked at Cedars of Lebanon hospital. Jean and I worked at Good Samaritan. That was late 1944 and early '45. Honey, those were hard times. We were pinching pennies. Once, I remember we were gonna get on the bus to go and pick up our pay check, but we didn't have enough money for bus fare. Jeannie said to me, Dear, you're no good at pretending. You'll give us away. You just get on and sit down and I'll throw our pennies in the box and make a lot of noise. So, we did it and went on our way. We had a room at the resident hall and a place to eat. We payed 75 cents for our dinners and a quarter for breakfast. The cook was from Texas and for not very much money, we got some good southern cooking...the first either of us had ever had! Jeannie had some Rogers cousins in San Pedro and we were gonna go spend New Years with them. One of the cousins came to pick us up in his car. On the way, we saw Ray (my boyfriend at the time now husband) walking and we picked him up and he came too. The Rogers had tickets to the Rose Bowl game the next day. I was so sick and I couldn't go. Ray stayed with me and to his dying day claims that he must've been crazy in love to have missed that football game! Before that, in Emporia, Jeannie and I had great times together. I remember sunbathing on the roof in Kansas City with those girls in our underwear too. Sometimes when we'd have a little time off (in Emporia) we'd walk go to the movies. There were 3 theatres; The Granada, the Lyric, and the Strand. The Lyric played double features for 15 cents. We'd say we were going "Downtown to the Crown". We only ever had time to stay for one show though, so we'd talk the ticket taker into letting us only pay a nickel cuz we'd only be there for one show. One time, I remember Jeannie decided that the thermometers in the hospital needed cleaning. We kept them in a blue solution and she thought it wasn't sanitary enough, I guess, so she gathered all the thermometers and Honey, she boiled them...every one they had. Boy if Mrs. Stout didn't go sideways on that one! Jeannie said, "I was just cleaning them!" We used to tease her and say, "Jean, what do we do to thermometers?" and she'd say, "Nothing." When we did our psych. affiliation in Pueblo, we had a weekend off once and wanted to go to see my brother. He lived in Colorado Springs, so we got permission and spent the day at Garden on the Gods there with him and his friends. Another time, we went to Denver and spent the whole night trying to get a drink. We were too young though and my brother who was with us said, "Juanita you guys get out of here so someone will serve me a drink!" Well, there was a huge snow storm that night when we were trying to get home, and no busses were running. There was a man there at the station who said he'd give us a ride to Pueblo. My brother didn't like the idea of us riding with some strange man, so he went along with us. It was a good thing he did, cuz that man was drunk and he slid all over those roads. We made it though and my brother got a ride back somehow. Boys took care of their sisters in those days. Sometimes we couldn't get letters to our parents in time to get permission to go away for the weekend, so we had to forge them. Honey, we had good penmanship! I think all of us girls were put in the same place at the same time for a reason. We didn't have any falling outs. We just enjoyed eachother. We were the only class that kept in touch with eachother, as far as I know. I named my daughter Jean after your grandma. When Jeannie passed away, I donated money to the Emporia State Teachers College and Nursing School. We all do that when another one of us passes away. Jeannie was a dear dear friend of mine. We had our bumps, but we had a lot of fun too!
Dorothy Geesewines (Geesy)
During the third year of training, Jean and Niecie went to Seattle to the Navy Cadet Corps. She came back to Emporia to graduate and then we moved out to California. Jeannie lived with Skeeter and worked at Good Samaritan and I worked at Cedars of Lebanon. We went into the Army together. I got stationed at Palm Springs and your grandma went to some other places, I can't remember. Jean wrote after a year or so to see if I wanted to come back to Emporia to finish our bachelors degrees. I did it. We were there for 2 years, and then Jean got married before she finished. I always had a lot of respect for her, going back to school in the 1960s those summers and finishing her degree. We LOVED to sunbathe. Every chance we got, we were out there getting a tan. We were SO dark. Its a wonder we didn't get melanoma! We'd take buckets of water with us and periodically dowse ourselves so we'd get even browner! When the war broke out, I was working in the diet kitchen and they gave us mundane little jobs to do, like setting up the trays at the hospital. I'd work all night in that kitchen and eat pint after pint of ice cream I'm pretty sure Jeannie did the same thing! We took classes together. I got a C- in inorganic chemistry...organic was easier. We had the funniest chemistry teacher. He was a real direlect guy he spewed saliva when he talked. We sit in there and just about die laughing! When we went back to finish our degrees, I remember going home with Jean for a break once. We rode the bus to Sturgeous and spend Christmas vacation with her family. We had a wonderful time. I was Lutheran, growing up and Jeannie encouraged me to become a Christian. Shortly after we went our separate ways, I went and got baptized. I attribute that to her. I loved her. I cried when I heard she had gone to Heaven. Your grandma was very vivacious...witty and full of fun. The boys liked her.She was very out-going. She always had little clever thing to say. In 1987, I went to Weaverville to stay with Jean and Harold in their A frame home. She was such a wonderful hostess. We went to the pottery shop, there in town while I was there and I bought a honey pot that I still have. I also bought a soup terrain there for Jeannie, as a thank you gift. The two of us drove over to Eureka one night and got a hotel, just for fun. It was raining, so we got our food and just stayed up in the hotel room. You know, I think we stayed up all night talking. It was so wonderful. I miss her.
Inez Barton
Your grandma was a wonderful lady. We were not roommates in nurses training, but we worked many nights together. We made lots and lots of mistakes, but we could always laugh about them. She and I went into the Naval Hospital Cadet Nurses Program together in Seattle. When we got the chance to go, at the end of our 3rd year, we jumped at it because we had accumulated many demerits while we were in Emporia. If we got another demerit or 2, we wouldn't have been able to graduate, so we were happy to have the chance to go. We got demerits for lots of reasons...for being noisy, or for breathing wrong, you know. When it was time for us to go to Seattle, the house mother wasn't there, so we found the demerit rolls and decided to sneak them away with us. We waited till we got to Seattle and deposited them in the trash. We wiped the slate clean for ourselves, and for our classmates! I saw Jean in the 1960s for a reunion in Emporia. We had a great time together.
