Clara Jewel Morey

Rayne Thoman, Clara's granddaughter read this at her funeral.

Grandma was a part of my life from day one and I am told when I was born she was so excited that one of the grandchildren finally had red hair. I am sure she was shocked it was Roxanne and not one of her actual redheaded children that were able to produce such a phenomenon. When I was preparing to write this and talking to my mother about ideas, she informed me Grandma helped picked out my name, since she liked the name Rayna and from that came Rayne. She would often baby-sit me in my early days, with Uncle Mike’s help apparently. As I grew older, I can remember reading book after book to her. My mother would often drop me off when she would go out at night to the Lafayette Tap Room and I would sleep in grandma’s room in MY “princess bed.” I am sure everyone remembers the bed that was on the other side of the room, yeah that was my princess bed. That is what Grandma called it.
My mother and I lived at Grandma’s house for a few years before we moved to Buffalo Ave so I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with her as a child and we were very close. Grandma loved old movies. Because of her, “Rebecca” and “The Heiress” are two of my favorites. She had them on video and we would watch them together over and over. She also liked murder mysteries and exposed me at an early age to, “When a stranger calls back,” the one about the babysitter and the killer getting in the house and throwing his voice to make her think he was outside. It was a little traumatizing and I had a few nightmares over that one. We watched a lot of Lifetime movies too and when I see them on TV now, I think of her. I think and anyone please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I was the first grandkid to cut grandma’s hair. Rich Spring, a family friend, would come over and I’d do his first and then climb into her bed and wet, comb, and cut her hair. She always gave me a few dollars for my work. I was also one of the many to wait on her, but I turned it into a game and liked to pretend I was a waitress. I would write down on a pad of paper what she wanted and would go and get it. When I’d bring her something she didn’t want because I didn’t want the game to end, she’d say, “Rayne I don’t want this, put it back” and I’d get because I knew my game was over.
Everyone here knows that Grandma loved to do any sort of shopping. I’d help her make grocery lists by looking in the ads for the different stores and she’d buy pretty much anything and everything that was on sale with her coupons. Then she’d send Bobby and I to all the different grocery stores and we’d get it all and fill the cupboards with things that are quite possibly still there. I can remember being disappointed when I’d ask if she wanted us to go shopping and she’d tell me Bobby or Jimmy had already gone for her. After my mother and I moved out, I can remember when I’d come over and I’d do my own sort of shopping in her cupboards and take whatever I wanted. She always bought pierogies because she knew I liked them. And honest to god, there are still juice boxes in my car that I took from her house summer 2003. I don’t like to throw things out. Don’t worry Mom, I am not going to drink them. But Grandma never cared what I took, she’d look in my bag, make note what I was taking and send me on my way. I think it made her happy to give, she always gave me something when I went to visit, whether it was some food item or a dollar or two, I never left empty handed.
Why do grandparents and grandchildren get along so well? Can anyone guess? They have the same enemy—the mother. I can remember at different times in my life fighting with my mother and wanting my grandmother. My mother would take me over there and I’d run to grandma and throw myself in her arms and cry over whatever it was my mother had done now. (Everyone here knows how Roxanne can be). But the thing is, Grandma ALWAYS took the side of her grandchildren. No matter what it was, she always went to bat for me. I know this made my mother crazy but Grandma never cared what anyone, least of all Roxanne, thought.
I spent a lot of time with Grandma during her last hospital stay over the last month or so. I know it meant a lot to her and it probably meant even more to me because while it was hard to see her in pain and declining health day after day, I’ll always have those memories of her in her last real good days. These were days I’ll always treasure. On days she wasn’t feeling good, much wasn’t said and I’d simply sit while she slept or hold her hand while she was awake. On her good days, we spent a lot of time talking about the family. She always knew everything about everyone and had her opinions. I’d like to think of her as the hub of our communication network. Her greatest gift was her intuition and it was a gift she used wisely. Even though no one told her about Uncle Eric’s passing, her mother’s intuition kicked in and it let her know her son had gone to Heaven.
Towards the end, she had trouble feeding herself so I’d leave work for a half hour or so, come feed her lunch, go back to work and then come back after work to feed her dinner and spend some time with her. She was also on a renal diet, which she hated not having her salt or being able to eat her mashed potatoes and gravy. There is a funny story about this. One night Aunt Coe, Brittney and I were all up at the General visiting her. She decides she wants an Oreo cookie so Aunt Coe goes down to the cafeteria and brings her back an ice cream Oreo cookie sandwich. Now I didn’t know much about the renal diet and had read the small amount of info they had given us and it had said to limit calcium intake and ice cream has calcium in it so my head almost exploded when I saw this. I am a bit of a worrier, most of you here probably know that. Aunt Coe really didn’t see what the big deal was and neither did Grandma, because after all, she was getting her ice cream sandwich. So the next day I come to visit and she was down in dialysis. I go down and am instructed to wait because the doctor was in with her. I waited for over an hour. I was not amused. Anyway, the nutritionist office is there for all the renal patients. So being the anal granddaughter that I am, I knock on the door and ask if she knew any information on Grandma. Grandma’s actual nutritionist was gone for the day, but her partner talked to me for at least 20 minutes about diet restrictions and gave me a whole bunch of literature which I photocopied and made 5 or 6 packets in big white envelopes reading in big bold letters, “GRANDMA’S DIET RESTRICTIONS. PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND IF YOU ARE GOING TO BRING HER FOOD.” When I showed up with these the next day, Grandma immediately put on her glasses and said, “Oh…I have to read this and learn it.” I later found out that she was frantic over making sure the packets were taken so I wouldn’t be mad that no one was following her diet. Aunt Coe apparently ended up taking them home and to work because the two of them were in cahoots about appeasing and not upsetting me.
I want to close in saying Grandma’s joy for life transmitted where ever she took her smile and the sparkle in her eyes. She was a firecracker and every single one of us in this room has a little bit of her in us. Above all we give thanks for the life of a woman I am so proud to be able to call my grandmother, the unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Clara Jewel whose beauty, both inside and out, will never be extinguished from our minds. All we have of her now are our memories. But they will never fade from our hearts.

