Yesterday I became a granny. My son Ben and his girlfriend Teresa had a BIG baby boy - Colin David. 9 lbs! Everyone is healthy and they are coming home from the hospital today. Teresa's mom is there (Tampa) and I'll give them time together before I pop down there in a month or so. I just remember how stressed I was after having my first (Ben) and having too many people visiting right at the beginning.
With the joyfulness of life we are sometimes reminded of the sadness of death. My niece Miche lost her fight with cancer last week. Her husband Larry has lost the love of his life and the mother of his young children, yet because of his faith he has a wonderful, positive attitude. His messages througout the last year have been an inspiration.
Please keep them all in your thoughts. My sister-in-law Carolyn has lost her daughter, which no parent should have to go through. This is less than a year after her husband, my brother Jeff, passed away, also to cancer.
Here is Larry's latest message. The sermon link is very good, but if you want to just hear the part about Miche', skip to minute 26:00.
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This morning I listened to a message on Christian hope from an area minister whose wife Miché knew through her local MOPS group. I sat and wept at the end as he told just a small sliver of Miché’s journey. The message is posted as an audio file at
http://blog.area10church.com/ under the section for 05.31.09 The Guaranteed Return - Hope and Death.
I have also run in to a few folk who have come up to me and said “I didn’t wish to bother you since I didn’t know what to say.” Feel free to bother me; maybe not all at once! What would be best in the immediate future, would be sharing a story about Miché’s life and how she influenced you directly, or through our family, or through MOPS and other activities. Even if it is in a small way, these are the times and stories I wish to preserve to have in the future, so please feel compelled to also write it down so I can look back over it with the children. These memories and reflections can be e-mailed to
AYGilbert@Hotmail.com, or written by hand this weekend on clipboards that we will have available. A simple hug is also a welcome greeting.
Now about the kids! They are doing well; we are blessed to have an experienced hospice councilor who has experience working through children’s grief. She has been meeting with the kids regularly for a number of months. I’m not the expert on this, but my suggestion is to ask my kids about their activities this weekend. Zach is having a great soccer season in Upward soccer, he just got his equipment for his summer adventure day camp, reads voraciously, will hum the Star Wars songs all night and he loves playing board games like daddy. Meredith is enjoying gymnastics, has just finished her summer swim lessons, and is attached to her American Girl Bitty baby. Also, if you are comfortable, please feel free to bring your children to visit with mine. It would be good to have some children for them to visit with!
It has been a unique experience selecting a resting location for Miché’s earthly remains. It has worked together in an amazing manner. When mountain unicycling along a trail on the north shore of the James River, I would frequently exit the trail and ride into Hollywood Cemetery. This cemetery is laid out in rolling hills and set in downtown Richmond. It is full of history with hundreds of civil war soldiers buried. I have now found out it has two US presidents, and Jefferson Davis the president of the Confederate States of America. They will be celebrating his 201 anniversary of his birth on Saturday morning before we visit. It is a perfect fit for Miché with all the history.
The extended obituary follows, with links to the Richmond newspaper.Thanks so much for all the support and love!--
Extended Obituary:TENTOR, Miche' Young, 37, transitioned to eternal life on May 25, 2009, with her family by her side. A loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, faithful disciple, community and Veritas Classical Christian School volunteer and friend to many. Born in Roanoke, VA, raised in both Roanoke and Virginia Beach, she lived her last eight years in Richmond. She and Lawrence B. Tentor were married on December 2, 1995 in Virginia Beach, VA. Miche' graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor's degree in History and later obtained a Master’s degree in Education from an across state rival in Blacksburg. She was an active member in the Delta Gamma Sorority and an Organizational Leader with The Southwestern Company. After teaching several years in Roanoke City schools, Miche' devoted her time to her family and children. Active in her church, Immanuel Baptist, she was also instrumental in leading Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS International) in Virginia.
Miche' was cherished by her husband Larry Tentor; children Zachary and Meredith, Richmond; father Robert Young and wife Shirley Young, Roanoke; mother Carolyn Pursell and predeceased step father Jeff Pursell, Virginia Beach; father-in-law Richard Tentor and wife Kathleen Tentor, Schenectady, NY; sister Angela Gilbert and brother-in-law Sean Gilbert, Atlanta, GA; brother-in-law Marty Tentor and wife Pam Tentor, Auburn, MA; along with several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephew, extended family, and caring friends.
A celebration fellowship will occur 6-8PM Friday, June 5th, 2009 at Immanuel Baptist Church (
www.immanuelbaptist.org) and is business casual. The Celebration Memorial Service is at 11AM on Saturday, June 6th, 2009 also at IBC. After this service we will be escorted to Hollywood Cemetery (
http://www.hollywoodcemetery.org/) for the Rite of Committal.
As many know, Miché was actively involved in the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers,
www.mops.org) ministry and saw many lives changed! You can celebrate Miché's ministry with a gift to MOPS that will impact moms and families around the world. Please send your gift with "In celebration of Miché's ministry" in the notation section, either online or mail to:MOPS International, Inc.2370 South Trenton WayDenver CO 80231
Miché was also active in Zach’s school community, which was one community that has also tremendously supported our family across this year. You may send a gift to support the mission of glorifying God by cultivating students of wisdom and virtue through a Christ-centered, academically rigorous classical education. The schools website may be reviewed at
www.VeritasSchool.com (corrected from last posting). Please send your gift with "In Memory of Miché" in the notation section, either by mail to:Veritas Classical Christian SchoolAttn: Aileen Crain, Director of Development6627-B Jahnke RoadRichmond VA 23225804-272-9517
