One Year Anniversary of Death of Reva Maxine Moulton Owen Webb

On the One Year Anniversary of Death of 
Reva Maxine Moulton Owen Webb 

(July 17, 1922-April 24, 2015)

Anniversaries are important.

Anniversaries provide a way for us to celebrate our memories, happy and sad.

On April 24, 2015, Reva Maxine Moulton Owen Webb entered into Act III of her eternal life.

I think Mom would love to be remembered on the anniversary of her crossing over, but she would also want us to remember that is is her daughter, Louise Daniels'  Birthday on April 24th.

I find it amazing that one year has sped by.  They add up so quickly.  Now Maxine's oldest son, Ralph, has joined her! 

 

I do wonder what Mom has been up to. 

Has she organized some great "home office" in heaven?  

Has she learned to navigate on the heavenly version of iPad? What items has she created using the resources available in the Spirit World?  

Has she had time to visit all her family and friends?
How does she remember the experience of one year ago?
Will she vividly remember our love for her?

Maxine is the baby in this picture.

Here is a good reminder of how to celebrate this special anniversary:
(This was sent to the family from Encompass Home Health and Hospice)

You can shed tears that she is gone or,

You can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back or,

You can open your eyes and see all she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her or,

You can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday or,

You can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday

You can remember her and only that she's gone or,

You can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back or,

You can do what she'd want; smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Happy remembering one year ago this weekend.

Note:  Allison Weiss recorded the funeral.  If you want to "celebrate" maybe you can just listen to the service again.  

(I could not upload the mp3 to this blog.  Contact me, cyndyweiss@gmail.com, and I can email it to you.)

Happy Family Reunion Times

1993 Payson Lakes, Utah Owen Reunion

Summertime is "Reunion Time".  The Owen Family has a long history of Reunions.  Always a lot of love and a little drama, it is amazing we still enjoy gathering together.  These gatherings are never dull.  Taking vacation time to drive to Utah and be with extended family isn't always the way we want to spend our time and money, but we did it anyway and now we have the great memories.

Adults aren't looking so happy in this pic from 1981 hike to Timp Caves in American Fork Canyon.

Now families have branched off to begin their own reunion traditions.  It is likely they will include the things we modeled: campfires, talent shows, singing, skits, train rides, dancing, Olympic games, leather work, beading, hiking to waterfalls, lakes, and mountain caves, fishing, boating, wave jumping, river rafting, cliff jumping, ferry rides, beach combing, cemetery visits, and of course, eating.

Jason Daniels, Allison Weiss, Tamarah Weiss, Brenda Daniels, David Weiss, Jared Daniels, Jimmy Ostler.  Justin Portnoy, Michael Owen, and Christine Weiss were also at the 1981 Reunion but not pictured.

The addition of the in-laws has resulted in wonderful new extended family relationships.  It has been so great to add new sisters and brothers to the fun.  It is always sad when we begin to lose touch with them over the years.

Owen Family at the 1985 Del Valle, California Reunion

As one Cache Valley columnist wrote:  "There are big personalities and boisterous opinions in this tight-knit clan so you have to learn to take it as well as dish it to survive.  But watching Great Aunt Liz pull a pair of panty hose over her head with a softball hanging from one leg creating a pendulum to swing and knock over a stack of juice boxes is well worth it."  (Kari Rich - kari-on.com).

Christine and someone's baby with Grandma Owen Webb at Reunion in American Fork Canyon 1981.

Thanks to Maxine Moulton Owen Webb for the many years of spearheading the Owen Family Reunions.  If it weren't for her vision, we would have drifted further apart.  Cousins have all kinds of great pictures to look at on the Owen-gallery.com website that Teresa Owen has put together for us. 

Here's the list that represents so many happy memories with cousins and extended family:

1978  Reunion-Orem, UT

1979 Funeral-James Owen, Salt Lake City, UT d. 14 Sep. 1979

1981 Reunion-American Fork Canyon, UT

1983  Reunion-Long Beach, WA

1985 Reunion-Del Valle, CA

1987 Reunion-Grand Teton-Colter Bay, WY

1991 Reunion-Anderson Island, WA

1993 Reunion-Payson Lakes, UT

1995 Reunion-Silver Falls, OR

1997 Reunion-Payson Lakes and Heber City, UT

1999 Reunion-Ogden Canyon (Camp Shawnee), UT

2001 "Sisters Reunion"-Portland, OR

and Port Townsend, WA

2001 Funeral-LaVarr Webb, Salt Lake City, UT

2001 Reunion-Silver Falls, OR

2002  80th Birthday Celebration-

Maxine Moulton Owen Webb in Salt Lake City, UT

2005 Reunion-Moved Mom to Perry, UT

2010 August Gathering-Logan, UT

2011 July 4th Gathering-Perry, UT

2012 March Sister Sleepover-Perry, UT

1999 Owen Reunion at Camp Shawnee in Ogden Canyon, UT

1991 in Redmond, WA after the Anderson Island Reunion.

 

Most recent Owen Reunion:  July 2011 in Perry, Utah

For the Weiss Family the official reunions began after Marilyn Ballegooie Weiss' passing on July 6, 1994.

1994-(Portland, Oregon-Gathering for Marilyn Weiss' passing and funeral.   d. 6 July 1994)
1995 Dry Gulch (Boise), Idaho
1996 Beacon Rock (Columbia River Gorge, Washington
1997 Nehalem Bay Campground, Oregon
1998  Rocky Mountin National Park, Colorado
2002 Ft. Flagler (Port Townsend), Washington  
2003 (Gathered for David Weiss' passing and funeral in Newport, OR  d. March 23, 2003)
2004 Paddle Boat at Cascade Locks, Oregon
2007 Anderson Lodge "Hilltop House" in Cougar and Yale, Washington
2010 Moab, Utah (Arches National Park)
2013 Max Weiss' 80th Birthday Party, Goleta, California
2014 Israel Holy Land Tour

The Weiss Family gathering in Santa Barbara, CA in 2013.

Max and Karen Weiss at Max's 80th Birthday Party, August 2013.

Holy Land Tour April 2014 with Mark & Cyndy Weiss, Craig and Sandy Ostler, and Steven and Leslie Owens in Jericho.  We also had Justin Portnoy, Christine Weiss, Gary and Jeannette Deters, and Dave and Jessica Kelly from the Weiss family with us at this reunion. 

Overlooking the old city of Jerusalem.   David and Jessica Kelly and Jeannette and Gary Deters.  May 2014. This was a reunion that we had dreamed about for many, many years!

Cyndy Weiss and three children who made the cave hike in 1981-David Weiss, Tamarah Weiss, and Allison Weiss.
In July 2014, 33 years later, we will hike the caves at a Weiss Family Reunion.

Maxine Owen Webb in 2011 at most recent Reunion.  We honor this matriarch as the "Reunion Queen" for pulling off so many family gatherings over the 92 years she has lived on Earth.  What kind of gatherings will we have in heaven?