Elizabeth M. Jenstad

From Holly (as read by her for Mom at the burial at Lakewood Cemetery) I remember Mama I remember her so agile and beautiful when she was holding Nels, the tiny infant I remember Mom teaching me to sew on my little crank sewing machine I remember her when we lived on the Minnehaha Parkway and she was all dressed up in a very beautiful evening gown on her way to a special event at the Eastern Star I remember her pancakes, her Swedish pancakes, and the Swedish dishes she loved to prepare I will always remember her amazing skills on the piano, her beautiful singing and her ability to play every kind music and every kind of instrument I remember her when we were about to leave to move to California in 1958, and she said her famous line about "remember to get my rain boots out of the basement dryer" I remember her being lonely, very lonely in Los Angeles I remember her in the choir at the Lutheran Church in Greenhills, Ohio as I sat across the dais waving at her from the children's choir I remember when she was in the hospital for a month and the three of us stood in the parking lot and waved at her trying to wave back from the window I remember her when she came home from the hospital when I was in sixth grade; she was so frail and wasted. I remember her when the family needed to make a decision to move back to Minneapolis and she was very clear on the topic I remember Mom so proud to drive me to my Job's Daughters meetings I remember her making sure that Karl had plenty of chocolate chip cookies up in Alaska I remember her leaving for work when they lived in El Sobrante - back to teaching, and loving the music, and worrying about her students I remember her conducting her choirs in churches and schools and with the Silver bells. It was always delightful to see the happy energy she had around bringing music forth from people I remember how much she loved the beach at Cambria I will never forget that she complained about her difficulty with math but could transpose any tune in her head like magic I remember her in the flurry of preparations for Women's Club and Golf Tournaments I remember her ear-to-ear grin the entire time we visited Sweden and how much of her heart she found there I remember her aging years, and her terrific determination to remain independent through so many losses - Dad, her hearing, her sight, and the place she called home for 30 years - Paso Robles For me she has lived forever, and I will remember her and love her for the rest of my forever.