Monica Rose Staudt

Mom met Dad when she was in the eighth grade, and from what they tell us, it was love at first sight for the next 68 years. To anyone close to Monica and Jim, it was obvious the love they had for each other. I think all of us kids thought that’s how every family was until we got older and realized that they were the exception. We have no doubt that they had disagreements over the years, but it was always between them and never seen by any of us. They always wanted to be together. When mom was asked why she was watching a show she didn’t like; she said she watches what Dad watches because she wanted to be with him.

You can imagine all the stories the 7 of us have to share and, we all claim to be mom’s favorite. Mom never proclaimed to have a favorite, but she made us all feel like we were. Mom and Dad raised 7 children and touched the lives of 29 grandchildren 38 great-grandchildren, and they have 4 more great-grandchildren on the way.

Mom enjoyed gardening, crocheting, crafts, yard sailing, playing bingo, and she never met a nickel slot machine she didn’t like. She enjoyed doing most of her hobbies with her best friends, Helen Williams, Harriet Owens, Helen Sterbutzel, and her sisters. The best part of her friendship with Helen was their infectious laughter anytime they were together.

One of the great things about mom and dad was their sense of humor. One night mom was already in bed asleep and dad was sitting on the side of the bed and decided to pull a prank on her. He jumped up and took off running full speed down the hall. Dad told us later that before he got halfway down the hall mom passed him and said, “What’s wrong and where are we going?” When we asked Mom what the meanest thing she ever did was. She answered, “When I was a senior in high school it was time to pass down my majorette uniform so I moved the button over about an inch to make the girl taking my place think she was bigger than me.”

The Staudt family would like to extend our deepest appreciation for the heartfelt care that was extended to our Mom during her fight with Parkinson’s from our caregivers and Hospice of the Valley. At one point, one of our caregivers was in the process of retirement but changed her mind because she said she loved them too much. Thank you so much Amy, Shelia, Sara, Mysti, Kayla, and DeOslin. We couldn’t have done it without you!