Re: Rita Gormley

[Capeiris <capeiris@aol.com>]

Dear Tom:

    Thank you so much for keeping us informed about Rita. As you know she was
loved by many. She was one of those doers Lots of people can think up jobs for
other people to do but Rita was the one that got things done---and I'm sure
your support helped much in those accomplishments. So, please know that you
and your family are in our prayers as we all move forward as Rita would want.
Sympathetically yours, Dave Niswonger






-----Original Message-----
From: AIS Membership Secretary <aismemsec@earthlink.net>
To: AIS Discuss <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Sat, Nov 20, 2010 2:18 pm
Subject: [AISdiscuss] Rita Gormley


All,
Thank you so much for the outpouring of sympathy and warm thoughts for myself
and Rita. She loved all of you and spent the better part of every day (naps
not included) involved with you in some aspect of irisdom.


Rita passed away peacefully with both of her daughters holding her hands at
5:20 am on November 17th. Her brother, son, sister-in-law and I were there
with her also. When she was released to hospice on Wednesday it was an
incredible relief to her family as the people there were the most caring and
compassionate we have ever had the good fortune to meet. Both she and her kids
were treated with grace and dignity. It humanized everybody involved, allowing
us to remember that this wasn't just a sick and dying body plugged into tubes
and wires but our mother, sister, friend and wife. Our Rita, who over the
course of her life has unreservedly thrown herself and all the resources
available to her at every problem, issue or project that came her way. Whether
it was caring for her many foster children, volunteering her time and talents
at a shelter for abused and battered women or more recently with all things
iris, she gave it all she had.


Because of the distance the family has decided that there wont be a formal
memorial service here in Florida, however come spring I will be doing a road
trip to scatter her ashes in the places she's directed. As I do this I'll be
stopping at various places with a retrospective of her life and times. You
will be advised beforehand of when and where these will be.


Many of you have asked where you can send donations as a memorial to her. I
can think of none better than the hospice that comforted her and her family at
the end of her life. They have many needs so if you choose to, please send
your memorium to me at PO Box 177, Deleon Springs, FL 32130. When a reasonable
period of time has gone by, I will gift the proceeds to them in her name.


Knowing as I do that she had many irons in the fire at any given time, I have
to ask all of you to step up to the bar and help me in making arrangements to
transfer this workload to the many of you she was working with. Whether it was
in her capacity as Editor of the Medianite or SJI Review, RVP Counselor,
Treasurer of HIPS or MemSec of MIS. There are a good many things that need to
be attended to and I for one don't want to be on the receiving end of one of
her cat reminders. So please begin making arrangements to have these taken
care of.


Again, I thank all of you for your friendship and thoughtfullness during this
time and ask that you remember her as the vital, caring and committed woman
she was by committing random acts of kindness for your own part. Give someone
who may not deserve it a kind word or a hug, just because. I know I have a
lifetime of them that I can't give to her now.


Tom Gormley

om Gormley
IS Membership Secretary
O Box 177
eLeon Springs, FL 32130
86-277-2057
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