My dear, sweet, wonderful mother joined my dad in the kingdom of heaven on June 24, 2013.
Doris and Eddie "Tex" Limper
Doris was born to Annie Dean Odom (pictured) and John Hiram Sheffield
on May 21, 1927 in Tatum, Texas
After graduating from Tatum Public School on May 26, 1944, Doris travelled for Western Union with several other women, setting up telegraph offices busy with war messages. A tall, handsome Texan, Edward "Tex" Limper, swept her off her feet and they married in 1950. Eddie was a sheetrocker by trade and together they travelled the west, wherever Eddie's construction jobs took him. Their first daughter, Susan, was born in 1952, an event that didn't alter their carefree, transient lifestyle.When I was born in 1957, they were living in Portland, Oregon, where they had come to care for Eddie's mother, Lillian, until her death in December, 1956. Suddenly, travelling with two children, one just about to start school, didn't seem practical or even desirable. So they settled in southwest Portland, displaced Texans who grew to appreciate--for the most part--a more temperate climate.
Doris continued to work on and off for Western Union, quitting when she felt her children needed her at home and going back when the construction industry slowed. In those days, the Western Union Offices were at Southwest Oak & Broadway. My sister and I watched many of Portland's Grand Floral Parades from the fifth floor office windows.
Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in the 1980's, accompanied by a rapid onset of dementia. Mom was his tireless caregiver, attending to his every need. When Dad died in 1992, it seemed only natural that mom would come to live with us, though admittedly, Craig was the first to suggest that scenario. I never had grandparents; all of my grandparents died before I was born. It makes me so happy that the boys grew up knowing my mom, their grandmother, as well as both of Craig's parents. My only wish is that they could have also known their grandfather Eddie.
I miss you terribly, Mom, and I always will. You were the perfect mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, and always God's servant. And most of all, you were my best friend.