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Mary Ellen Masters went to be with her heavenly Father Tuesday morning, January 30th.
There will be services in Dalton, Georgia, and Westland, Michigan.

Dalton
Viewing: Julian Peeples Funeral Home - Pleasant Grove Chapel
5 - 9pm Wednesday, January 31st
8:30 am - 12:00 noon Thursday, February 1st
2801 Cleveland Highway
Dalton, GA 30271
Phone: 706-259-7455

Funeral: Varnel United Methodist Church
2 pm Thursday, February 1st
250 Georgia Highway 2
Varnell, GA 30756
Phone:(706) 694-8023

Westland Michigan
Viewing: Vermeulen Funeral Home
12 noon - 2 pm Saturday, February 3rd
980 N. Newburgh Road
Westland, MI. 48185
Phone: 734-326-1300

Funeral: Vermeulen Funeral Home
2 pm Saturday, February 3rd
980 N. Newburgh Road
Westland, MI. 48185
Phone: 734-326-1300

In lieu of flowers please make a donation to:

We arrived home late Sunday night. We had such a great visit and continue to be amazed at Mary Ellen’s daughters. They have made us feel so welcome and loved, as I know they have to all of those who have visited. Uncle Paul and Aunt Lucille left Friday morning and we arrived Friday night. My only regret is that we were not able to get there earlier so that we could visit with them for a couple of days.

So, it is just as Beverly said in a previous post; time is short. Mary Ellen’s food intake is so low that I don’t see how she can last long. She drifts in and out a bit. BUT, she is not experiencing a great deal of pain, and the girls are managing this quite well. She seems to be comfortable and in good spirits, although she speaks very little now, and is more difficult to understand.

After we said our last goodbyes and prayed with Mary Ellen, she asked if I would turn on the TV to channel 4. She wanted to watch a particular program but it wasn’t on channel 4. We looked and looked but she has a lot of channels and I wasn’t sure exactly what we were looking for (But I was quite sure it wasn’t professional wrestling). As I continued to surf the channels, I sensed her becoming a little impatient with me and she motioned for the remote. I’m familiar with the anxiety one experiences when someone else is handling the remote, so I gently placed it in her hand. Her remote has about 1000 buttons, and as she looked at it she seemed confused, looking at the remote for a while and back at the TV and back at the remote and all the buttons, and then she handed it back to me. After another try, I finally stumbled on the 700 Hundred Club and she seemed content with this. If that has to be my final act of service to Mary Ellen, then so be it.

All my life she was kind to me and reflected the love of Christ in a way that drew me to Him. This sweet soul will never be forgotten. She assured me she would be waiting for all of us just inside the gates. What a reunion that will be.

Basically today has been a rough day for Mom. She is very weak and has a lot of trouble concentrating. She has gone to the next stage. She can’t talk much and is hard to understand and has a very soft voice.

She is totally bedridden now. We had alot of Family today and more coming Sunday. Dan & Julie are here now & very helpful and encouraging. We know the time is soon so continue to pray for her pain and peace for her.

This is a very hard time for all of us as we see her failing. We treasure our time with her even though its hard to watch the changes. Bill is coming in early Tuesday Morning.

Thanks, Bev

I got the call last night from Mary L…..It arrived!! I had to wait anxiously for it to arrive safely in Mary Ellen’s hands before I could post about it! I have been working on something special for the past 7 lunchbreaks at work. It has been a while since I have done anything in watercolor, which is my preferred medium. Kim and I are not able to make the long trip to go visit her and I felt compelled to paint this for her and her family. It is something that is special in my heart and wanted to give them something of me. I felt like I really got to “know” her just by painting every detail of the face, hair, etc. You begin to learn and see the personality as it happens. It is a good outlet Click on pic for a larger view

You may see a resemblance of this portrait to the picture of Mary Ellen above in the row of pics in the banner of this site. That is the picture from the 2006 family reunion I used to make the portrait. I didn’t include the red and white striped shirt she had on because it was quite bold and I wanted more of the focus on the face area. So I knew that she owned a white collared shirt and blue sweater that she wore previously. Plus one of her favorite colors is blue

Before you ask . . . Yes, I do plan on painting the other 7 GR8 Wensley’s…..and then some. Have to do it in between my busy schedules…but I do plan on it.

Thanks for letting me share my joy and passing it on to them.

Love, Mark

Mary Ellen appears in good spirits, although she gets tired after talking for very long on the telephone or when someone visits. We have been trying to limit her visits and telephone calls since it zaps her strength. Although she does enjoy both, it takes a lot out of her. Most people have been respectful of this. She had gotten so weak and tired from “holding court�? that we felt this was needed. Additionally, we realized, that the family was allowing everyone else to spend quality time with her, and the family’s time was primarily in taking care of her physical needs and support. We appreciate all who have respected this request and allowed us to spend some quality time with our Mother, Sister, or Aunt (as applicable).

She continues to have some pain now and again. The pain is not always in the same area.

