My Mom's cousin's name is Debra Farley Watson. Her mom, Barbara, was the youngest sister to Laurie's mom Gertrude. Deb is 10 years younger than Laurie so when they were teens/young adults, they weren't really close. Fast forward a couple decades and Laurie thought of Deb like a sister. Deb, for those of you that don't know her, has the patience of a monk. She is kind, sweet and makes the best chocolate chip cookies EVER (don't bother asking for the recipe). So, after Laurie's husband passed and she made the huge decision to move back to Rochester, she went to Deb's. This is where the unlimited patience comes into play because Laurie can be a particular sort of houseguest and needs things 'just so'. My brother and I will be forever grateful to Deb for taking such good care of our mom and we have nominated her for canonization. Fingers crossed!
So, Deb and Dave Watson have a beautiful home on 5,377 acres, or thereabouts, and agreed to allow us to plant some trees in Laurie and Ron's memory. In September 2023, Scott, Kristin, James, Nick, Cate and Harlow honored Grandma LoLo and Pop'on by planting some trees. At the base of the trees we also planted Ron's love notes and cards with some of LoLo's ashes so they could be fertilizer (ha!). I'm not sure what kind of trees they were but Deb knows her way around plants and such soI am sure they will grow beautifully under her care. Thank you Deb. Thank you for being the sister my Mom never had. Thank you for your never-ending patience and kindness. Thank you for helping me and Scott navigate all the 'stuff'. We love and appreciate you.
This brought tears to my eyes Kristin! I will always cherish the time your Mom spent at our house in Rush. Yes, she was like a sister to me too. I will forever miss her humor, intelligence and friendship. I can promise you that David will take excellent care of Ron and Laurie's trees! Thank you to Scott, James, Cate, Harlow, Kristin and Jason for taking the time to plant the trees. A beautiful tribute to beautiful people. ❤️