There's many jokes about mother-in-laws out there, but mine was never one to joke about. Mine was one of a kind. My mother-in-law, Pauline Clark-Stephanski, lost her battle with lung disease and passed away this past Friday, July 23, 2010 at 9:40 a.m. She was truly a gem.
I met Pauline when I first started dating John, back in 1990 and I'll never forget how excited John was to introduce me to her. He will always be his momma's boy :) We drove all the way to Clearlake in his little 1974 Mercury Capri with his golden retriever, PJ, in the backseat. It was raining like crazy and it was my job to bring lots of paper towels to plug the holes where the windshield and door came together because otherwise it would rain down on me! We drove all the way to Clearlake and drove up to this cute little two-story house that had a separate entrance with the words "Inn Oz" over the door. John proceeded to tell me a beautiful story about two people who fell in love many years earlier, where the man (Charley) asked the woman (Pauline) if she would come with him to the Emerald City (San Francisco) on a date, and that is how it all began. From that point on, she was known as Dorothy and he was The Tin Man and they owned a cute little bed and breakfast called Inn Oz. They welcomed me with open arms. I never knew love like that before. No questions asked, just a loving family ready to welcome me into it.
Fast forward to 2009 when I was diagnosed, Pauline asked me if she could step in as a substitute for my mother since I'd lost her 8 years earlier and I never felt so honored. Pauline was incredible. Some of the things that she did amazed me. She would sit at the computer and research things and told me about some of the programs and opportunities available with breast cancer research that I'd not even heard about yet, but sure enough a few weeks later, I would catch myself saying, "oh yeah, my mother-in-law just told me about that!" She was one in a million and she'll be missed by so many.
May you rest in peace Pauline, I truly loved you like a mother.
Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie
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Thank you sweetheart. She loved you so much. She would have done anything to help. That is who she was. I love you and thanks for being by my side through this tough time.
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