Berniece Gray (Niecie)
Jean was a very good friend to me. She was very religious...she went to Bob Jones University before I knew her. I used to call her, "Little Pious" because she was so religious. We all attended church in Emporia to get credits so we could get days off at Christmas. Jean named her daughter after my sister, Trula. I dont know where my mother got the name, but we liked it. We'd get 5 cents a piece together and walk a mile to the corner of 12th and Commercial to buy an ice cream cone whenever we could. It was across from the Teacher's College. I can't remember the name of the place. Then we'd walk back, while we ate the ice cream. It wasn't easy to get 5 cents a piece together either! Jean was just a good ol' gal.
Frances Zimmerman (Franny)
There were 14 of us, you know. I never roomed with Jean. We had some good times together though. After I graduated, I married Kenneth and we moved to California. Jeannie and Skeeter came to stay with us while we lived there. We had a nice time. They spent the night with us. Your grandma was a gracious hostess when we visited them in Weaverville. Harold took us on a plane ride. We saw them another time after they moved down to Arizona. I went water excercising with Jean.
Eudora Macmillan
When we were going to school, we worked 3 hour shifts and went to class for 5 hours a day. By the time we were seniors, we had to work 12 hours at night, and we pretty much ran the hospital. We called it "slave labor." Lucille was my roommate. We called her Perky. She's passed away now. We were restricted from going out and if anyone saw us in our uniforms, we'd get in trouble. So what we'd do is, we'd take off our long white stockings and put different shoes on, and put a big coat over our uniform and walk over to the coffee shop to smoke and relax. Boys were usually there too. I remember sunbathing a lot. I think we all did it. We did all sorts of things like that to try and have a good time. We'd climb out on the fire escape at 2:00 in the morning to smoke sometimes. Also, when we affiliated in Pueblo, we needed our parents permission if we wanted to go away for the weekend. We usually wrote those notes ourselves! Mrs. Holmes was the head nurse on the 2nd Floor and she hated my guts! We sure had fun though. Your grandma was always a happy and loving person. She had a great outlook on life and just was a happy-go-lucky person. She also had great faith. We went to see her in Weaverville when we were on vacation in the 70s. I remember that your grandma was driving over those mountain roads to Redding to work at the hospital. She was brave! .
Marta Schweitzer
Oh Jean and I didn't room together, but she'd come on down to my room sometimes at night and we'd lay on my bed and sing together. We'd lay, looking up at the ceiling and sing nursery rhymes together. I do remember them all sunbathing together that was on top of the nurses home. I never went though. Jean and Inez went away early...before they graduated. They lived on the bottom floor with Blondie(Marguerite Coleman,who passed on in 2003) and I. Jean lived down the hall. She had such a nice personality. Mrs. Stout was our teacher. She was a fancy old maid, but had just gotten married. I remember one time, Jean was put in charge of washing all of the false teeth in the geriatric ward of the hospital. She collected them all and put them in the same pan and washed them. When she was done, she had no idea who's teeth were who's. Oh, that was a big mess. We always teased her about that afterward.
Marianna Henderson (Nanner)
Jeannie was always the life of the party. Whenever anyone was depressed, she would come into their room with goodies and say, Let's have an Unbirthday Party. We don't have to have an actual birthday to celebrate. She always cheered us up when we were down. We went on affiliation in Pueblo, CO. to do our Psych. training together wih Ruthie and Skeeter. Jean and I were roommates. We had a weekend off, but if we wanted to leave the training, we had to have our parents' permission. We wrote letters home and asked for permission to go and see my brother who lived about 150 miles away on a ranch. We were gonna ride a bus there. Jeannie waited and waited for her parents to write back, and at the last second, her letter came. Well, my brother had some sort of emergency and canceled on us. We sure didn't want to waste our weekend off though, so Jean thought of a plan. She called up a girl that she knew from high school who was doing her nurses' training in Denver, and made arrangements to go and see her. We went to get on the bus, and saw the director of nursing from our affiliation there. We didn't have permission to go to Denver, so we got on that bus as quickly as we could and sat in the very back as quiet as two little mice. She sat in the front and never noticed us! When we got to Denver, we went to the Brown Hotel which in those days was the nicest place in town. We didn't have money to get a room there, but we rented a locker and checked our bags there so we didn't have to tote them around with us. We got to the Presbyterian hospital where Jeannie's friend was, and had to crawl in the window, because they weren't allowed to have guests. We spent a fun night with those girls there and then crawled back out the window then next morning. We got our bags from the hotel and rode the bus back to Pueblo. When we got there, we told the girls that we had checked into the Brown Hotel. I
t was mostly true! We did another affiliation in Kansas City. That was our pediatric. We spent 4 months there. Quite often, we would climb up the fire escape and sunbathe on top of the nurses home in our bras and underpants. There was an airport close to there and planes would fly over pretty regularly. One of the girls dated one of those pilots...I cant remember who, but she found out that they had a pretty good view of us girls as they flew over! Once, I remember I was working nights and Jeannie was working days. It was a Sunday, around noon and I had probably been asleep for about 3 hours when Jean came in my room and woke me up. She said, "Nanner, you've got to get up! They're having your favorite at dinner...strawberries and fried chicken!" I didn't want to get up, but she dressed me and walked me over to the dining room and sat me down in there. I fell asleep at the table while Jeannie was getting our food, and when she got back, she woke me up and I said, "What is going on?" Jean just said, "Well I couldn't let you sleep when I knew they were having your favorite food!" After graduation, Jean was in South Dakota and called me up (I was in Dodge City then) and wanted to celebrate. Well, I took a bus up to Sturgeuos and I remember thinking, I had never seen so much snow or been so cold in all my life! I got off the bus at Rapid City to change busses, and it just happened that Jeannie was there...just by chance, she was in Rapid City for some reason. We got a ride with someone to her parents' house and after we were there a few days, we wanted to go see Elaine up in Lemon, SD. I had met Elaine in Kansas a few years back. The only way to get there was to ride in the back of the mail truck! We bounced and froze all the way there...about a 5 hour ride, I think. We had fun visiting Elaine. When we were in Kansas City and had spare time, we'd hop on a bus and ride over Grand Central Station which was a huge, beautiful train station. We liked to sit there on the bench and just watch the people go by. Once, we went shopping and tried on very expensive fur coats. We pretended to be rich, like we might buy them, but really we just wanted to see how wed look in them...just for fun. Once, Jeannie and I traded boyfriends. What happened was: I was seeing this boy, Johnny and we started to get pretty serious. We'd have dances there at the nurses home with the men from the cadet program at Emporia State. Well, Mother Douglas, the house mother told me that I'd gotten too serious with Johnny and that I'd better quit seeing so much of him. You see, we weren't allowed to get married while we were in training, so she kept a good eye out to see we didn't get too serious. I asked Jeannie if she'd take Johnnie to the next dance cause I just didn't want to dump him. She took him and they had a great time. The two of them dated for awhile after that too. I didnt mind. They had fun and I stayed out of trouble. We would also go to relax over at a place called "The Lop." We'd say we were going to go "Flop at the Lop." Everyone picked up smoking during training. You know, no one ever told us that it might be bad for our health. We just smoked because it was a way to relax. If you were stressed out, you'd just go and have a cigarette. That's just the way it was. I think most of us quit later on though. We were all just like sisters. There were a lot of ups and downs. That made us close. We shared life together. No matter what, Jeannie was always happy. She was also really serious about her religion. Years later, after they moved down to Arizona, my husband and I would come and visit she and Harold. We always had a great time. I remember hearing all about your aunts and uncle...and about you. You grandma was so proud of all of you.Juanita Kidd (Skeeter)
