49 year old orphan

I lost my mom yesterday, July 29, 2012.

HISER (Bullencamp).  Juanita B. Hiser, age 90, Columbus, July 29, 2012 at Kobacker House.  Preceded in death by beloved husband John Edward Hiser and precious kitty Snuggles.  Survived by children Ann (Mike) Weber, Jim Hiser and Mary Hiser (Howard Brody);  grandchildren Amanda (Jay) Jerger and Emily (Shane) Hay and great-grandchildren Jayden and Josslyn Jerger.  Graduate of Columbus North High School, Class of 1939.  Member of St. Michael Catholic Church and resident of Oakleaf Village of Columbus.   Memorial Service to be held at 3pm Saturday, August 4, 2012 at Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home, 515 High Street, Worthington, OH 43085.  Family will receive friends beginning at 1pm up to the time of the service.  Burial at St Joseph Cemetery at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to LifeCare Alliance (www.lifecarealliance.org) or HomeReach Hospice/Ohio Health Foundation, 180 E. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215-3707 in her memory.  Arrangements by Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home.

There is so much more to say when you aren't paying by the word.  Thank you to so many people, like Dr. Joseph Hofmeister, her oncologist who guided her through breast cancer and then lung cancer and recurrent lung cancer.  Thanks to his practice and a lot of good fortune, Juanita died of congestive heart failure and basic old age.

Thank you to Ora Smoot, her bestest nurse and advocate at Oakleaf Village.  Ora never hesitated to give "Miss Juanita" her opinion or to summon medical help when she thought something just wasn't right.

Thank you to Ginnie Trapp, mom's close friend and compadre who helped her get to a million medical appointments and never hesitated to volunteer to help.

Thank you to Mary Jo Sobieski, who started out as a person bringing communion from St. Michael Church once a week and ended up being so very much more.

Thank you to Cindy Uslick, mom's LifeCare Alliance volunteer grocery shopper who helped her for ten years, hauling cat litter and cat food and dealing with Juanita "I can't buy it if it isn't on sale" and being a great friend and surrogate daughter.

Thank you to Dr. Dale Michalak, her family physician who ended up being the unifying team captain for a group of medical caregivers that included every possible specialty.  Thank you for always making her feel that you had time to listen to her every question and for always being in her corner and never losing patience with her.

Thank you to the incredible staff at Kobacker House who made dying not such a creepy scary thing.  I'm so grateful that Mom died in a beautiful setting with no tubes, wires or machines and totally at peace.  She would have loved the gardens if she would have been able to see them.  We told her how lovely her room was, and how everything was in order and it was time to go.  The dishes are done, the laundry is put away, everything is in order and Daddy and Snuggles are waiting for you.  I did this over and over and over her last night, along with telling her how much her children and extended family loved her.

Thanks to my brother and sister who were there for her and did everything they could to help send her on her way in peace.

Thank you to my incredible husband Howard who was there with her at the very last minute and held her hand and rubbed her head and kept comforting her over and over during the final days.  She loved you very much and told me how much she appreciated you being with her on that last trip to the emergency room and staying with her until I could get there from Detroit.