Dear Mom: Thank you for my LIFE
Where to begin with a tribute to my Mom?
Sharing the eulogy/obituary I wrote for the funeral home where she will be cremated (as per her will) is the best place. The only medium where my words flowed alongside my tears. I was in the last week of June, visiting with Mom at her bedside and chairside. She appeared so frail and not at all herself.
I leaned into her, kissed her soft cheek, tried to hold back my crying, and said, "Thank you for my life." She looked at me, didn't say a word, yet leaned back into me, and her beautiful hazel eyes were shedding tears. I lost it after that.
Mom passed away on July 3rd at 1:50 p.m. The grief continues to come in phases, and it's a good thing. I can recognize it, feel every ounce of it, and shed tears whenever the mood strikes. I'm even crying whilst writing these words.
This is for her. By honoring Mom and allowing my heart to remain open and willing for the various stages of grief, I find that I get caught off guard and burst out crying A LOT. So, here goes. Words that I've shared with my immediate family, as well as high school publications, where both my brothers and I attended.
"A remarkably wonderful woman has left this Earth at the ripe age of 96. Olga Esther Chavez-Rey Moore passed away on July 3rd, 2026, survived by two sons – Stephen Emerson Moore and James Elston Moore – and a daughter, Gerry Ellen. Her middle son, John, passed away in 1995, leaving behind a wife, Lauren Moore, and three children, Laila, Jennifer, and Stephanie.
Olga is well remembered in Dallas, Texas, and the many other places she lived – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Scottsdale, Arizona. She has many nieces, nephews, and grandchildren who have all been part of a very tight-knit family since her own Latin American upbringing and her family’s arrival in the United States long ago.
Olga’s roots trace back to Lima, Peru, where she was born in 1930 to Julian and Mercedes Chavez-Rey. She was raised with five siblings, all of whom kept a close watch on one another and expressed their loyalty to family through their love. She was the last surviving member of her own birth family, as she had the strength and fortitude to be everything to everyone at all times.
Not only was Olga an exceptionally considerate and generous person, but she also knew how to step in and help wherever necessary. After her husband, Bill, passed in 1963, she diligently raised four children as a single parent.
Olga was a phenomenally talented woman. She was a marvelous seamstress who traveled extensively to build an independent fashion business in Dallas with her younger sister, Aida. These two siblings were at the helm of crafting clothes and knickknacks, showing impeccable sewing skills and creative details that their children have the opportunity to experience for many years to come.
Olga was also an international secretary for the brunt of her working life. She managed to juggle single motherhood, long hours at the office, cooking for her family every night, caregiving for anyone who needed her kindness, paying close attention to the details of everyone’s whereabouts, while keeping it all together through her own challenging family times of loss and survival. However, she never wavered in her courage to ensure that everybody in her orbit was well cared for throughout their lives.
As strong-willed as she was, Olga possessed a fiercely independent nature that left nothing to chance. Her opinions were highly regarded throughout her life, whether her children and friends enjoyed hearing them or not. Olga never gave up either, an admirable trait she carried until the end.
She battled and won a breast cancer diagnosis in 1992, and countless deaths of friends and family members during her many relocations. She kept tight-lipped about most things, yet jumped into the fray when it moved her deeply. Olga wore her heart on her sleeve; however, she never complained about her own pains in life. It was a common vein that ran in her immediate family.
Not until she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2023 did her family learn about how vulnerable her body was to illness. Olga was one tough cookie. She loved her family with all her might. Her sense of humor was uncanny, too.
There were numerous instances and events to name where Olga would bust out laughing at the silliness of things her children, close friends, or family members did or said, which echoed a genuine simplicity to life. As she moved through her elderly years, her funny ways and rhetoric remained, a quality that would catch her children off guard, and they’d have to share and wonder, “Wait, did she actually say and mean that?”
Olga Moore was a class act. Her constant need to wear shoulder pads and earrings before leaving the house showed how her Peruvian pride and integrity were intact. But in the finale, her body could no longer hide the physical discomfort that illness brings to a 96-year-old heart.
Olga never wanted her children to see her feeling down, sick, or not ‘put together.’ It was her way of maintaining her dignity despite living with caregivers who fawned over her and made certain she was at ease and without pain. Once she entered hospice and palliative care, it was as if her life was a glaring reminder to treasure those who are closest and most endeared.
All who knew, loved, and were fortunate enough to spend time with her will forever trade stories and memories of the long and beautiful life she led. ‘One of a kind’ is how she will be remembered and cherished.
Good night, Mom. The love remains deep for you and your invaluable soul. You are no longer suffering and are with God now. Heaven is a happier place because you’re there. Peace always to your heart. Forever loved and forever with us."
I'll be back in August to give you all another snippet of what's going on with Wizard, Greg, and me. We're doing the best we can, and I hope you are taking care of your people and your own heart.
I love you. xoxo Gerry Ellen
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