Charlotte Guy

Guy Charlotte Guy. One day as a child, I said to my mother "You're the best mom..." to which she responded with an immediate "Awwwwww." But I hadn't yet finished my sentence: "You're the best mom I've ever had!" Her "Awwwwww" quickly morphed into laughter. She thought my humorous play on words was the funniest thing she had ever heard! This is the relationship I had with my mom, love mixed with humor. Every once in a while, there was even some unintentional humor. One year, I was out of elementary school for Christmas break and, while she was at work, I scoured the house to see what gifts I could find hidden. I pulled a chair over to the coat closet, climbed up to peer on the top shelf and, sure enough, I found some music records. I was excited! When she returned from work, she asked "Were you looking for your Christmas gifts?" to which I confidently replied, sporting my best poker face, "No. But you might want to hide those records better." My mom was born to Robert Eugene Shaw and Edna Gertrude (Howson) Shaw on March 6, 1941 in Columbus, Ohio. She was a smart woman, graduating as valedictorian of her high school. She wanted desperately to continue her education, but her mother convinced her that "girls don't go to college." She was phenomenal at typing and organizing so she flourished as an administrative assistant, most of those years in the Acquisitions Department of The Ohio State University Main Library. When she wasn't busy working to raise and support me, she LOVED fishing, gardening and painting. Most importantly, she was a great mother and did such a great job raising me that I was able to return the favor and help her retire from American Health Foundation almost a decade ago so that she could enjoy those activities she loved even more often. One of my favorite memories of her happened that summer when we took her on a "Happy Retirement" family vacation to Walt Disney World, Sea World and Discovery Cove where she conquered her fear of the water and swam with dolphins. Over the next several years, she was diagnosed with Emphysema, COPD and Congestive Heart Failure that came as a result of smoking. But she remained strong even as her dependence upon oxygen progressed from "as needed use" to "all day use". During this time, we were very fortunate to be able to take care of her in our home. But as her condition deteriorated, we felt we should take her on one last extraordinary trip. So, in June of this year, my wife Amy and I loaded the oxygen machine, my mom, our kids, the dog and two cats on an RV and took off. She was in awe of Colorado, the Rocky Mountains and rafters conquering the Colorado River. We continued to Utah, the Bonneville Salt Flats and drove through beautiful Arches National Park at sunset. We crossed the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in San Francisco and then meandered down hundreds of miles of the Pacific Coast Highway, some of the most breathtaking coastal views you will ever witness. We made our way to Santa Barbara, Hollywood, Long Beach and Huntington Beach before continuing on to Lake Havasu Arizona and finally on to see Fourth of July fireworks over the San Jacinto river in Texas. I was blessed to be able to enjoy that month-long trip with her because less than a month and a half later, on August 19, 2015, she passed in her sleep. Now that my time with her is over, I can unequivocally say about her, "She was the best mother I could have ever wanted." No punch line, just love. Charlotte Ann (Shaw) Guy is preceded in death by her parents, her brother David Shaw, her sister Linda Shaw and my step-father Robert Guy. She is survived by her first husband and my father, Thomas Veneman; son (me), Joseph Veneman; daughter-in-law, Amy (Shimansky) Veneman; and grandchildren, Grant Veneman and Megan Veneman. We loved our time with my mom and are comforted that she passed in her sleep right after enjoying chocolate ice cream, her favorite, one final time. Services were entrusted to SNYDER-RODMAN FUNERAL CENTER, Delaware, Ohio.