When You Have No More Words

To my son Tommy,

There comes a time in your life that you may find you no longer have any words. You will become overwhelmed, numbed beyond thought from yet another tragedy in such a short amount of time. I have reached this threshold with passing of your Great Grandmother Jeanne Kidwell Downey this August 22nd 2017. Unfortunately, the numb feeling in my mind has no effect on the tremendous grief and feeling of loss that consumes my body and has surpassed my muse. Nana Jeanne, may God rest your soul and accept you into His arms.

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo

P.S. Here is the link to the obituary and a copy below with one official correction that I noticed (married in 1945 not 1944)

The following text is copied verbatim from http://obituaries.times-news.com/story/jeanne-downey-1925-2017-969125771  except for the marriage year correction and a ordinal correction for your Great Grandpa Leo Jr.

Jeanne Kidwell Downey is the only child to Mr. Grover Courtney Kidwell and Pauline Stennet Kidwell-McGinnley.
Mom is preceded in death by her husband, Leo Thomas Downey Jr. of 513 Averitt Ave., Cumberland, who passed on March 4, 2015, in Randallstown. She is also preceded by her first-born son, Leo Thomas Downey III, who passed from brain cancer on March 31, 2017, after a successful career as an officer in the U.S. Army.
Mom is survived by her three remaining sons, Kevin Downey from Kansas, Sean Downey from Louisiana and Padraig (Paddy) Downey from New Mexico; and her grandchildren, Jennifer, Sean, William, Leo Thomas IV, Ryan, Chris, and Melissa as well as seven great-grandchildren, Madison, Alexandra, Liam, Tommy Leo, Dennis, Russel, and Ryan.
Mom was married in 1944 1945 to Leo when he returned from the European Theater of war and was on his way to be in the first wave of the invasion of Japan. Upon the end of the war, they moved to Wyoming for Dad to attend law school and began raising a family of four boys. Dad began work with the U.S. Air Force at Warrens AFB, Cheyenne, Wyn. and later transferred to Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, where Mom and Dad lived from 1959 to 1973 and then moved to Torrejon, AFB, Spain, until 1975. Mom and Dad then moved to Ridgeley, W.Va., and eventually began working for the Social Services of West Virginia and living in Williamson, W.Va. Upon their retirement, they resided in Del Ray Beach, Fla., and cared for Pauline Stennet Kidwell-McGinnley until she passed. They then returned to Maryland and lived with their first-born son, Leo III. Jeanne was from the great generation, and she lived her life in the faith of God, love and sacrifice for her family and husband through very tough times for the nation and never quitting.
Mom had a great love of the Holy Spirit, and we know the Holy Spirit came to collect her soul on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. May God have mercy on her soul.
Published on August 28, 2017