My mother was born on the Fourth of July – so this will be our first without her. It was a particularly tough month – not only did my mother pass away in early June, but Richard also lost his mom this past Monday.

We had my mom’s funeral service at St. Leo’s Church in Oakland, the same church where my parents were married and where my dad and grandparents also had their final mass. It’s the church we attended whenever we were in town, and after mass, the kids would always drag our parents over to Fenton’s Creamery for an ice cream. After my mom’s funeral service, we re-lived our past and went over for an ice cream again.

In her honor, I’m going to get an ice cream today too. I love you Mom!

Great-grandsons