Although she wasn't a member of SB or a diver...

[Keith.M]

Very sorry for your loss Pete. Always smile when you think of her.

 

[CajunDiva]

Pete, the Cajuns are thinking of you. We are so sorry to hear of your loss. May God comfort and guide you during this difficult time.

She must have been quite a lady...she certainly raised a fine son!

God Bless...

 

[farsidefan1]

My sympathy. Just a thought. When my mom passed away I took the small inheritance and bought a $950. fishing pole. I figured that whenever I went fishing I would think of her. It works. Best wishes to you.

 

[shoredivr]

Pete, my thoughts are with you, your family and friends at this time.

 

[BTravlin]

So sorry to hear about your Mom.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Very sorry to hear that Pete..

 

[The Chairman]

Thanks for all the kind wishes... I posted this on my Facebook pages shortly after she passed.

As a few already knew, my mother was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. A life long smoker, she passed from this existence about an hour ago.

My mother was an amazing woman who has left an indelible mark on our society. Born in Beijeng China, she was the daughter of the Dutch Ambassador and an English noble lady She actually met my father when he opened up the concentration camp just outside of Beijeng she was being held in at the end of WWII. Her first daughter was born in the China Sea, her second in Virginia and I was born in Columbia. She has called Florida home for the last 50 years. Her first passion was language and she was fluent in several, including two dialects of Chinese, Dutch, English, French and even Latin (not that anyone is ever really fluent in Latin). She was an English teacher in the Orange County School System for many years and her favorite class to teach was remedial English. She had a way with the kids just as she had a way with words. Few would ever forget her "Oh wretched child!" theatrics as she turned poor students into great ones. She was also a champion of Civil rights. The first white teacher at Carver Junior High School in Orlando Florida, she allowed first my second sister and then me to join her there. She passed her passion for equality on to me as well as others, and for that I thank her. I got to meet Martin Luther King as a child because of her. I'll never forget him asking his "blonde haired sister and blue eyed brother" to join him in his dream.

No, she wasn't a perfect mom by any stretch of the imagination and she was humble enough to admit that. She taught me how to take criticism but not be hog tied by it but rather to evolve from it. She had an incredibly full life and while I want nothing more than to celebrate that and only that, her passing leaves me feeling weak to the core. In lieu of flowers or other condolences, please take the time to learn a new word or two as well as to tell off a bigot. She would appreciate her legacy going forward in that manner.

In the end, I was lucky to know her and even luckier to call her mom.

My sister called to let me know I had a couple of facts wrong. She was born in Tinstien China. While my father was part of the group to liberate her, they actually met the next day at the officer's club. There were a lot of other things I left out like the jokes and the pranks we played on each other. I have to say that now that she's gone, I have a lot more questions that only she could answer. Like what was it like during the fall of Peking when the Japanese took over? I have cried a lot over the last few days, but I know that she is no longer suffering. I am glad that my daughter and son got to meet her, but I do wish they had been able to experience more of her magic. It's been a tough couple of days, but I did go diving today. Nothing like a bit of salt water to get the salt out of your eyes. Again, thanks for your support here, on Facebook, in personal PMs and emails and of course on the phone. I feel loved and appreciated and that helps. FWIW, I think she would have loved to be known as "Mama NetDoc", just as long as you put the accent on the second "ma".

 

[ginovega]

NetDoc:

This is very difficult moment for you! I fully undestand how you feel. I lost my MOM in 2004 and I still think about her everyday!!!! Our prayers for you and your family!!!

 

[1bubbleoff]

Pete-

My sincere condolences on your loss...

 

[boulderjohn]

My most sincere condolences as well.