Eric Kern, Clara's grandson read this at her funeral.

In Memory of

CLARA JEWEL MOREY


Clara Jewel Rogers was born in Scranton, PA, on Dec 26, 1929. I don’t know much about her life in Pennsylvania, but the stories I’ve heard suggested a good, simple life, growing up with her sister Doris and three brothers, Joe, John, and Bill who never picked on her. I’m told that as a young girl she loved to dance, sing, ice skate, swim, and wear the new, stylish clothes she bought with the money her brothers gave her.

Her life as a devoted mother began at the age of 16 and over the course of the next 22 years, through two marriages, she brought eight perfect children into this world. In time those children grew and had children of THEIR own, some of those who now have little ones of THEIR own. She loved her sister and brothers, treasured her children, cherished her grand and great-grand children, and had special, unique, loving relationships with each and everyone in our family. The world could turn upside down, and she would always be there for us, happy to see us, or happy to help us in any way that she could.

She was a clever, witty, intelligent person; sharp as a tack. Nobody fooled her, though sometimes she let us think we did. Everywhere she went, people loved her (and anyone who didn’t doesn’t matter!). She had a wit and a charm that is rare today. She loved to talk and socialize and made friends easily. She loved comedy and was herself a very funny person. A very gregarious person, she loved to be the center of attention, showing off her new outfits, new pins, crystal figurines, holiday decorations, or relating the latest gossip. Her charisma was undeniable.

She was also a very stubborn, strong-willed person and a great delegator of duties. When it came to the myriad little tasks her family could do for her, nobody ever felt left out. She could yell at, or complain to, you and if you weren’t smiling THEN, you laughed about it later. That’s because even in the middle of those little problems that every family encounters, you never doubted for a moment that she loved you with all her heart.

And she showed that love by gathering her family around her whenever she could, especially for the holidays. I always knew that no matter what else happened in our lives, we would be together at Grandma’s house for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Christmas was her favorite, and she made sure that everyone got something from her, always giving more than she had. She was a beyond a doubt, a very generous, giving person.

Grandma showed us how to be both those things, “generous” and “giving.” But, in my opinion, no one here reflected that lesson more than Linda. She was a loving, caring daughter in every sense of the word. She always made sure that Grandma got the best care in and out of the hospitals and nursing homes. All of us here did what we could for Grandma, to make her life a little better.

Grandma loved to change and update her houses. There was always a project in process: new roofs, siding, gutters, fences, painting, rugs, kitchen tables, couches, new chairs, or refrigerators. She was an expert bargain shopper, always getting a discount or something extra; SOME kind of a deal.

I remember she always insisted Kenmore appliances were “the best,” and bought them whenever she could. I always thought she was a little extreme in her devotion to the brand. But when I bought my first home, after hours of research and looking at appliances, guess what I bought – a Kenmore. Like so many other things in life, she knew what she was talking about.

Which by the way, can anyone here explain to me,…HOW in the world did she always know EVERTHING that was going on…EVERYWHERE. How many times did we hear her say, “I’m not supposed to know this, but…, or “don’t tell anyone else, but…?” She had a spy network that put the CIA’s to shame.

She also had a passion for playing cards, especially pinochle. But my favorite was Crazy Eights…with cheating allowed if you could sneak it in. And the best was when we cheated and she pretended not to notice because OUR cheat helped HER win that round.