Jeannie was a dear friend of mine and boy, did
she love her Black Hills. We vistited Mesa in 1991 with Nanner and her husband. We had such a great time. She and I went to California when she was in the Army. Jeannie called me in the middle of the night from South Dakota...see, we had been planning to go to California, and she had just gotten it all figured out. She wanted me to meet her in Cheyenne, Wyoming the next day. I was in Emporia. I had to pack up quickly and make arrangements to leave, but I did it. We each took a train to Cheyenne. Our trains pulled up to the station right at the same time and we hung our heads out of our windows and waved to eachother. Jeannie sang to me, "Meet me in St. Louis,Louis" as the trains pulled to a stop. We went to get on our train to CA and got on the wrong one. Luckily, a man told us which train was the right one before it left! So,we went to Los Angeles. We moved in with some girls who worked at Cedars of Lebanon hospital. Jean and I worked at Good Samaritan. That was late 1944 and early '45. Honey, those were hard times. We were pinching pennies. Once, I remember we were gonna get on the bus to go and pick up our pay check, but we didn't have enough money for bus fare. Jeannie said to me, Dear, you're no good at pretending. You'll give us away. You just get on and sit down and I'll throw our pennies in the box and make a lot of noise. So, we did it and went on our way. We had a room at the resident hall and a place to eat. We payed 75 cents for our dinners and a quarter for breakfast. The cook was from Texas and for not very much money, we got some good southern cooking...the first either of us had ever had! Jeannie had some Rogers cousins in San Pedro and we were gonna go spend New Years with them. One of the cousins came to pick us up in his car. On the way, we saw Ray (my boyfriend at the time now husband) walking and we picked him up and he came too. The Rogers had tickets to the Rose Bowl game the next day. I was so sick and I couldn't go. Ray stayed with me and to his dying day claims that he must've been crazy in love to have missed that football game! Before that, in Emporia, Jeannie and I had great times together. I remember sunbathing on the roof in Kansas City with those girls in our underwear too. Sometimes when we'd have a little time off (in Emporia) we'd walk go to the movies. There were 3 theatres; The Granada, the Lyric, and the Strand. The Lyric played double features for 15 cents. We'd say we were going "Downtown to the Crown". We only ever had time to stay for one show though, so we'd talk the ticket taker into letting us only pay a nickel cuz we'd only be there for one show. One time, I remember Jeannie decided that the thermometers in the hospital needed cleaning. We kept them in a blue solution and she thought it wasn't sanitary enough, I guess, so she gathered all the thermometers and Honey, she boiled them...every one they had. Boy if Mrs. Stout didn't go sideways on that one! Jeannie said, "I was just cleaning them!" We used to tease her and say, "Jean, what do we do to thermometers?" and she'd say, "Nothing." When we did our psych. affiliation in Pueblo, we had a weekend off once and wanted to go to see my brother. He lived in Colorado Springs, so we got permission and spent the day at Garden on the Gods there with him and his friends. Another time, we went to Denver and spent the whole night trying to get a drink. We were too young though and my brother who was with us said, "Juanita you guys get out of here so someone will serve me a drink!" Well, there was a huge snow storm that night when we were trying to get home, and no busses were running. There was a man there at the station who said he'd give us a ride to Pueblo. My brother didn't like the idea of us riding with some strange man, so he went along with us. It was a good thing he did, cuz that man was drunk and he slid all over those roads. We made it though and my brother got a ride back somehow. Boys took care of their sisters in those days. Sometimes we couldn't get letters to our parents in time to get permission to go away for the weekend, so we had to forge them. Honey, we had good penmanship! I think all of us girls were put in the same place at the same time for a reason. We didn't have any falling outs. We just enjoyed eachother. We were the only class that kept in touch with eachother, as far as I know. I named my daughter Jean after your grandma. When Jeannie passed away, I donated money to the Emporia State Teachers College and Nursing School. We all do that when another one of us passes away. Jeannie was a dear dear friend of mine. We had our bumps, but we had a lot of fun too!Dorothy Geesewines (Geesy)
During the third year of training, Jean and Niecie went to Seattle to the Navy Cadet Corps. She came back to Emporia to graduate and then we moved out to California. Jeannie lived with Skeeter and worked at Good Samaritan and I worked at Cedars of Lebanon. We went into the Army together. I got stationed at Palm Springs and your grandma went to some other places, I can't remember. Jean wrote after a year or so to see if I wanted to come back to Emporia to finish our bachelors degrees. I did it. We were there for 2 years, and then Jean got married before she finished. I always had a lot of respect for her, going back to school in the 1960s those summers and finishing her degree. We LOVED to sunbathe. Every chance we got, we were out there getting a tan. We were SO dark. Its a wonder we didn't get melanoma! We'd take buckets of water with us and periodically dowse ourselves so we'd get even browner! When the war broke out, I was working in the diet kitchen and they gave us mundane little jobs to do, like setting up the trays at the hospital. I'd work all night in that kitchen and eat pint after pint of ice cream I'm pretty sure Jeannie did the same thing! We took classes together. I got a C- in inorganic chemistry...organic was easier. We had the funniest chemistry teacher. He was a real direlect guy he spewed saliva when he talked. We sit in there and just about die laughing! When we went back to finish our degrees, I remember going home with Jean for a break once. We rode the bus to Sturgeous and spend Christmas vacation with her family. We had a wonderful time. I was Lutheran, growing up and Jeannie encouraged me to become a Christian. Shortly after we went our separate ways, I went and got baptized. I attribute that to her. I loved her. I cried when I heard she had gone to Heaven. Your grandma was very vivacious...witty and full of fun. The boys liked her.She was very out-going. She always had little clever thing to say. In 1987, I went to Weaverville to stay with Jean and Harold in their A frame home. She was such a wonderful hostess. We went to the pottery shop, there in town while I was there and I bought a honey pot that I still have. I also bought a soup terrain there for Jeannie, as a thank you gift. The two of us drove over to Eureka one night and got a hotel, just for fun. It was raining, so we got our food and just stayed up in the hotel room. You know, I think we stayed up all night talking. It was so wonderful. I miss her.
