Saturday, May 8, 2021

My Mother

 My mother, Violet Ruth Hofstetter,  was born in Salem, Oregon on December 28th, 1921.

As the oldest child she became my Grandfather's farm hand, milking cows and caring for the work horses and spending time in the barn, and as a result, she always preferred working outside.

She became a beautiful young woman.

In 1941 she married my father, Henry Norquist.
They had a passel of kids.

It took a lot of work and a long time, but eventually we all left our nest on our small farm in the Willamette Valley. 


While they were empty nesters, there were now lots of grandchildren, of which my two were only a small portion.

My mother did not have an easy life, but she never stopped giving. She was just about two months from her 90th birthday when she passed in 2011. She had finally moved to assisted living and this photo was taken in her last summer. 

She was ready to go and passed peacefully, probably glad that she did not have to endure another dark winter. She loved the light of the sun and being surrounded by growing things - plants and people. 

We remember her well on this Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day!

14 comments:

  1. Your mom was certainly a beautiful woman from a young age until her last days. You were blessed to have her as your mom. Have a wonderful Mothers Day, Linda with your beautiful family.

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  2. Sweet tribute. Happy Mother's Day!

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  3. Nice bit of family history and tribute to your Mom. Our Mom's worked hard but I think they were very happy and satisfied people.

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  4. What a lovely tribute to a lovely lady. Have a wonderful Mother's day Linda. Enjoy your children and grands.

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  5. Happy Mother's Day! Your tribute to your mom is simply lovely. I'm guessing you gained some of your enjoyment of gardening from her.

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  6. It is easy to pick you out of the family portrait from long ago. Happy Mother's Day to you and your wonderful family, Linda. I so appreciate your blog.

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  7. You had a lovely Mom and I enjoyed reading about her. The pictures are fun to look at and I think I know which one was you in the family pic but I'm not sure. It's funny. I come from a family of 6 kids too and never thought of us as a "passel" but I suppose it was. Happy Mother's Day

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  8. She has a wonderfully kind face. Although she is gone, you have lovely and loving memories of her.

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  9. Your Mother was a beautiful lady. I enjoyed this post. You have such a nice family. Hope you have had a wonderful Mother's Day.

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  10. Nice bit of history and I really enjoyed the old photos! Happy Mother's Day to you! :)

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  11. A beautiful tribute to a beautiful woman. I love her wedding photo!

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  12. Nice remembrance of you beloved Mother
    MB

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  13. Beautiful. I remember when your mom passed away. She was such a lovely woman in her photos, but your words confirm her lovely nature. These women from that generation taught us much about being able to take on the future because we had opportunities they never had. Thanks for sharing.

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