Sandra Sue Trapani

My name is Bobbi Sue Trapani Bacha, and I'm my mother's daughter. Thank you for being here today to celebrate the life of my mother.

My mother was truly gifted by God in so many ways. She had a unique combination of beauty, strength, willpower, and an incredible love for her family and friends. She was full of vitality and energy, and she could light up any room with her great sense of style and her smile. She loved to dress trendy and was always excited to try out new styles in fashion, hair, and makeup.

She had so many passions in life. She adored babies and children, homes and gardening. She was a natural at making life cozy and beautiful. She loved to decorate and even became a sort of "house flipper" before it was a popular term, always on the lookout for a new home to turn into a work of art.

My mother was a social butterfly, and being a beautician was the perfect job for her. She opened her own shop, Sandra´s Hair Affair, on the west end of Galveston Island. She treated her work like an art form, and it gave her a chance to connect with people, sharing stories and advice. I was born a "preemie" and was all hers for the first eight months of my life while my dad was away in the military. When he came home, I was already Mom´s baby. She was my first best friend, and I was blessed to have her all to myself for that time.

She absolutely adored all her children, but especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She even had books on "the baby whisperer" and would learn how to talk to them. They all just loved her for it. Her house was always filled with playgrounds and everything a child could need to have fun.

Mom and Dad had a great love story. My great-grandmother, who was from the Ozarks and Appalachia, used to call my dad "I-talian" because he came from a family of 11 siblings. My dad would do anything to get my mom's attention-he once rode his motorcycle standing on the seat with no hands, and even crashed, just to impress her! And they had so much fun together. My mother married my dad because he made her laugh constantly, and her laughter was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

My mom and I had a deep and unique bond. We could be best friends and worst enemies at times. My mom was old-fashioned and sometimes didn't understand the challenges of being a single working mother. But if one of us got sick, the other would, too. We even joked that if something happened to one of us, the other would surely follow. This connection started when I was born, as we both had a difficult birth.

I'll never forget her beautiful face-it was the first face I ever saw on Earth. We talked almost daily, and I will deeply miss her wisdom and thoughts. But I know her legacy lives on in her children, her beautiful grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. They are strong, smart, and a true testament to her love and spirit. She was Mother to me, Nanny to them, and so many things to so many people.

My grandmother and great-grandmother would always refer to passing away as "going home." Before they passed, they both said they were going home. Mom, you are finally home now. You are with your parents, your grandparents, your cousins, and generations of ancestors.

I love you eternally, Mom. Please give my love to our grandparents and ancestors. This is not goodbye, as I know I'll see you again someday. We can play Scrabble in heaven, drinking Swiss mocha in the cool Galveston breezes. As God says, we are in this world but not of this world. You are truly home now, Mother.