Maureen Amanda Green

The first time I saw you I knew that I had to meet you. I very quickly knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Your wonderful smile and way of interacting with your patients, friends, and family allowed me to want to be a better person. You were one of the smartest, creative, and honest person I had ever met. She was a wonderful friend to anyone needing help. Her nursing skills, business abilities, and personal relationships were her main attributes. Everyone loved her. Maureen your passing has removed part of my heart and it will never be repaired completely. You were my soul mate, lover, and wonderful mother to both Crystal and Kristine. You also helped Sean when allowed. I wished that we could have grown old together and celebrated a golden anniversary. You were my love, my life, and the very best person I ever met I hope that you are at peace and that one day we will be together again.

Love forever, Bob.

To my mother and best friend:

I never would have thought I would have to be writing this so soon. I miss you. I miss your laugh and your smile. I miss our talks and your guidance. I miss the way your hands felt every time I was sad and they embraced me with your love. There is so much of you I am and will miss about you for the rest of my life. As I am writing this to you I feel scared that I will not have enough paper to express everything I want to express to you. Hell you were an amazing mother, grandmother, wife, and friend to everyone, but most of all one of the most amazing human beings I have ever known. It’s crazy how with your death I remember every little memory we shared together, and the length you would go for me because I was your daughter and you loved me so much. You brought so much love and comfort to so many lives. As a mother myself I know it’s difficult to feel like you’re succeeding in your own child’s life, but I know when my son says “I am the mom everyone wishes they had” I learned that from you! Mom you are an amazing mother. I never told you that enough, or that I love you or I forgive you or that I was sorry when I should have. You need to know I am sorry for the mistakes I have made. I know you were hurting, but even then, in your own way you always tried to be there for your family and we appreciate and love you for that! I knew you left peacefully and I’m slowly coming to terms with all of this, but I also know you are at peace now. God took away all the pain and I’m grateful for that. I hope to see you again one day, and have faith I will… but for now I know God and you will be looking over our family and protecting us and that comforts me. Mom I love you and I’m so proud to call you my mother. Thank you for being such a light in the dark for so many lives. Rest in peace angel until we meet again…

Your little honey bunny xoxoxo

To grandma: Hi grandma. Hope you’re doing well. Thank you for everything like my blanket. I love my blanket so much and I didn’t really get to know you well apart from your habit but you are the nicest person on the planet. So just know I love you grandma.

– Derrick Johanneck

To Maureen (Mom in Law)

You are such an amazing person. So strong, smart, funny and most of all you cared no matter what you were going through personally, you would always check on the person next to you. When it came to someone else’s problems you always had an answer. Even for me, I could always come to you. Whether it was to vent or for advice you would help me through whatever it was. Coming home from work and talking to you about work was awesome and the best part was whatever I did that day you knew what I was talking about whether it be rolling trusses or installing glue lam support. You knew what all of it was. Even with all the construction that I know I can’t do wallpaper. One of many skills you had that I wish you could have taught me. Along with how to use a sewing machine, which I still want to learn so I can keep the stitching to this family together now that you are not physically here. There’s so much more I wish you could’ve taught me. I truly believe that I am who I am because of the impact you had on my life and part of you will always be with me to help me in the right direction. I miss our bickering and your mean right hook. Most of all I miss you! Love you Maureen you will never be forgotten.

- Vinnie

Mom,

This is how I choose to remember you. Teased blonde hair, dramatic stories with guttural laughs too match.

11.05.20

Dear Mom,

Well I’ve started this letter three times (and a dozen more in my head). It’s so bizarre to write you knowing these words will never reach you (or will they?)

The past two weeks I replayed your voicemails again and again, man I am so glad I saved every one of them. Your voice is full of tenderness, your words center around concern for my safety (because you heard on the news of a tornado several cities away from me). This is how I will remember you. Soft and sullen with concern for your children.

Another one of your voicemails one of my greatest treasures. You told me in so many words that the love I gave you was sincere. You told me that Christ was seen instead heard in my life. This is how I choose to remember you.

The other two voicemails are exactly 2 years apart to the day. February 9 you were singing happy birthday to Gideon, start to finish. You were there both of the times I delivered my boys. And, I cannot imagine entering motherhood without you right there.