Inez Barton
Your grandma was a wonderful lady. We were not roommates in nurses training, but we worked many nights together. We made lots and lots of mistakes, but we could always laugh about them. She and I went into the Naval Hospital Cadet Nurses Program together in Seattle. When we got the chance to go, at the end of our 3rd year, we jumped at it because we had accumulated many demerits while we were in Emporia. If we got another demerit or 2, we wouldn't have been able to graduate, so we were happy to have the chance to go. We got demerits for lots of reasons...for being noisy, or for breathing wrong, you know. When it was time for us to go to Seattle, the house mother wasn't there, so we found the demerit rolls and decided to sneak them away with us. We waited till we got to Seattle and deposited them in the trash. We wiped the slate clean for ourselves, and for our classmates! I saw Jean in the 1960s for a reunion in Emporia. We had a great time together.
Berniece Gray (Niecie)
Jean was a very good friend to me. She was very religious...she went to Bob Jones University before I knew her. I used to call her, "Little Pious" because she was so religious. We all attended church in Emporia to get credits so we could get days off at Christmas. Jean named her daughter after my sister, Trula. I dont know where my mother got the name, but we liked it. We'd get 5 cents a piece together and walk a mile to the corner of 12th and Commercial to buy an ice cream cone whenever we could. It was across from the Teacher's College. I can't remember the name of the place. Then we'd walk back, while we ate the ice cream. It wasn't easy to get 5 cents a piece together either! Jean was just a good ol' gal.
Frances Zimmerman (Franny)
There were 14 of us, you know. I never roomed with Jean. We had some good times together though. After I graduated, I married Kenneth and we moved to California. Jeannie and Skeeter came to stay with us while we lived there. We had a nice time. They spent the night with us. Your grandma was a gracious hostess when we visited them in Weaverville. Harold took us on a plane ride. We saw them another time after they moved down to Arizona. I went water excercising with Jean.
Eudora Macmillan
When we were going to school, we worked 3 hour shifts and went to class for 5 hours a day. By the time we were seniors, we had to work 12 hours at night, and we pretty much ran the hospital. We called it "slave labor." Lucille was my roommate. We called her Perky. She's passed away now. We were restricted from going out and if anyone saw us in our uniforms, we'd get in trouble. So what we'd do is, we'd take off our long white stockings and put different shoes on, and put a big coat over our uniform and walk over to the coffee shop to smoke and relax. Boys were usually there too. I remember sunbathing a lot. I think we all did it. We did all sorts of things like that to try and have a good time. We'd climb out on the fire escape at 2:00 in the morning to smoke sometimes. Also, when we affiliated in Pueblo, we needed our parents permission if we wanted to go away for the weekend. We usually wrote those notes ourselves! Mrs. Holmes was the head nurse on the 2nd Floor and she hated my guts! We sure had fun though. Your grandma was always a happy and loving person. She had a great outlook on life and just was a happy-go-lucky person. She also had great faith. We went to see her in Weaverville when we were on vacation in the 70s. I remember that your grandma was driving over those mountain roads to Redding to work at the hospital. She was brave! .
Marta Schweitzer
Oh Jean and I didn't room together, but she'd come on down to my room sometimes at night and we'd lay on my bed and sing together. We'd lay, looking up at the ceiling and sing nursery rhymes together. I do remember them all sunbathing together that was on top of the nurses home. I never went though. Jean and Inez went away early...before they graduated. They lived on the bottom floor with Blondie(Marguerite Coleman,who passed on in 2003) and I. Jean lived down the hall. She had such a nice personality. Mrs. Stout was our teacher. She was a fancy old maid, but had just gotten married. I remember one time, Jean was put in charge of washing all of the false teeth in the geriatric ward of the hospital. She collected them all and put them in the same pan and washed them. When she was done, she had no idea who's teeth were who's. Oh, that was a big mess. We always teased her about that afterward.
Family Memories
Aimee Nolte (Granddaughter) I was only 6 or 7 and I wanted Gma to take a bath with me (I guess I just thought it would be fun to have company??). Gma didn't want to look shocked at my request, so she calmly said, "Okay, wait a minute" and she went upstairs and got her nightgown. She came in the bathroom with it on and got in the bath with me. I started laughing and said "Grandma, you're taking a bath with your night gown on!" to which she replied, "Doesn't everybody?" Grandma's legs were so smooth that she never had to shave them. Emma Fackrell (Granddaughter) Grandma used to make the best hockey-puck cookies in the world, and all she wanted was for me to make them with her. She had a way of making us all feel very special!
Jenni Tingle (Granddaughter) Grandma always made me laugh and smile. Just a few months ago when grandma was living at the Wilson House Aunt Margo and I were there visiting, and Grandma went to use the restroom and told Aunt Margo and I not to talk about anything important until she got back! I always loved that about grandma. She always wanted to hear what was going on in all of our lives. She was a great listener and a great prayer! I also remember Grandma's famous chicken noodle soup, and when she use to have all that Eureka food and we got to go down in the basement and pick out what we wanted for dinner. I also remember when I was sad because my nickname was only Jen. Jill's was Friend, and Kelly's was Kell-bell. I wanted a cool nickname so grandma decided to call me "SUNNY". I was only 8 or 9 and the name didn't last long, but I will always remember her trying to make me feel special.
