Remembering my Mother.

Below is the memorial I gave for my mother, Joan Vandervliet at her service, and the video my brother prepared

On behalf of  our family, I first want to thank you all for coming out tonight to help remember our mother, Joan. It’s a testament to the life she lives and to the love she had to see so many people here.

If there is only one trait of my mother’s I hope to possess and carry on it is her infinite capacity to to love and her near infinite capacity to give freely of herself.

There is probably not one person  here who knew my mother who didn’t hear her say  “I’ll do that”  or “Let me help”.

More than anyone else, my mother loved to help the kids in her community.  To many, she became  known as “Aunt Joanie”, practically being a second mother to many.   I remember the boy in high school, who was a member of the marching band.  He was not from Midland Park, being hearing impaired, he lived over 20 miles away.   He would have to wait at the school, or find somewhere else to go between 3 o’clock and the start of band practice, in the evenings.  My mother would always make sure he got some dinner, and he had a place he could stay at our house when he needed somewhere to go.   This young man was 2 years behind me in school, but my mother continued to open our house to him, even after I had gone off to college.  This is just one of the many stories I have  be reminded off from friends who have wanted to tell me how my mother touched their lives.

Of course, my mother was not above having favorites,  the Sinclairs have been family in all ways except by name.  And of course there were my mother’s two most precious favorites, her grand children,  Sarah and Matthew.

As they grow up I hope I can help instill in them, and in my own children someday, the spirit of generosity and  love, that they can connect to their “Grammy”, to help keep her example as they grow up and make their own way in the world.

Again, I want to thank you for all the love you have given us in this time and all the compassion and support you have given our family.