Mama - 11/23/08

Friday evening, November 21st, ten days after the death of her youngest daughter, Belinda, on what would have been Belinda's 53rd birthday, Mary Elizabeth Callaway Riggall passed from this life peacefully. She was surrounded by her loving children and grandchildren during the days and hours before her passing, and Sister Kath and I were with her when she took her last breath. She led a remarkable life, always on her own terms, and I can't possibly detail it any better than Brother Chris did for her obituary, which ran in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution. (FWIW, the odd punctuation errors are the AJC's and were not in Chris' perfectly written original.) Quoting: Mary Riggall, a pioneering Atlanta advertising executive, devoted grandmother and longtime collector and dealer of fine antiques, died Friday in Atlanta. She was 87. Mrs. Riggall began her career while still in her teens as an Atlanta Journal reporter in the Food and Fashions departments, and her talent as an elegant and creative writer never left her. With her during the days before her passing, I was struck by the constant flow of grandchildren drawn to her side, her room often full of tall and handsome young men. She was a spectacular grandmother to them and they will love her forever for what she gave them. A remarkable woman, she was loved and will be missed. My personal thanks go out to Canterbury Court for their service and support to all of us during this time. It was hard, but their staff, particularly the second floor nursing staff, made it bearable. Peace, Mama. Update: The AJC is running a news obit in Monday's paper. Here's the link.