Joany Haws (Daughter-In-Law) I miss telling Grandma about my day. She was the best listener...she always made me believe everything was going to be ok. The evening before Grandma went to be with the Lord, I was writing out her addresses for her for her Christmas letter. Harold and she and I were all in her cute room together. I couldn't read her writing very well because I didn't have my glasses. Of course I was making a big deal about that. Harold handed me a drinking glass with a thick bottom on it and told me to use that. I ignored him I guess. Grandma started her "belly laugh" and couldn't believe I didn't think he was as funny as she did. We all three ended up in stitches. Trula Whitaker (Daughter) I remember Mom offering $100 reward for lost items. I should have a lot more money now that I do! Shannon Nugent (Daughter) After Dad died, Katie and I flew with Mom back to Zona. Our specific task while we were there was to get mom to all her Doctors to make sure she had a "clean bill of health" before she started her travels. I'm blown away by the fact that she had a "clean bill of health" and leukemia at the same time. On the lighter side, while we were there, Grandma asked Katie if she could spare a pair of panties. Katie told her sure, but was concerned that they were too small for Grandma. Grandma assured her they were just the right fit and immediately put them on her head. She explained that it would keep her hair nice while she slept. Jack Rogers (Brother) To the children of Jean Haws: Yesterday the 23rd of January brought to my sister Janet and me many fond memories of our sister Jean. I remember going for Aunt Pearl who in turn got Dr. Sargent. Daddy was driving a school bus with his favorite team of horses. Aunt Meda came on the after noon train. We were all very happy to have another sister, There was only one draw back as far as I was concerned. The apple box was under Mother's bed, thus my access was limited. Jean was born in Isabel, S.D. January 23 l923. I Just realized I have had so much more of my sister Jean to remember than her children that I wanted you to know that we have been praying for each other and our children for many years. I will continue to pray for each of you and your families. Pinky Rogers (Sister-In-Law) Circuses: You think that is a funny subject heading? I was remembering the time that Jean was in college at Emporia, after her stint in the Army; our son Charles was about three years old and Jean had told him she would take him to the Ringling Brothers circus. When the day came for them to go, she had a chance to have a date with some college man and she was going to tell Charles she couldn't take him. Her big brother stepped in and told her she couldn't break a promise to a little kid and so she refused the date and went to the circus. That was pretty big of her, I'm not sure if the "date", or lack of it, was a blow to her. I keep remembering what good laughs Jean and I had together. Joanie sent me a picture of Jean at Thanksgiving dinner last year. She looks so happy to be with the family. I'm not very good at using the computer but I managed to save that one on the screen. I have been thinking about this memory quite often. Every time I open a bread sack I remember that Jean taught me to twist the top of the sack and turn it back on itself to seal without a twist. And since I open a bagle sack nearly every morning I remember Jean. Isn't it odd how the little things come back to memory? Monica Porter (Granddaughter) My most precious memory of grandma was the last time I spent time with her. She was in the hospital going through her first round of therapy. I was so glad to be there and introduce Logan to his great grandmother. It was fun to surprise her! One evening I was staying with her for a few hours to give my mom and Margo a break. All I could think about was how bad I felt for grandma and what she was going through. I was having a hard time finding the "right" words to say. I wanted to be a comfort to her, but in return she was a huge blessing to me. More than she will ever know. She asked me to get out her Bible and she listed several passages from Philippians and 1 Corinthians for me to read out loud. The verses spoke about true joy in the midst of hard times and learning perseverance. I began to cry as I read each verse. I realized how much I had to be thankful for, and above all I had a loving grandmother who loved the Lord with all her heart and her joy never changed even throughout her miserable health conditions. I will remember my grandma haws as a dedicated woman of God. Margo Posenjak (Daughter) I needed to take Mom to urgent care at Kaiser in Salem when I was there last Fall. I think it was a Sunday and I wasn't sure where to take her. The lady who made the appointment told me to go to the building in the top parking lot. Well, we went to the building at the top of the parking lot. It was pouring down rain, but we got the wheel chair out and mom held the umbrella as we wheeled up to the building. When we got inside, we realized that we were in the wrong building and needed to go to the building at the bottom of the parking lot. I wasn't thrilled about putting her and her chair back in the car to drive down the hill. As sick as she was, she agreed to be pushed down the hill in the pouring rain. We must have been a sight! She was holding my red and white umbrella and I was maneuvering between curbs and parked cars. By the time we got toward the bottom, she had kind of gotten away from me and I was running to keep up with her chair. We laughed so hard as we wheeled into the front door. She was never too sick for a good belly laugh!
Jenni Tingle (Granddaughter) Grandma always made me laugh and smile. Just a few months ago when grandma was living at the Wilson House Aunt Margo and I were there visiting, and Grandma went to use the restroom and told Aunt Margo and I not to talk about anything important until she got back! I always loved that about grandma. She always wanted to hear what was going on in all of our lives. She was a great listener and a great prayer! I also remember Grandma's famous chicken noodle soup, and when she use to have all that Eureka food and we got to go down in the basement and pick out what we wanted for dinner. I also remember when I was sad because my nickname was only Jen. Jill's was Friend, and Kelly's was Kell-bell. I wanted a cool nickname so grandma decided to call me "SUNNY". I was only 8 or 9 and the name didn't last long, but I will always remember her trying to make me feel special.
