Cheryl Martin 12/4/57 – 12/26/21

Today was the day we laid my mother to rest. It isn’t always easy to find the words to say, but here is what I said…

I wrote this down in case I had to hand it off to be read, so I apologize if it sounds like an essay from high school.

As I thought about what I wanted to say today, I knew I didn’t want to be too mushy and make everyone cry more than they already have been. So I went back through my memories of my mother and I realized that the ones that really stuck out to me – good and bad – came back to music.

It started when I got my first record player and Mom let me listen to her old 45s… I remember instantly loving Sugar Sugar by the Archies and her singing it to me. She also introduced me to Simon and Garfunkel by playing the opening line of Sounds of Silence on Grandpa’s old organ. I am not sure how old I was when I found out that the song had more words than just “Hello darkness my old friend” but I will never forget her singing and playing that one line over and over.

Then when I became a teenager we always had music going. When Mom was ready to clean she would put Pat Benatar albums on. I loved her music, but I still have PTSD about it, and actually do the same thing in my house now when I am about to do a deep clean. (Sorry kiddos, I am sure I have given you PTSD as well). When it was just us girls and Mom home on Sundays, she would put on an Air Supply album and crochet while sitting in my step dads chair. I kinda think that was her way of boycotting football.

There was one time we took a trip to Pennsylvania for a family members birthday, I remember falling asleep in the car and Mom singing John Denver in my dreams and then waking up to find she was doing it in real life too. I think it was because of that she hypnotized me into buying that album every time I found it at thrift stores.

Even my first concert was something worth mentioning. For my 17^th birthday my mom got me tickets to see Don Henley. At the time, of course I was thrilled, but to look back on it now, it amazes me that as a teenager I got to see the one of the most famous lead singers of any bands.

Even our trips to the grocery store had music in it. There were four of us teenage girls so arguing was a way of life. While at Kroger, if we started to argue Mom would say something like, “Ohh I like this song!” Didn’t matter if it was instrumental, an oldie, or even a Kroger commercial, she would start doing this dance, and oh my goodness was it scary – but it made us stop arguing, scatter, and was a win for Mom in that battle.

The music continued in to my 30s too… when Mom wanted to seal her basement floor at the Emerson House, she called us to help. I know it was Brie, Darin, Mom, Sabin and I down there doing the work. We were just working away and I started singing Turn the Radio Up and Mom, a sucker for harmony, started singing with me. Now, the fumes were pretty serious, so either this happened, or I was super high – but I remember everyone stopping and listened. When we were done Mom said something snappy and everyone clapped –  but again, we were pretty high from the fumes so I am not sure I am remembering that correctly.

When Mom was working on getting the Albany house ready to sell, she asked me come and help her paint the upstairs hall and stairway, so I did. Not long after we started Mom asked me to play some music, so I turned on Pandora and Two Ticket to Paradise came on and she and I started singing. Midway through the song Mom started to giggle, Sabin was standing at the bottom of stairs listening and I vaguely remember her asking him if he was recording us. As I type this I am starting to see that Mom used music to disguise manual labor!

Anywho, from watching her swoon over Steve Perry, who she admitted although he was blessed with an awesome voice he could not dance, to watching Dirty Dancing with her a million times and listening to her tell me that Patrick Swayze could dance and was likely the love of her life because of those dance skills. Taking mom to Beef and Boards to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Seven Brides for Seven Brother, Sound of Music, she would be smiling with every song. I got that same smile when she came to sit in the audience when I had a one and a half min part in Guys and Dolls musical in high school, it has all been about her love of music and passing it on to me.

The music may have stopped playing here on Earth for Mom, but she introduced me to one more song that really makes me think of her now and I would like to share some of the lyrics with you now. It’s a Matthew West song and it goes like this:

 I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I’ll say it again and again
I love you more

I love you Momma and I will miss you forever.