Running4

Phyllis Rowold

My mom, Phyllis Rowold, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. At that time she was 66 years old and lived in St. Louis with my father, but with all of her children and grandchilderen out of state or out of the country. As a matter of fact, when she was diagnosed my father happened to be out of the country as well. She had an amazing inner strength and security and faced cancer with that same strength. She generally was the one to help and support others, but then accepted support from her amazing St. Louis “family.” She went through radiation and chemo therapy. She went through good days and tough days. But, she fought for herself, and for her family. She beat the cancer. Seven years later she passed away from a series of strokes. Looking back now, I see the strength in her that I didn’t see before. One of the legacies that she left me, my siblings and her grandchildren is her definition of who is family and how you should treat family. Family is not just blood relatives, but those God puts in our lives – neighbors, friends, foreigners missing home, persons you see each week like checkers at the store, those in need. My mom treated her family with respect. She served foreign exchange students in the US, when we lived in Hong Kong she invited US Navy sailors in Hong Kong on R&R to our house for Thanksgiving dinner, she served Chinese orphans and unwed mothers as a board member of an organization in Taiwan. But what made the largest impression on me was the everyday hospitality that was always available at our home for others. Even when she struggled with cancer and the strokes, she made people welcome and comfortable and at home. Here is one of my favorite pictures of my mom – talking on the phone to my sister with my then 3 month old son sporting the same hairdo as hers when she was undergoing chemo. My mom is missed, but her legacy continues.

submitted by Sheryl Rowold