Namma Returned Home

My Namma, my Duo, returned home to heaven on August 24, 2020.  In the past 6 months, Namma felt great! She had more energy and less pain which meant that we were able to visit more often and even have family gatherings. Then, she quickly declined and within a few days was welcomed back to heaven. 

Yesterday we were able to hold a memorial to gather many of her friends and family together. Those who were too far to attend were able to participate virtually through Zoom.  We watched a slide show of pictures depicting Namma's life. I was able to share a few words and memories the grandkids have of her. Then her children all spoke: my Uncle Scott, my mom, and my Uncle Erik. At the end, her husband, my Granddaddy, shared some memories too. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful meeting. We all loved Namma so much, and you could tell from those congregated there and the memories they shared that she had a wonderful life, filled with love, friendship, adventures, a little bit of glam and a lot of laughter. She will be fondly missed here on this earth.

I will post my speech below if you care to read it.

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My Speech for Namma's Memorial

I am honored to represent all of Namma’s grandchildren. I’m Maichael Macey, Patricia’s first granddaughter and the one who named her Namma for the rest of the posterity.  Today I get to share a few cherished memories from some of her grandchildren.

Elizabeth Messinger remembers visiting Namma and Granddaddy in their cabin in Big Bear. She recalls Namma trying to teach her how to knit and letting her try on her big, puffy fur coat. Jonah Messinger also has memories in the mountains. He said “My favorite memory of Namma has to be in big bear before I was probably even 10 years old. My family went with Namma and Granddaddy to the kids pond, just the small body of water they stock with fish. After a little bit of time I began reeling in a fish and Namma was on net duty. When we pulled the fish out of the water, the fish went flopping everywhere. Namma couldn’t get it in the net as it continued to thrash and we heard a “OH S**T!” Me and my sister were young enough to not know the word but, the best part is that my dad was recording the whole thing. He tried to cut it out, but we have a perfect video that cuts just as you hear Namma yell out “OH S-“ We watch that video back every now and again and find it hilarious every time.” 

Jacob Mayans thinks fondly on some scrabble games he played against Namma, where she would always come up with the craziest words and we’d have to check in the dictionary to make sure they were legitimate. They always were. And I remember Namma teaching me silly sayings with fancy words so that I could impress my friend’s parents at the dinner table when I’d express that my sufficiencies had been suffonsified and more would be superfluous and utterly detrimental to the interior regions of my gastronomical department. We can all admit that our Namma had a way with words.

Ben Mayans remembers secret stashes of gummy bears to be found in a special drawer at Namma’s house. Ashley Messinger remembers connecting with Namma over a shared love: dancing. She said, “ When I was in college I began learning how to swing dance. It didn't take long for it to become one of my passions. What a sweet surprise it was for me to find out that something that I loved to do was something that Namma and Granddaddy had both loved doing when they were young. Our shared appreciation of dance wove itself into our relationship over the years.” 

Some of my personal favorite memories of Namma are on the porch of her house in La Habra. As a little girl, I loved having tea parties and talking in the warm California sunshine with my Duo. When I think of manners, I think of Namma, who taught me how to correctly set a table or how to hold my pinky out while I sipped lemonade in a teacup. I’ve always seen Namma as intelligent, posh, and fun-loving; and as I’ve grown older I loved our conversations over books and family. 

To finish up, Sarah Mayans shared a few final bits of wisdom from Namma. She wrote, “I have always aspired to be as elegant, glamourous, and confident as Namma. She wrote me two quotes that I have up on my dorm wall that inspire me and make me laugh all at the same time. One is “If it isn’t illegal, immoral, or way too dangerous, GO FOR IT!”. Classic. The other is “Head up, shoulders back, chest out. Honey, just strut your stuff!” She knew I needed that one. And in my mind, I will always hear her sweet voice saying, “I love you, my Sarah Patricia.” I’m so honored to be able to carry on her name and always have a part of her with me. ”
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I think we will all carry Namma with us in the precious memories we have of her and all the wisdom and love she passed onto us. We love you, Namma.