She loved her animals: All the Lucky’s, Tiger Lily, Oliver, Summer, Flower, SoCo, Raintree, Blackie, Sorry, Tomorrow, Pepsi…and others.

She was a tried and true Bills fan…even after those bums lost The Big One 4 times in a row. Bingo was a favorite pastime of hers, as were crosswords, word finds, and trivia.

She loved her TV shows: Matlock, Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote, The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, and Monk. She was am avid mystery reader.

Judy Garland was one of her favorite actresses. But I don’t think she ever liked any entertainer more than…Englebert Humperdink. She went to all his concerts at Melody Fair, had his posters and his albums. Is there really anybody here that hasn’t heard “After the Lovin’ ” about…a million times?

If you haven’t, maybe Jimmy can perform it for you later.

In her own way, she was a deeply religious person and instilled a love and respect for Our Lord Jesus in all her children. We are all grateful to all the Fathers of St. Francis who visited and comforted her in her home in Hamburg, and to all the others who counseled and brought her roses when she was in Gowanda. We are grateful to her new friend, Jeff, who took special care of her at the Gowanda Nursing Home where she attended all the religious services she was able to.

The Queen, OUR Queen, Clara Jewel Morey, left us on January 13, 2007 at 77 years of age.
And NOW, here WE are, attending THIS religious service in her memory. Once again she is the center of attention. Just the way she liked it.

We will miss her terribly.

We love you.

view the photo album

Jimmy, May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

Dear Colleen, Roxanne, Darcy and Bobby. I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom's passing. I have so many fond memories of her, growing up at your home on Norfolk. I can still see her playing pinochle, drinking Pepsi and laughing. Your in my prayers.

I feel bad for my aunts(linda,Darcy
Roxsan,colleen)uncles(big Bobby)for
the loss of there mother(my grandma
).I'm prety happy for clara because
she is in a better place.All my prayers go out to the family.

Gram I love and miss you,you will be in my thoughts. I would like to thank Linda and my mother for everything and all the time you spent making gram happy.

Dear Darcy, Roxanne and family,
I am so sorry to learn of your mother's passing on. You are in our thoughts and prayers. With deepest sympathy, Kathie Kurek and family

Dear Roxanne,
We were so sorry to hear about your Mom. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time.

Dear Rayne,
I was sorry to hear of the loss of your Grandma. May all the cherished memories of her bring you comfort at this difficult time.

Dear Roxanne,
I just found out your beloved mother passed away. I am so sorry to hear of this news. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this time of loss. My mom use to take care of Clara, and I will never forget how Clara would always call and tell me when my mother wasn't feeling well. She was a sweet person.

I will miss you Grandma. I love you very much.
Love always,
Rayne

I met your mother through my mom Carol Boser. She was the nicest lady I knew. She really knew how to make me laugh. My prayers and thoughts are with all of you in your time of need.

Dear John and Family,
My deepest sympathy at this sad time. May God's arms wrap around you and your family to comfort you at this time of need. My prayers are with all of you.

Dear Roxanne,Steve,Debby,and Family,
please accept my condolences. I am terribly saddened to hear about Clara. She will be in my prayers. She was a wonderful women.

Louie and Laurie Yeostros

Dear Roxanne,Steve,Debby and family please accept my condolences. My heart aches for your family. Clara will be in my prayers along with Eric.
Louie Yeostros

Dear Roxanne,

I was so saddened to hear that your beloved Mother passed away. I know how much you loved her. I will pray for you and your family and your Mom.

what can i say about her....loving,caring...its just not enough.she always had time for me even if it had been awhile since i had seen her it didn't matter.just as long as you took the time to see her was enough.i think there was a time in all of our lives she was mad at us for one reason or another but that didn't matter either.she was just happy to see you.i love you granny.i'll miss you tons.say hi to my mom for me,tell uncle billy to sing me that darn"horse with no name" song and have uncle hit a homer for me.we'll miss you your grandson,sean

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

Bobby, Roxanne, Darcy, Colleen and John, The loss of your mom is so hard, she'll live forever in your hearts. We Love you all Aunt Flo and Uncle Joe

Clara, you were loved and will be missed, love your brother Joe

To my Aunt, I will miss your stories and your spirit. All my love always your name sake. Stacey Clara. To my cousins, my prayers are with you all, its a terrible loss this family has suffered, our Queen is gone.

May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.GNH

You will be sadly missed by all of us. As your former neighbor and pinochle player, we sure did have some great times and memories to share. Thanks for giving me a place to hide when I skipped school and an education in the finer points of playing pinochele. You will never be forgotten, and save me a spot up there, we will play again some day.

Our deepest sympathies