Her 3rd life

It has been such a hard thing for me to do.......write the obituary for my loving wife.

We all knew what may be the inevitable, but for her, not to dwell upon. Yes, she was reconciled to it.....and so brave.

But life was always hope and giving was her energy
and that was her focus. Yet, toward the end, so much came so hard and fast; I could say even unexpected. But peaceful at the end.

She was tired.....time to rest.

No newspaper obituary can ever do her justice and express such a wonderfully dynamic joyous life and beautiful heart.

All that will be for later.

But I would like to reprint here the obituary submission in this Sunday's (3-3-13) local paper, the Columbia Daily Tribune. It can also be read online at http://www.columbiatribune.com/

Her loving husband,
Gary

Gloria Ann Page, 1954-2013

Gloria Ann Page, 58, of Columbia peacefully passed away Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, while surrounded by the loving embrace of her family and a special friend after a long, valiant battle with cancer.

Memorial and Celebration of Life services are planned later this year at Stephens Lake Park and will be announced.

Gloria was born March 31, 1954, in Bristol, Conn. She married her husband of more than 30 years, Gary, in 1982 in New York, where her two sons, Brandon and Bryan, were born. After settling in Columbia, her husband’s hometown, she became a local juried artist with Best of Missouri Hands, established a hand-made card business, and went on to write two books on arts and crafts making, in which she inspired the creation of a whole new community of artists and new friends around the country. Also, for over the past three years, she served others as a senior caregiver with Home Instead Senior Care. A devoted wife and loving mother, she was the life and heart of our family. We miss her so much.

Gloria is survived by her husband, Gary; her two sons, Brandon and Bryan; her mother, Ida Rajotte of Santa Fe, N.M.; her three brothers, David Lagasse and Norman Lagasse of Santa Fe, and Paul Lagasse and his wife, Mary Jo, of Maryland; her uncle, Norman Rajotte of Colorado; her uncle, Marcel Rajotte of Massachusetts; her mother-in-law, Sally Page of Columbia; and her brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Jan Kaseta, and her niece, Kristi, and nephew, Nick, all of Florida.

Her brother Michael passed on in 1982.

In lieu of flowers, her wish would be that any memorial contributions go to further her sons’ college education and may be made to the Gloria Page Children’s Fund and addressed to Landmark Bank, Attn: teller, P.O. Box 1867, Columbia, Mo., 65205, or to her home.