She was there for all my childhood milestones. From the first birthday to the first day of kindergarten to T-ball games to high school dances to the first time my heart was broken, my mom was always by my side.
I figured I’d never have that type of mother-son relationship again. If you’re lucky, you get one shot of being a son.
Then when I married Tammy in 1990, I was given another opportunity. Talk about a blessing.
From our wedding day forward, I called Tammy’s mother, Geraldine “Jerry” Post, my Mom. We ended every phone call and every visit with, “I love you.”
She died of cancer at Hospice of Dayton on April 21, 13 days after her 86th birthday and 16 days before Mother’s Day.
It’s hard to believe that I spent more years with my mother-in-law than with my Mom.
There aren’t many women like my mother-in-law. The 1954 Beavercreek High School graduate was an accomplished high school athlete. She was an avid golfer, playing in several leagues at WGC Golf Course in Xenia and Beavercreek Golf Course well into her 80s. She made four holes-in-one and if you had a few minutes, she would tell you about every one of them.
She was an outstanding seamstress and cook who was known for her homemade candies and chocolate chip cookies.
She was from that generation born without a filter. If you asked her what she thought, you better be prepared for the truth. Regardless of who was playing on the PGA or LPGA tours, she always rooted for the Americans.
At her visitation, several people described her as “a pistol.”
Truer words never were spoken.
She also was a great mother to her two children and grandmother to her three grandchildren.
When our daughter Hannah was born in 1998, Mom volunteered to babysit in our home so Tammy could return to work. It was such a relief for us to know Hannah was safe and in good hands.
Mom also was the one who introduced Hannah to golf. From those times riding around in a golf cart together, Hannah played golf at Springboro High School and Asbury University and works as an assistant pro at NCR Country Club in Dayton.
It’s fair to say Mom was proud of Hannah.
As a way to show our appreciation for all she did helping raise Hannah, we took Mom on a few family vacations to Atlanta, Hilton Head and Las Vegas.
While in Vegas, we stayed at the Tropicana that calls itself the “Island of Las Vegas.” Everywhere you go, in the casino, in the elevator, at the pool, you constantly hear “Welcome to the Island of Las Vegas.”
One morning at the pool, Mom leaned over and asked me, “Is this really an island?” You can’t make this up.
Another time we were in an airport and since we got there early, we walked into the bar. We grabbed a table and the wooden chairs were curved so you leaned on them and placed your feet on the stools. Mom didn’t understand the concept or she was too short for her feet to reach and everyone in the bar laughed when she slid off the chair and onto the floor.
Mom also had the distinction of being a double conception baby. Who knew there was such a thing? She was conceived several weeks before her twin sister, Judy. They were born on the same day, April 8, 1936 and while Mom was conceived first, she was born second.
“I was ready to come out and my sister was in my way,” she said often.
Geraldine “Jerry” Post was a pistol.
RIP Mom. Both of you.
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