Former Days of Our Lives actress, Miranda Wilson (ex-Megan Hathaway DiMera) has suffered the loss of two special family members. Her mom. Carol Snyder Wilson passed away in January and now her mother-in-law, Melinda passed away just a week ago.
In regards to her mom’s passing, she wrote:
My beautiful mother, Dorothy (Dottie) Carol Snyder Wilson, has passed from this realm.
My siblings and I spent an amazing final week with her, at the start of the year. She was in and out of consciousness, and often surprised us when she perked up with a laugh whenever Brent would make a joke, or with a little smile when someone spoke to her. The staff at the care home where she spent her last 4 years, made a point of telling us all that “Dottie was everyone’s favorite resident. Always quick with a smile and just the sweetest person.”
As a career, Mom was a registered nurse. Gina told stories of Mom’s days, after we were all out of the house, as the head nurse at a psychiatric hospital. Apparently, more than once, she had to charge down and tackle an unruly patient, to get the syringe into them! 😳 (Think “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’). We talked about the many different interests and activities Mom embraced in her lifetime, sharing memories as we sat around her bed.
She always had a lush garden, abundant with vegetables, and until my junior high school days she ‘canned’ veggies in the autumn. We talked about how much Mom enjoyed singing in the church choir and what a beautiful voice she had. Mom got a great deal of pleasure out of painting, and we each chose which one of her paintings we wanted to keep. After nursing, Mom did a Cordon Blue cooking course in France, when I was living there. She then went back home and started a catering company. We all had some fun recalling the grand 4th of July bash for 500 people that we all flew out to help her with one year. We talked about the almond adventure! Going to my parents friends’ huge almond farm and collecting almonds off the ground after the machines had done their part in gathering them for market. Mom made homemade roasted almonds that lasted us years! A perfect accompaniment to my parents homemade beer and wine!
I reminisced about her teaching me to sew when I was in grade school, a craft I dearly love. And how she would dutifully and beautifully sew all of my costumes, for each of the plays I was in during my high school years. Our high school had a fabulous 500 seat theatre and we did 2 or 3 plays every year, and the autumn production was always a musical. I was in every play we did during my four years there, and in some of them I had 4 or 5 costumes! Mom made every one of them! In my junior year I played Abigail in The Crucible, and I chose to knit during much of the sitting time my character had in the play. Mom stepped up and taught me to knit, as well as making all my costumes!
My most beautiful moments with my Mom that week were spent just gently singing to her as I stroked her head. I felt we had come full circle. And when she reached out to me, as I said my final goodbye, in spite of the years of Alzheimer’s having taken most of her memory, I believe she really did know who I was. Even if just for that moment. And that we would meet again, in the light at the end of the tunnel.
Mom was the youngest of 5 kids and the first of her siblings to pass. All four of her older siblings, as well as her 4 children, her ex-husband, my father, and 4 of her 8 grandkids were at the memorial service in Sun Lakes, Arizona.
Go gently into the light, dear Mama. You are love, and love is everything you are.
We send our deepest condolences to Miranda and her family especially her sons who lost both their grandmothers this year.
Leave a Reply