Joany Haws (Daughter-In-Law) I miss telling Grandma about my day. She was the best listener...she always made me believe everything was going to be ok. The evening before Grandma went to be with the Lord, I was writing out her addresses for her for her Christmas letter. Harold and she and I were all in her cute room together. I couldn't read her writing very well because I didn't have my glasses. Of course I was making a big deal about that. Harold handed me a drinking glass with a thick bottom on it and told me to use that. I ignored him I guess. Grandma started her "belly laugh" and couldn't believe I didn't think he was as funny as she did. We all three ended up in stitches. Trula Whitaker (Daughter) I remember Mom offering $100 reward for lost items. I should have a lot more money now that I do! Shannon Nugent (Daughter) After Dad died, Katie and I flew with Mom back to Zona. Our specific task while we were there was to get mom to all her Doctors to make sure she had a "clean bill of health" before she started her travels. I'm blown away by the fact that she had a "clean bill of health" and leukemia at the same time. On the lighter side, while we were there, Grandma asked Katie if she could spare a pair of panties. Katie told her sure, but was concerned that they were too small for Grandma. Grandma assured her they were just the right fit and immediately put them on her head. She explained that it would keep her hair nice while she slept. Jack Rogers (Brother) To the children of Jean Haws: Yesterday the 23rd of January brought to my sister Janet and me many fond memories of our sister Jean. I remember going for Aunt Pearl who in turn got Dr. Sargent. Daddy was driving a school bus with his favorite team of horses. Aunt Meda came on the after noon train. We were all very happy to have another sister, There was only one draw back as far as I was concerned. The apple box was under Mother's bed, thus my access was limited. Jean was born in Isabel, S.D. January 23 l923. I Just realized I have had so much more of my sister Jean to remember than her children that I wanted you to know that we have been praying for each other and our children for many years. I will continue to pray for each of you and your families. Pinky Rogers (Sister-In-Law) Circuses: You think that is a funny subject heading? I was remembering the time that Jean was in college at Emporia, after her stint in the Army; our son Charles was about three years old and Jean had told him she would take him to the Ringling Brothers circus. When the day came for them to go, she had a chance to have a date with some college man and she was going to tell Charles she couldn't take him. Her big brother stepped in and told her she couldn't break a promise to a little kid and so she refused the date and went to the circus. That was pretty big of her, I'm not sure if the "date", or lack of it, was a blow to her. I keep remembering what good laughs Jean and I had together. Joanie sent me a picture of Jean at Thanksgiving dinner last year. She looks so happy to be with the family. I'm not very good at using the computer but I managed to save that one on the screen. I have been thinking about this memory quite often. Every time I open a bread sack I remember that Jean taught me to twist the top of the sack and turn it back on itself to seal without a twist. And since I open a bagle sack nearly every morning I remember Jean. Isn't it odd how the little things come back to memory? Monica Porter (Granddaughter) My most precious memory of grandma was the last time I spent time with her. She was in the hospital going through her first round of therapy. I was so glad to be there and introduce Logan to his great grandmother. It was fun to surprise her! One evening I was staying with her for a few hours to give my mom and Margo a break. All I could think about was how bad I felt for grandma and what she was going through. I was having a hard time finding the "right" words to say. I wanted to be a comfort to her, but in return she was a huge blessing to me. More than she will ever know. She asked me to get out her Bible and she listed several passages from Philippians and 1 Corinthians for me to read out loud. The verses spoke about true joy in the midst of hard times and learning perseverance. I began to cry as I read each verse. I realized how much I had to be thankful for, and above all I had a loving grandmother who loved the Lord with all her heart and her joy never changed even throughout her miserable health conditions. I will remember my grandma haws as a dedicated woman of God. Margo Posenjak (Daughter) I needed to take Mom to urgent care at Kaiser in Salem when I was there last Fall. I think it was a Sunday and I wasn't sure where to take her. The lady who made the appointment told me to go to the building in the top parking lot. Well, we went to the building at the top of the parking lot. It was pouring down rain, but we got the wheel chair out and mom held the umbrella as we wheeled up to the building. When we got inside, we realized that we were in the wrong building and needed to go to the building at the bottom of the parking lot. I wasn't thrilled about putting her and her chair back in the car to drive down the hill. As sick as she was, she agreed to be pushed down the hill in the pouring rain. We must have been a sight! She was holding my red and white umbrella and I was maneuvering between curbs and parked cars. By the time we got toward the bottom, she had kind of gotten away from me and I was running to keep up with her chair. We laughed so hard as we wheeled into the front door. She was never too sick for a good belly laugh!
Memoirs From Funeral
Jean's son-in-law, John Nugent read the following memoirs at the funeral:
Jean Rogers Haws - My MOTHER By her daughter, Rea Haws Mennenga "Words to Describe My Mother" M Stands for how my mother was merciful, a mentor, a missions supporter, motherly, matrimonial (her love for Daddy was evident to all), and ministering to others. O Stands for how my mother was "others first", obedient, outgoing, overlooked wrongs against her, an overseer of girls scouts, and had great outings (with potato salad). T Stands for how my mother was tender, thoughtful, task driven, true-blue, trustworthy, a teacher, and a trained nurse. H Stands for how my mother was humble, humorous, honest, heroic, a hard worker, a helper (nursing, church & community), and a heritage for the love of her Jesus. E Stands for how my mother was educated, entertaining, emotional, and an encourager. R Stands for how my mother was a rewarded, reliable, resolved to carry out commitments, romantic, religious (as a Christian), and for family reunions. Margo's Thoughts My mom taught me that every person has value in God's eyes and that the irregular people in our lives deserve our friendship. Even at the end of her life when she was suffering herself, she displayed compassion and kindness toward those around her. For example, after her first round of Chemotherapy and a month in the hospital, she had to spend a week in a nursing home in Salem. She disliked being there so much she called it the "Big House." One evening when Joany stopped by, she found Mom in the dining room feeding a grouchy lady who had refused to eat for the staff. After our Thanksgiving visit, my family was saying good-bye to Mom at the Willson House. We didn't realize that this would be our last good-bye, but even then she was modeling God's love. A woman was verbally abusing the staff outside of Mom's door. As we said our tearful good-bye, Mom said to the woman, "Come on Dorothy, let's go to lunch." Dorothy forgot her angry outburst and followed Mom to the dining room. I'm thankful that our last memory of Mom was a lesson in compassion, gentleness and humor. Thank you Mom - May I love as well as you loved. Found in Mom's Bible: -Beatitudes for Friends of the Aged- Blessed are they who understand My faltering step and palsied hand. Blessed are they who know my ears must strain To catch the things they say today. Blessed are they who seem to know My eyes are dim and my wits are