Ida's story..

Ida was born in Estonia near Tallinn, the 7th of nine children, in 1920.
She lost her
mother when she was only 13, her father having died even before that.   She
lived on
a farm and went to school barefoot, caring for the cows to pay for her keep
when she and her sister went to live with relatives.   She only had a 5th
grade education.

She fell in love with the local schoolteacher's assistant and they married
and had my husband.   When WWII was over with, the Russians came into their
country and confiscated everything.   The Russians killed all her
brothers...

they were sent to Siberia and worse.

She, her sister, her husband and her son all first fled in a fishing boat to
Sweden where they lived for several years.   She separated and divorced the
schoolteacher in Sweden.

Finally the various expatriate Estonians all gathered their resources
together, bought a large fishing boat, and came to America, as the first
"boat people" ever.   They crossed the Atlantic in a violent hurricane
and the boat was damaged beyond repair.   The coast guard hauled them into
Wilmington harbor where it sank right there.    The Estonians were then
taken to Ellis Island where my husband remembers playing as a child.   A
special act of congress was passed to allow them to stay in this country and
they all became citizens.

There is a readers digest article called "68 against the sea,"  which was
derived from a larger article in a magazine called Argosy that is apparently
no longer in print, which documents this journey.   I have the original
article

and saved it in my computer.   It is an amazing story.

She remarried to an artist that she met on the boat and they lived in NY
City for many years.  Ida was very beautiful, tall and long legged, shapely,
having naturally curly blond hair and brilliant blue eyes.   She raised her
son to be a very good and kind man, who served in Viet Nam.

Ida worked in the garment industry for many years as a skilled sewing
machine operator.  She owned her own home and belonged to the Estonian house
in NYC and did a lot of the cooking for their events.

She lost her second husband in the late 60's and later retired, taking the
same
sister she fled Estonia with and her elderly husband, both to live with her.
Her brother in law died about 10 years ago, then she cared for her sister
until she too died in early 2000.

It was then we realized that something was VERY wrong.   It wasn't the same
frisky bright Ida anymore.   After many tests we were given the devastating
diagnosis of Alzheimers disease.   We had to make plans right away, so my
husband retired early, we bought this house, which was big enough to take
her
here with us, and she lived with us till last April.

In the beginning it wasn't bad at all, because she was still somewhat
cognizant, but Alzheimers is a disease that kills your brain while your body
is still alive.   It is a devastating illness.    Ultimately there are very
few people who can care for someone at home till the end, because it is just
too hard.   Reluctantly we placed her in a nearby nursing home, where we
could visit very easily.   They took wonderful care of her, and everyone
loved her.

Fortunately it was the kind of place where they have lots of activities and
crafts and such,
but by that time she was really too far gone to participate much anymore.
We are only a couple miles away and have been close and visited often.  She
was happy and comfortable as far as we could determine, and we were on top
of things always.....

Last September (2004) she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  She
surprised everyone by lasting this long, but fortunately, and
uncharacteristically for the disease, she wasn't in a lot of pain with it.
On Wednesday we heard that end might be imminent.  It seems as though she
took a turn rather suddenly.    In accordance with the living will she
signed, they kept her pain free as much as medical science allows.

This morning she passed over.  Ida has earned her rest and her peace.   She
was a good person, and everyone who has dealt with her in her life and
through this last journey will tell you that.

Ida has finally gone home...

We are heartbroken, but at peace with her passing.