She had started a series of books some time ago. It is one of her many Christian romances, that she loves so well. She had completed all but the last book in the series. I have been reading a chapter or two to her every day for the past week. At the end of our reading session, I always let her know how many chapters and pages are left in the book. After reading to her last night, we have about 100 pages remaining. She is really enjoying listening and I am enjoying this very special time with her.

For the past few days, Bev has curled her hair. This also makes her feel better. Mary and I also are able to get some additional rest since Bev arrived last week, since there are now 3 of us to alternate Mother’s 24 hour care.

She is still drinking water, but her food intake is limited. She eats whatever SHE wants. Sometimes she has a half of waffle for breakfast, or other times it may be a half of piece of toast or a tablespoon or two of applesauce. Lunch is usually something that has been received from the many friends have brought in (we have received a complete meal at least every other day from someone…sure has helped make our lives easier…thanks to all who have provided our nourishment!). For the last couple of days, she has really enjoyed the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans that my mother-in-law brought. She usually eats about a tablespoon of each item. For dinner, she usually asks for about 2 tablespoons of Butter Pecan ice cream. The ice cream is rather ironic, considering she has not been overly interested in sweets, with this exception!

The Hospice nurse will be visiting Mother later today. Her visits are now becoming more frequent.

Love to all, and thank you to everyone who continue to support us and Mother.

Elaine

Mary Ellen is doing well, but definitely beginning to experience pain. She hasn’t been all that excited about pain management. Doctors often ask patients to rate pain on a 1-10 scale, and Mary Ellen has been at 5 with definite indicators that her condition has advanced and that she is weakening. Well, I just hate to be writing this, but I know that many are checking the site daily because they want to know how she is doing.

I have been looking forward to going back all week, but at the same time have been coming down with something in my throat and lungs. There is nothing else that would keep me from going. But the possibility of spreading something to Mary Ellen or other family is too great. So, we will hope and pray that we still have some time, and go as soon as we are able.

It’s hard not to notice that Mary Ellen’s daughters, in providing care, doing daily chores, and accommodating visitors, have not been able to spend much time with their mother. So many have come to help, but when others are visiting with Mary Ellen, and the phone is ringing, it is difficult to find uninterrupted quiet time. These may be the last days Mary, Beverly, and Elaine have to spend with their mother. It would be great if we could figure out a way to help with this.

Julie talked to Elaine tonight. Mary Ellen is getting noticeably weaker, and taking naps when she never has before. Thankfully she is not experiencing a lot of pain. If you are family, you probably already know this. But there have been over 1500 visitors to this website in the last three weeks, so there are many people visiting here who are not family. Beverly arrives tomorrow, Lil is scheduled to leave Saturday, and Alice Mae is leaving tomorrow. Julie and I will be there Thursday evening. I am praying for a bit more time with Mary Ellen. She was strong when we left, and I didn’t really say a proper goodbye because I knew I would be back soon. I told her this story when I was there.

I spent a weekend with Mary Ellen and George one spring. Uncle George and I were in the basement and he was showing me how to braid a keychain. He asked me if I was gong to camp, but I didn’t know what it was. So he explained it to me and asked me if I would like to go. It was Mary Ellen that got me excited about it and when I went home I told my mom about camp and asked if I could go. Conversations ensued, and sometime later I found myself sitting beside Uncle George on the way to camp. It lasted a week, and I can’t remember a bit of it. But from that time on I was quite insistent on going to camp, and never missed a summer. Four years later I met Julie, my bride to be - at a Christian Camp. And as it happens, I met Someone else there too.

When we were at Aunt Mary Ellen’s we were able to spend some talking about old times. This is a short excerpt from one talk we had. The music in the background is “Jesus Paid It All”. We have quite a bit more recorded and hope to have more time with Mary before the angels have their turn. George Masters worked across the street at the livery stable and word is he occassionally brought quite a “presence” with him and needed a bit of cleaning up from time to time. Well I guess Mary Ellen took care of that.

Make sure you have your sound turned on up pretty loud. Mary Ellen is speaking quite softly these days. Just click HERE and your player should open and begin to play a short time after the file downloads. If you have trouble getting the file to play you can also download it from this address.

We received a call earlier from the Hospice nurse. The lab machine is down and they are unable to run the appropriate tests on Mother’s blood. They will let us know when they have the results. However, the doctor has ordered that no more protime tests will be done, as it is considered too invasive and difficult to obtain blood from her. He does not feel it is worth putting her through the discomfort unnecessarily. The nurse also indicated that it is evident that God is very much in control of Mother’s well-being, since she should be showing other indications of her blood being so thin. We have to be very careful that she does not fall, etc.

We ask that you keep sending the prayers upward, as we ALL continue to need the strength to get through the upcoming days and weeks.

Love to all,
Elaine, Mary Louise, and Bev

P.S. Those of you who have been here, have had the opportunity to meet Myrt and Gaines. They are a wonderful couple. We have come to love them and appreciate them, and can understand how Mother would have flourished in their mutual friendship. They have brought much love, joy and laughter to all of us over the past few weeks. Thank you Myrt and Gaines for allowing us to adopt you into “Our Family.�? We love you!