slow. Blessed are they who looked away When my coffee spilled at the table today. Blessed are they with a cheery smile Who stopped to chat for a little while. Blessed are they who never say, "You've told that story twice today." Blessed are they who know the way To bring back memories of yesterday. Blessed are they who make it known I'm loved, respected, and not alone. Blessed are they who know I'm at a loss To find strength to carry the cross. Blessed are they who ease the days On my journey home in loving ways. Harold's Memories of Mom I have many memories of mom but three things come to mind first. She was devoted to her faith, devoted to her family and cared for others. It wasn't until years later that I realized my mom had a special gift. As a result of her faith in the Lord, God gave her the gift of mercy. She spent a lifetime caring for others. Whether she was working in one of the area's hospitals, doing private duty nursing, or as the Trinity County School nurse, she had compassion for all who were hurting. As I was going through her Bible this week, I read something she had written on the inside of one of the pages. The author is unknown but the words describe the essence of who she was. It was entitled, "Consider This" Is anybody happier because you passed his way? Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today? This day is almost over and its toiling time is through. Is there anyone to utter now a friendly word for you? Can you say tonight in passing with the day that slipped so fast, That you helped a single person of the many that you passed? Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said? Does one whose hopes are fading now with courage look ahead? Did you waste the day or lose it? Was it well or poorly spent? Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent? I drew strength from mom this week. As we all were saddened with her news, she had a wonderful peace. She has run the race with grace, dignity and peace. I said goodbye to my friend this week but I know it won't be forever. The Lord who she shared with me many years ago will reunite us again. Until then, Mom, you will be missed here among us but your memory will live on in the hearts of all you touched. She, was a Good One! My Mamma -By Shannon Mom loved life. She loved: swimming in the Trinity River, hot weather, the Marco Polo, oil painting, her golf cart, the Phoenix Suns, her siblings, baking Snicker Doodles, Anne of Green Gables, singing hymns, a good belly laugh, her children and grandchildren, the Bible, praying, Daddy and her Lord. Mom's nursing career was a big part of our life. When I was young and got sick at school, Mom would send Howard Lovely from the hospital to pick me up at the Elementary School. She would lock me up in the single-room security ward and peak through the little window to check on me. She was committed to her family and nursing. A few months ago all of us kids were at the Salem Hospital where Mom received her Chemotherapy. She gathered the 5 of us kids around her bed and shared Scriptures to comfort us and to give us courage. Then she prayed for each of us and our families individually. I will always love Mom and Dad for leaving us a heritage of love for and dependency on our Heavenly Father. Two things that Mom did not love were: 1. Working in the Emergency Room at Trinity General because she knew all the children that came in sick and injured, and 2. She hated farewells. I never said "goody-bye" to my Mom once, from college on, where she didn't weep. So Mom, I'm not saying good-bye, I'm saying, I'll see you later. I'll miss you. What I Remember Most About My Mom -By Trula My earliest memory is of hugging my mother's legs. She had her nurse's uniform on and I could hear scissors clanging in her pocket. I spent many frightful nights in the safety of my parents' bed. I would jump right between them, all of us snug in their double bed. I spent two summers traveling to Kansas with my mom while she finished up her degree. We spent many hours together as we traveled by Greyhound all the way and stayed in a co-ed dormitory. My parents lived across the street from me for several years. I couldn't have asked for more. My children had a very close relationship with their Grandma as they spent many hours swinging in her back yard and making cookies with her. They loved to go down in her basement and get in the Jacuzzi with her. I know in my heart that Heavenly Father kept Mom alive long enough to comfort me when my Scott was taken. She was sick in the hospital and not able to attend his funeral. I longed for her loving arms. When I finally was able to go to her and crawl into her hospital bed, my heartache subsided. She held me in her arms and wept through the night at the thought of our lives without Daddy and Scott. She reminded me that Heavenly Father was in control and would not give us more than we could bear. She told me that we could find the strength we would need through our Savior Jesus Christ. The strength and comfort she demonstrated as she endured her illness was an example to me. As we gather with our family for the holidays, we can take comfort in knowing that her reunion will be the most joyous of all.
Jean Rogers Haws - My MOTHER By her daughter, Rea Haws Mennenga "Words to Describe My Mother" M Stands for how my mother was merciful, a mentor, a missions supporter, motherly, matrimonial (her love for Daddy was evident to all), and ministering to others. O Stands for how my mother was "others first", obedient, outgoing, overlooked wrongs against her, an overseer of girls scouts, and had great outings (with potato salad). T Stands for how my mother was tender, thoughtful, task driven, true-blue, trustworthy, a teacher, and a trained nurse. H Stands for how my mother was humble, humorous, honest, heroic, a hard worker, a helper (nursing, church & community), and a heritage for the love of her Jesus. E Stands for how my mother was educated, entertaining, emotional, and an encourager. R Stands for how my mother was a rewarded, reliable, resolved to carry out commitments, romantic, religious (as a Christian), and for family reunions. Margo's Thoughts My mom taught me that every person has value in God's eyes and that the irregular people in our lives deserve our friendship. Even at the end of her life when she was suffering herself, she displayed compassion and kindness toward those around her. For example, after her first round of Chemotherapy and a month in the hospital, she had to spend a week in a nursing home in Salem. She disliked being there so much she called it the "Big House." One evening when Joany stopped by, she found Mom in the dining room feeding a grouchy lady who had refused to eat for the staff. After our Thanksgiving visit, my family was saying good-bye to Mom at the Willson House. We didn't realize that this would be our last good-bye, but even then she was modeling God's love. A woman was verbally abusing the staff outside of Mom's door. As we said our tearful good-bye, Mom said to the woman, "Come on Dorothy, let's go to lunch." Dorothy forgot her angry outburst and followed Mom to the dining room. I'm thankful that our last memory of Mom was a lesson in compassion, gentleness and humor. Thank you Mom - May I love as well as you loved. Found in Mom's Bible: -Beatitudes for Friends of the Aged- Blessed are they who understand My faltering step and palsied hand. Blessed are they who know my ears must strain To catch the things they say today. Blessed are they who seem to know My eyes are dim and my wits are slow. Blessed are they who looked away When my coffee spilled at the table today. Blessed are they with a cheery smile Who stopped to chat for a little while. Blessed are they who never say, "You've told that story twice today." Blessed are they who know the way To bring back memories of yesterday. Blessed are they who make it known I'm loved, respected, and not alone. Blessed are they who know I'm at a loss To find strength to carry the cross. Blessed are they who ease the days On my journey home in loving ways. Harold's Memories of Mom I have many memories of mom but three things come to mind first. She was devoted to her faith, devoted to her family and cared for others. It wasn't until years later that I realized my mom had a special gift. As a result of her faith in the Lord, God gave her the gift of mercy. She spent a lifetime caring for others. Whether she was working in one of the area's hospitals, doing private duty nursing, or as the Trinity County School nurse, she had compassion for all who were hurting. As I was going through her Bible this week, I read something she had written on the inside of one of the pages. The author is unknown but the words describe the essence of who she was. It was entitled, "Consider This" Is anybody happier because you passed his way? Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today? This day is almost over and its toiling time is through. Is there anyone to utter now a friendly word for you? Can you say tonight in passing with the day that slipped so fast, That you helped a single person of the many that you passed? Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said? Does one whose hopes are fading now with courage look ahead? Did you waste the day or lose it? Was it well or poorly spent? Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent? I drew strength from mom this week. As we all were saddened with her news, she had a wonderful peace. She has run the race with grace, dignity and peace. I said goodbye to my friend this week but I know it won't be forever. The Lord who she shared with me many years ago will reunite us again. Until then, Mom, you will be missed here among us but your memory will live on in the hearts of all you touched. She, was a Good One! My Mamma -By Shannon Mom loved life. She loved: swimming in the Trinity River, hot weather, the Marco Polo, oil painting, her golf cart, the Phoenix Suns, her siblings, baking Snicker Doodles, Anne of Green Gables, singing hymns, a good belly laugh, her children and grandchildren, the Bible, praying, Daddy and her Lord. Mom's nursing career was a big part of our life. When I was young and got sick at school, Mom would send Howard Lovely from the hospital to pick me up at the Elementary School. She would lock me up in the single-room security ward and peak through the little window to check on me. She was committed to her family and nursing. A few months ago all of us kids were at the Salem Hospital where Mom received her Chemotherapy. She gathered the 5 of us kids around her bed and shared Scriptures to comfort us and to give us courage. Then she prayed for each of us and our families individually. I will always love Mom and Dad for leaving us a heritage of love for and dependency on our Heavenly Father. Two things that Mom did not love were: 1. Working in the Emergency Room at Trinity General because she knew all the children that came in sick and injured, and 2. She hated farewells. I never said "goody-bye" to my Mom once, from college on, where she didn't weep. So Mom, I'm not saying good-bye, I'm saying, I'll see you later. I'll miss you. What I Remember Most About My Mom -By Trula My earliest memory is of hugging my mother's legs. She had her nurse's uniform on and I could hear scissors clanging in her pocket. I spent many frightful nights in the safety of my parents' bed. I would jump right between them, all of us snug in their double bed. I spent two summers traveling to Kansas with my mom while she finished up her degree. We spent many hours together as we traveled by Greyhound all the way and stayed in a co-ed dormitory. My parents lived across the street from me for several years. I couldn't have asked for more. My children had a very close relationship with their Grandma as they spent many hours swinging in her back yard and making cookies with her. They loved to go down in her basement and get in the Jacuzzi with her. I know in my heart that Heavenly Father kept Mom alive long enough to comfort me when my Scott was taken. She was sick in the hospital and not able to attend his funeral. I longed for her loving arms. When I finally was able to go to her and crawl into her hospital bed, my heartache subsided. She held me in her arms and wept through the night at the thought of our lives without Daddy and Scott. She reminded me that Heavenly Father was in control and would not give us more than we could bear. She told me that we could find the strength we would need through our Savior Jesus Christ. The strength and comfort she demonstrated as she endured her illness was an example to me. As we gather with our family for the holidays, we can take comfort in knowing that her reunion will be the most joyous of all.
Obituary
The Obituary that appeared in the "Trinity Journal," the local newspaper in Weaverville:
Oral Jean Haws Jean Haws died on December 9, 2001 at the age of 78 after a 4-month battle with Leukemia. Mrs. Haws was born on January 23, 1923 in Isabel, SD. She was the third of 4 children. Mrs. Haws graduated from Newman Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Emporia, KS, as a Registered Nurse. She got her B.S. Degree from the College of Emporia. She served as a Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps during WWII and as a Navy Cadet Nurse after the War. She married Harold M. Haws on Sept. 11, 1948 in Newell, SD. They lived in Trinity County from 1950-1988, after which they retired to Mesa, Arizona. When her husband died in May of 2001, Mrs. Haws relocated to Salem, Oregon to live near her son, Harold, Jr. and his family. Mrs. Haws worked as a Registered Nurse for over 20 years at Trinity General Hospital and several years in Redding Hospitals. She was the Trinity County School Nurse from 1970-1984. Mrs. Haws was a member of First Baptist Church in Weaverville. Most recently she was a member of Bethany Baptist Church in Salem, OR. Mrs. Haws is survived by her brother Jack Rogers of Los Cruces, NM; her sister Janet Wilkinson of Tuxedo Park, NY; and her five children: Rea Mennenga (Clear Water, FL), Margo Posenjak (Friday Harbor, WA), Harold Haws, Jr. (Salem, OR), Shannon Nugent (Los Banos, CA), Trula Haws (Glendora, CA). She is also survived by 16 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. There will be a Memorial Service on Friday, December 14 at 2:00 PM at McDonald-Files Funeral Home in Weaverville. Memorial Contributions can be made the Missionary Fund at First Baptist Church in Weaverville.
Oral Jean Haws Jean Haws died on December 9, 2001 at the age of 78 after a 4-month battle with Leukemia. Mrs. Haws was born on January 23, 1923 in Isabel, SD. She was the third of 4 children. Mrs. Haws graduated from Newman Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Emporia, KS, as a Registered Nurse. She got her B.S. Degree from the College of Emporia. She served as a Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps during WWII and as a Navy Cadet Nurse after the War. She married Harold M. Haws on Sept. 11, 1948 in Newell, SD. They lived in Trinity County from 1950-1988, after which they retired to Mesa, Arizona. When her husband died in May of 2001, Mrs. Haws relocated to Salem, Oregon to live near her son, Harold, Jr. and his family. Mrs. Haws worked as a Registered Nurse for over 20 years at Trinity General Hospital and several years in Redding Hospitals. She was the Trinity County School Nurse from 1970-1984. Mrs. Haws was a member of First Baptist Church in Weaverville. Most recently she was a member of Bethany Baptist Church in Salem, OR. Mrs. Haws is survived by her brother Jack Rogers of Los Cruces, NM; her sister Janet Wilkinson of Tuxedo Park, NY; and her five children: Rea Mennenga (Clear Water, FL), Margo Posenjak (Friday Harbor, WA), Harold Haws, Jr. (Salem, OR), Shannon Nugent (Los Banos, CA), Trula Haws (Glendora, CA). She is also survived by 16 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. There will be a Memorial Service on Friday, December 14 at 2:00 PM at McDonald-Files Funeral Home in Weaverville. Memorial Contributions can be made the Missionary Fund at First Baptist Church in Weaverville.
Contact
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