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EPILOGUE - FEBRUARY 14, 2018 - VALENTINE’S DAY EVENING - 10:27PM
Dear Friends...after posting for the first time in 4 years...we received the
following text from Sue Mudry, on behalf of Mike Mudry who was mentioned in our
prior Post on 2-14-2018 :
“Irene has passed away. Mike was home for a rest and didn’t make it back....but
Linda (his sister) was there. She was very
peaceful. Mike is fine. He just didn’t want her to be alone. Thanks for all your
prayers for our family.”
I felt compelled to write the following tribute to Mrs. Mudry after we heard the
news. After all....Iv’e known Mrs. Mudry since Mike and I became Best Friends at
the age of 5. That’s 64 years of history! From what Mike shared with all of us
regarding Mrs. Mudry’s Faith.....she surely was NOT ALONE when she
passed.....but rather lifted up....On Angel’s Wings for a Glorious Reunion!
“ A Tribute to Mrs. Mudry”
Irene Mieno Mudry (Born 11-11-1920) was only 97 when she passed over into Heaven on Valentine’s Day Evening.
My first best friend is her
son Mike. We met in Kindergarten
while attending Indian Prairie on Illinois Avenue on the East Side of
Aurora…then went to the New Hermes Elementary, the following year.
My most vivid early memory of
Mike is we were on the playground and got into a fight.
He attempted to stab me with a blunt nosed stapler.
Our teacher grounded us from recess for a week and just the two of us had
to stay in the classroom, while our classmates frolicked outdoors.
That was the real beginning of our lifetime friendship.
From that date forward, Mike
and I would share/trade our sack lunches.
Mrs. Mudry made the best cheese sandwiches with Kraft sandwich spread,
and on Fridays, her tuna fish was absolutely the best!! Mike loved my Mom’s
runny egg salad sandwiches which always oozed over the crust as chunks would
plop onto the wax paper wrappings below.
So, Mrs. Mudry quickly became one of my favorite Moms and one of my most
Respected Hero’s!
As I reflect on Mrs. Mudry’s
passing and our childhood’s growing up, Mike and I, and all of our “Aurora Boy”
friends, came from very humble beginnings.
Mike’s Mom, met his Dad, Mike in 1937 in a local CCC Camp that was
established by FDR as part of The “New Deal” (Civilian Conservation Corps).
They married and together had
6 great kids. They raised their
children in an 850-square foot home with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and an
unfinishable basement. Truly
remarkable! And every day they
worked hard to provide for their family. It
strikes me as interesting that back then…none of us considered ourselves to be
poor! That’s because we weren’t
poor! We were rich.
Rich in Faith, Family and Friends!
Mr. Mudry passed away in 1986
at the age of 70. He served our
country valiantly as a United States Marine during World War II.
Appropriately, he died on Pearl Harbor Day.
He too is one of our heroes!!
I feel grateful for Mr. and
Mrs. Mudry…yes…6 children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren and still
growing…is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.
As we celebrate Irene’s (Mrs. Mudry) life, it helps me to take pause, to
lift my eyes toward the skies and to simply thank Jesus for sharing the Mudry
family with ours. They are the true
role models and heroes that we should strive to Honor and to imitate…for the
remaining days of our lives!
Thank you Mrs. And Mr. Mudry
for your Gift of Life! We find it
fitting that you are reunited again…on Valentine’s Evening…for all Eternity.
And Mrs. Mudry, please, when my time comes I’ll be anxiously waiting…for
a tuna fish sandwich!!
With Love, Honor, and Respect,
Ken, Norma, Mrs. I., and our
Aurora Boy and Gals…Till we meet again