I remember calling you after you had just moved into your 2-bedroom apartment, I was in pieces. You are on a plane two days later. Andrew stayed an entire week. That was the best week I’ve ever had with you. Thank you for never hesitating to scoop me up and let me know I wasn’t alone.

I’m glad I told you countless times how often I hear you come out of my mouth. As a mother, I know you feel like you’re never quite getting it right but mom you modeled so many things so well.

You consistently gave of yourself – your time, your talent, your resources - to help those really in need.

You helped restore a sense of dignity to women who are in oppressive situation by giving them and their children a home and new clothes and food and and and…

This season of my life I have a newfound empathy for how this life and responsibility spread you as a working mother. I still have an aversion to Costco’s frozen vegetable medley and those industrial sized lasagnas but I know how the crushing pressure of trying to “do it all”. (My children will probably have an aversion to Foster Farms corn dogs and seared salmon).

I am grateful you were my mom. I’m grateful for all the empathy that has true truly.

I am grateful for the journey of learning to love and except you without condition and the empathy that the whole process left in its wake.

Whenever we were sick you always said you wish you could take it on yourself and spare us the pain. In so many ways you did that over and over again. Thank you.

I’m so glad you’re at rest. I’m glad God is so merciful.

I’ll probably write you a dozen or two more times as I go through each rite of passage, my first born moving away, going to college, the boys getting married, having grandchildren and on and on and on…

You are never very far mom.

I love you, Crystal

It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to a longtime friend and professional colleague, Maureen Green, RN. I first met Maureen in the in the late 70’s. We worked together for many years. Maureen was an excellent nurse and such a good friend. She had a brilliant mind, excellent critical thinking skills, an exceptional sense of style and phenomenal creativity. Maureen designed the “Ballard Bridge” logo for Ballard Rehabilitation Hospital, which we still use to this day. She was always adding a touch of style and class to all we did and enjoyed making a difference in the lives of the patients she cared for.

I first met Maureen when she was working in Cardiac Rehabilitation. I was impressed with her knowledge, expertise as a nurse, her compassion for her patients and co-workers and for life in general. Maureen was a very generous and caring person and had so much compassion for others. She was always up for anything and was there to support you when needed. As luck would have it the Cardiac Rehabilitation department came under my supervision so I had the opportunity to work closely with Maureen and could see that she would be an excellent Nurse Manager. I convinced her to accept the Nurse Manager position for the Rehabilitation Center. Maureen did an excellent job! She was so articulate, organized and remembered facts and figures like no one else. She then moved on to the Director of Case Management where she continued to lead and provide excellent care to our patients. She did an excellent job with appealing denied claims and won most of them due to her arguments and diligent documentation. Maureen exceled in all her endeavors and always did so with style, grace and while dressed to the nines! Maureen was always seeking to improve her skills. She became a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse, CRRN and later a Certified Case Manager, CCM.

We had many good times together with work related outings, shopping, laughing and family get-togethers. Family was very important to Maureen. She loved her husband and her three children and spoke of them frequently. I will miss Maureen but will never forget all her contributions, that she truly touched many lives and made a difference in this life. I want to close my remarks with a story of a little dragonfly that I hope you will find uplifting as I have.

The Little Dragonfly

Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle in a community of water beetles. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions. Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen again. They knew when this happened; their family member or friend had passed away, gone forever.

Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem. However, she was determined that she would not leave forever. She would come back and tell her family and friends what she had found at the top. When she reached the top and climbed out of the water onto the surface of the lily pad, she was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that she decided she must take a nap. As she slept, her body changed and when she woke up, she had turned into a beautiful blue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed for flying.

So, fly she did! And, as she soared she saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far superior way of life to what she had never known existed. Then she remembered her beetle friends and how they were thinking by now she had passed away. She wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that she was now more alive than she had ever been before. Her life had been fulfilled rather than ended. But, her new body would not go down into the water. She could not get back to tell her family and friends the good news. Then she understood that their time would come, when they, too, would know what she now knew. So, she raised her wings and flew off into her joyous new life!

We will all miss Maureen but hopefully will find peace in knowing that she is with the other angels now.

Mary M. Hunt

11-3-20