My sister Caroline had unwavering faith and now dwells in the house of the Lord
Today we celebrate her life and on behalf of my family, I would to thank each and every one of you for you kindness, friendship and for touching her life in one special way or another. It would be impossible to mention all the kindnesses that were extended. But please know that from the smallest to the largest act of goodness and comfort, it was always appreciated and never went unnoticed.
Not everyone gets the opportunity to put their house in order by knowing that their time on this earth is almost done. But leave it up to my sis, the queen of organization and containers to have it planned right down to the color of her casket!
As children growing up there was just the two of us. Missy as I called her was 3 ½ years older than me and believe me after age 21, I never let her forget it.
Thought it would be hard for many of you to believe now, in her younger years Caroline was the wild child who always pushed the envelope and challenged authority; and I was the peacemaker and the cowardly lion. Isn’t it amazing how our rolls change?
In her youth, she loved to read. Nancy Drew mysteries were her favorite books and she read them all the time. Caroline was a terrific student in school and her teachers all loved her. She could spell anything. Mom and sis always said I could never keep a secret so for most of my young life they spelled everything. I can’t tell you how long I thought B-R-A-T spelled princess.
Missy helped me learn to tie my shoes and was forever having to find my glasses when I would loose them. She hated to cook, I hated to clean. So I would cook, she would clean. We were a good fit.
As a child, I was very ticklish. Caroline thought it was so funny to tickle me until I wet my pants. She would tickle me, I became a limp noodle, would fall to the floor and she would grab my hand and make me hit myself in the face while saying, “hit yourself, hit yourself fool”; She always got the best of me because she was the strongest.
About a month ago while I was dressing her, I couldn’t help myself. Her left arm was already completely limp and the right one was becoming weak so as I was taking off her shirt, I took her hand and softly smacked her in the face while saying, hit yourself, come on, hit yourself fool. I told her I knew my day of redemption had finally come. She laughed so hard she drooled. I could always make her laugh.
Missy was very coordinated, graceful, beautiful and fearless. Believe me, it was hard being Caroline Braxton’s pudgy little sister. The boys seemed to gravitate to her and she was an absolute knockout. She could twirl a baton like a professional, marched in several parades and also did flags in high school. Her favorite song when she was young was “Illusive Butterfly of Love”, and our song was “Moon River”.
Caroline was as strong as an Ox, could move a house of furniture by herself, and was hard to beat at arm wrestling, even for many men.
Like all sisters, we had our sister to sister combat and our share of knock down drag out fights. To this day we both still carry the battle scars of some of those wars.
As we grew up and went our separate ways we stayed close. One evening when she was visiting me from San Diego, we went dancing at the Lobster House in Marina Del Ray and this kind of cute guy came over to ask her to dance. That man was Larry Rober and the rest is history.
Her life’s mission was to be the best wife, mother and grandmother possible, raise her children in the Church, and for them to be givers and not takers. Brian, Lisa and Mark are her masterpieces and far exceeded any of her expectations. She beamed when she spoke about her Grandchildren and was a terrific Auntie to each of my kids. Because I was a working mom, there were times she stepped in for me and want on class field trips with my kids, went to their games and supported each of their school activities.
Caroline’s passion was genealogy and she was fantastic at it. I can’t tell you how many times she tried to drag me to a cemetery or call to tell me about something she had found out about our family history. I admit it, I pretended to listen because she loved it so, but in reality, and she knew it, “I would rather have had a root canal with no anesthesia than do genealogy. Now I am sorry I never learned from her.
In 1983 I told her I was going to marry a man that I had only known for a couple of month. SHE WAS FURIOUS and being the protective older sister just wanted to keep me from making a big mistake. To say the least her and my new husband didn’t get off to a good start. Sis said “it won’t last a year but if I’m wrong at your 25th anniversary, I will get on my knees, in public and beg his forgiveness”. Well, as our 25th anniversary approached she herself said “Am I to make the pillow, or are you buying one”? I do get a pillow to kneel on don’t I? We never made her do that but she would have because she was the first to admit when she was wrong at something. Her and my husband Rick became close over the years and he considers her his sister.
Some of my fondest memories were traveling across the USA with her by car when I was 16 and she was 19. It was an amazing trip.
In February of 1994 we did a sister’s trip to London. It was freezing there. When we arrived I wanted to take a taxi but NO, she decided we would take the subway from the airport to the hotel which was miles away dragging our over packed luggage up and down the stairs of the station and in the streets all while trying to find the hotel in the pouring rain. When we finally arrived we were exhausted, wet and I was more that just a little cranky only to learn that our room was up 4 flights of stairs and there was no elevator or bellmen. We just looked at each other in disbelief and fell down laughing. It was a perfect trip. I remember sitting at the Brown’s Hotel having high tea in comfortable over stuffed chairs by the fireplace telling stories of our lived and how thankful we were to have one another.
One Christmas at Missy’s house after dinner, something funny was said in the kitchen while we were getting pie. I don’t remember who started it, but a little tap of whip cream on the nose lead to a full out war with whipped cream and cool whip flying. The kitchen, the cabinets, floor, walls and both of us was covered in whipped cream. We were slipping and sliding as we chased one another trying to knock the other one down. When it was over we couldn’t get up we were laughing so hard. And the look on all the kids’ faces was pure shock and amazement.
Christmas was her favorite holiday and in 1993 I made her a complete set of Christmas dinner wear for 24 people. It took me over 6 month and I worked on it 3-4 hours each night. The look on her face when she opened it is something I will never forget. She was so amazed and grateful. So much so not only did she treasure it, she keeps it on display in her cabinet where it remains today because she was so proud of it. That is the kind of sister I have.
Our father Robert Braxton is still living. Fortunately for him, he is unable to comprehend that his child has preceded him in death, especially since he lost his only sibling, our Aunt Peg to the same disease that took his daughter. God is good and has spared this pain.
Caroline accepted me for who I was and loved me unconditionally. She supported me in all of my endeavors, was always there anytime I needed her help or a listening ear and was never bashful about telling me when I was wrong. I will miss being able to pick up the phone and call her with one of my “CAN YOU BELIEVE IT” moments. But I know she is with our family in heaven. That is my comfort.
We told each other we loved each other all the time and the sweetest thing she spelled out with her foot a few days before she died was “my sissy is my soul mate”. As both a nurse and sister, it was my honor and privilege to be able to help care for her and be there when she took her last breath.
I want to thank my brother-in-law, Larry for being such a wonderful husband and so supportive, patient, kind and loving to Caroline all during her illness. To my niece Lisa for always being an advocate on her behalf, caring for her every need and such a loving daughter to my sister. It meant the world to her mother to have her at her side all those month. And to Kelly my daughter, for being such a support to both her aunt and to me. She was always there at a moments notice and so inventive with ideas to make her life better during her last months of life.
In closing, Sis, I thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new.
I thought about yesterday and the days before that to.
I think of you in silence, I often speak your name
Now all I have is our memories and your picture in a frame.
Your memory is my keepsake, with which I’ll never part.
God has you in his keeping; I have you forever in my heart."
I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I am living, my sister you’ll be.
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