Mothers Day with Helen

Sunday May 12, 1991

What a glorious Mother's Day! It's sunny and 70 degrees. Frank has given me a beautiful card and a bottle of Obsession perfume. I have received very meaningful cards from all the family including Justin.

Mother arrives from Gene & Cathy's brunch at 1:00. We leave for Frank's folks where Gary and Maria will meet us. Gary gives me the "Best" card ever. It really has wonderful sentiment. It tells me he appreciates the kind of mom I've tried to be. He also gives me a sundress for Hawaii.

We all go to dinner at Charlie Brown's for prime rib and shrimp.

Back at the folk's house Betty and Al come over. We have a lovely visit. I'm tired. Mother is doing great considering she left the desert this morning at 7 a.m.

Grandma Helen lived in Desert Hot Springs in a senior community. She lived alone after the death of her husband Al some years earlier. In 1991 she was 83 years old. Her son (mom's brother Gene) lives in Pasadena where Helen went for brunch. Grandma Helen insisted on living on her own until health problems at the end of her life forced her to live in an assisted living home in Pasadena where Uncle Gene and Aunt Cathy could more easily visit her. She outlived her daughter and died at the old age of 89. The photo above was taken at Christmas 1988 at mom and Frank's home in Simi Valley. From the left are mom (Dolores Reina), myself, my brother Gary Lucky, and Grandma Helen Richardson.