Our mother, Bea Moody, turns 88 today. She was born Beatrice Alvera Riffell on Dec. 27, 1927, to Mary Catherine (Stoner) and Emery Calvin Riffell.

She was the youngest of nine children and is now the only surviving one. Her sisters were Hazel, Clara Mae, Mary and Miriam and her brothers were Johnny, Clarence, Gene and Russell. Miriam VanScoyk, the last sibling to leave this earth, died on April 4, this year. She would have turned 90 on Dec. 31.

We were blessed to have the mother we did. She instilled a lot of the good things in us [yes, there are some good things] and taught us a lot about life which no doubt her mother taught and instilled in her. Mom was always very creative in a lot of a lot of the projects she took on. She could cook, sew, can and preserve food, work with tools and she spent a lot of time playing games with us kids, even baseball.

I wish I would have picked up on some of those things that she did, but I didn’t for whatever reason. Nonetheless, I think she still loved us all, and that didn’t stop with just us. She did it for all of our children and then their children.

She gave birth to us three older children [brother Ron, sister Bev and myself] in two years, took a breather and, lo and behold, gave us our baby sister, Brenda 8 1/2 years later.

We couldn’t ask for better parents. And, I know for sure, my brother and sisters agree.

Mom was good at giving advice and she was always someone we could go to for that advice. She was smart and a lot of that wisdom sank in to our little brains. I attribute that to her upbringing, a heritage of which I’m proud to be part.

Happy birthday, Mom!

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2016 is just around the corner and I’m wondering what the new year will bring. We can only hope there will be peace and harmony in the world and that everyone here in America especially have good health and greater happiness in their lives.

Happy New Year!

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Don’t forget:

• There will be no fish fry in January at the Ansonia American Legion.

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Happy birthday:

• Dec. 31 to Dennis Moody, Chad Wagner, Mary Ann Grilliot, Donna Bixler, Dawn George Mikesell, Justin Wilson (35) and Amber Neal.

• Jan. 1 to Paula Harbison, Ted Liette, Kerry Foshee, Seth Phillippi and Rick Price.

• Jan. 2 to Shirley Phillippi, Stacy Gibson, Jerry Miller, Steve Wilson, Ronnie Gard, Kathy Widener, Rick Hahn, Jason Crawford, Seth Klingshirn,Karie Stickley, Darrell Biddlestone, Jerry Miller and Brook Hilderbrand.

• Jan. 3 to Jamie Francis Wisner, Kate Custer, David Scanlon, Mike Lawson (60), Travis Henderson, Kendra Billenstein, Kate Custer, Teresa Shinn and Scott Rodeheffer.

• Jan. 4 to Dennis Riffell (60), Jill Riffell Margaret Rhoades, Kevin Metzcar, Elizabeth Horner, Jodi Neff, Taylor Thwaits (17), Edna Fourman, Jon Hein, Dick Lavy and Steve Daiken.

• Jan. 5 to Wayne Harbison, Billy Mullens, Jesse DeMange, Tyler Kress, Arlene Harris, Wyatt Boatright and Doug Leeper.

• Jan. 6 to Karla Harmon, Preston Holton, Matt Leeper, Judy Gibson, Chris Printz, Andrew Waymire, Mike Erwin, Arnold Riffell and Michelle Sparks Reed.

Happy belated birthday to Judy Brode on Dec. 10;

Happy anniversary to: Al and Linda Gasper on Dec. 31.

Happy belated anniversary to Beth and Brad Davis on Dec. 18 and to Doug and Jackie Howell on Dec. 23.

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Don’t forget to pray for: Stacy Dorko, Tim Ridenour, Jennifer Platfoot, Dan Norton, Betty Grimes, Kathy Magoto, Dean Brewer, Ken Morton, Lisa Hall, Dick Neff, Tammy Shapiro, David Magoto, Charles LaFuze, Phil Clark, Sonny Hunt, Kenny Chancy, Jim Marker, Roger McEowen, Terry Longfellow, Bill Drew, Don and Linda Myers, Nina McDaniel, Rusty Wilson, Lee Moody (our father), Linda Johnston, Ron Kreitzer, Pappy Harshman, Gerald Rhoades, Harold Rismiller, Rick Jones, Albert Duncan, Delores Duncan, Ansonia Police Chief Frank Shapiro, Randy Heck, John Klipstine, Greg Moody, Elsie Svajda, Dave Sherman, Sue Chitty, Phil Chilcoat, Christine Pipenger, Paul Barton, Terry Ungericht, Gracyn Blackburn, Jim Moody, Lowell Arnold, Joe and Wanda Bailey, Robert Codling, Kohen Thwaits, J.C. and D’Arleen Waymire, Deanna Jones, William DeBord, Dave Starline, Bob Hiestand Jr., Kathy and Tom Hamilton, Joanne Sharp, Larry Bemis, Ivan Miller, Cindy Elson, Cary Van De Grift, Dina Dancer Morris, Teresa Mayo Amspaugh, Jim Crotcher, Tina Kiser Deaton, Alvera Schmitz, Jerrod Pratt, Vicky Henderson, Julia Frey, Tonia Thompson, Fred Monnin, Bob Coppock, Stephen “Brownie” Brown.

Also, Nate Epperson, Brad Pipenger, Faye Schlecty, Michelle Sparks Reed, Bill Beasley, Steve Cunningham, Kody Ketring, Bob and Sandy Finkbine, Kevin Dickey, Joe Martin, Tracy Bailey, Brenda Grimes, Margaret “Peg” Bundy, Kevin Hemmerich, Ray Dickey Jr., Penny Starns, Tim Heck, Vanna (Hannam) Abbott, Suzy Heck Schilling, Addie Henderson, Barb Morrow Zimmerman, Samantha Smith, Shannon Peters Hall, Todd Walls, Ron Kramer, Melissa “Missy” Helmer, Susie Gress of Nebraska, Dana Holzapfel, Kara Didier, Carla Welch, Bill Schuette and to all those others who suffer from the many debilitating diseases. And, God bless all of our military people serving and protecting this nation.

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Jamie and I send our condolences to the families of: Siblings Hudson and Katy Nestor, Jim Strobel, Bill Price and Dorothy Sullenbarger.

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Think about it: “Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” — Oren Arnold