My mother passed away this afternoon. All who know my mother know she lived full tilt. Always cheerful, helpful, loving, caring and welcoming, Mary inspired the love of everyone who came in contact with her.
Everyone was always welcome at her house, and I have no doubt that God will have the same open arms for her in Heaven. She is joyful and bathed in divine light. Those of us left behind suffer the loss of this beautiful person in our lives, but know that she is in a better place. 
She went into the hospital on Thursday for a hip replacement, trying to regain the mobility she had lost gradually over the past few years. In the last few months leading up to the surgery, the pain had become perpetual, and walking with a cane could not make up for her rapidly degrading condition, so the surgery seemed the logical choice, as the alternative of being housebound would not be acceptable to someone with her love of going.
The hip replacement went fine, but then she suffered a massive heart attack in the recovery room. We were told that she probably would not survive the operation, but she beat the odds. A nurse said she had been in ER for 32 years and had never seen anyone make it off the operating table alive after undergoing the amount of damage Mary had on the left side of her heart.
Over the next two days, though flat on her back, she remained cheerful any time she woke up, and she was quite animated and looking forward to trying out her new hip. 
This morning around 9 AM, we were shocked to find her condition deteriorating rapidly. Despite her gallant spirit and around the clock nursing and doctor care, all of her systems began breakting down, as evidenced by the various laboratory results. While still hanging in there, it became obvious that she could not overwhelm the breakdown of her organs that the massive heart attack triggered.
We will be holding a memorial service soon, and of course all would be welcome. 
