Eulogy read for Lanne at her Memorial Service by her husband Chuck

I'm here to talk about Lanne the wife. I get to talk about the best friend a person could have. We grew up together, we meet when we were just 19, 32 years ago this month, we celebrated Valentines day as our anniversary.

When I meet Lanne she had just finish working on a class project that used slides and a song for a presentation. The song she used was Joni Mitchell's song "The Circle Game" , She loved that song. The chorus goes like this:

And thee seasons, they go 'round and 'round,
and the painted ponies go up and down.
We're captive on the carousel of time.
We can't return, we can only look behind
From where we came,
And go 'round and 'round and 'round in the circle game.

The song talks about life and how we grow up, how we learn from it, and how its over before we know it. And that's how she lived her life, and how we lived our life, and I loved her for it. I always told her how interesting she made my life.

It always surprised me how we grow together instead of apart. You would never think two crazy nineteen year Olds could grow together with all the experiences we went had.

First, she moved north of the Masson Dixon line to (Toledo) for a year to be close to me, and continue her education.

Then, we both moved to Austin to finish school, and she even had to work a "Two J's hamburger joint and i drove a bus, to make ends meet.

Then, we both moved to Austin to Glenwood Springs, Wichita, Chatham, Allentown, Creede and then to Aurora, where we've been for the last 20 years.

Everywhere we went she left her mark with the community and the people she met.

My best example is in Creede, she needed a play ground for hers, and other kids, to play in. She found out Max Deacon had donated some land next to the school, found money from a grant that was ready to expire, used themoney to buy playground equipment(and made the decision without a committee), and organize the construction. She had groups of people working on that playground, organizing them so that those who would never work together worked at different times for the greater good. She always believed in the greater good.

She was the best traveling companion. For 32 years she loved to travel. She would study where we were going and read about it on the way, usually to me while we were driving. We spent many hours in the old yellow van, just talking and dreaming, it didn't have a radio. She liked to travel off the beaten path and would make each trip an adventure. When the kids would complain she would say: The joy is in the journey". She said she liked to do that because i made her feel secure and safe whereever we would go. I'm sorry that I couldn't make the last trip turn out better.

But I think the best part of her being my wife, is her being the mother of our two boys. No person could have been a better mother?

From day one she loved being a mother, she thought about everything to do with her boys. She made it a partnership to raise intelligent, moral and ethical boys. Her dedication made my life interesting and fulfilling.

I loved this person who could spent so much time with her babies, reading to them, talking and playing the same game over and over again. She always worked with the schools to get the best out of the system.

And Scouting, don't get me started about scouting. She went from cub, to webalow to regular scouting, all twice. She did everything from running cub scout den to being on the scout troop's committee. She is so proud that her boys advanced to eagle scout.

She was a great wife, she loved me, our kids, our families, her co-workers and friends, and just simply all people on earth. She didn't have time for hate or conflict, that was just wasted energy. Better to spend her time doing things like crafts, reading, volunteering loving everyone.

So Lanne road those painted ponies up and down,
captive on the carousel of time,
the seasons went 'round and 'round
From where we came,
And go 'round and 'round and 'round in the circle game.