Jessica Ratra

Dearest Mother/Friend/Relative

You were born to give and be unselfish as all those you touched professionally and personally can attest to.

Kindness and no malice towards others defined you, as did the significance you placed on knowledge and learning.

All the new lives you helped bring into this world, tirelessly. Being jostled out of bed on short notice in the wee hours, while the family you cared about deeply, rested easy, as you toiled diligently, for decades, to care for mothers giving birth to their children.

How you rose from modest means to build a better life for you and your family.

It didn’t stop there, though.

 You cared so deeply about your 2 grandkids.  Always, imparting to them the importance of learning and accomplishments, not just for money, but for self-worth.

A short tribute cannot capture the immense impact you had in your long and illustrious life.

While tributes for loved ones, “gone too soon”, is the proverbial expression, until one has to state the same about those nearest and dearest, one realizes that the phrase is very appropriate.

You are survived by your caring son, Benny, who loved you and devoted his life until you were, called too soon, to be home with your husband and father of your two sons.  Your older son, Tab, is also pained by losing you, too soon.

Your granddaughter, Natalya, cared deeply about you and shared a special bond with her grandmother. She eagerly took advantage of your generosity with shopping sprees to Montgomery Mall, Amazon, and beyond.  Your grandson, Nick, who loved going to your second home in Ocean City and, selfishly, never wanted you to sell it, and you obliged for all as long as you could.

Although, you were kind, you were a fighter against all the health issues of father time.  You battled and overcame until the very end.

You will soon be in the, proverbial, better place.  However, you won’t be resting in peace, because you’ll be looking over like a silent angel at all those you cared about and they know that you are watching them to see if they are doing the right things that you espoused.