5.08.2009

Thank You Mary Striley!!


I received this picture of Mary, and her son Jake a couple of weeks ago. And now, Mary and her little boy are dead from a murder/suicide. Her son Jake was shot in the head while sitting in a high chair, and Mary was shot in the head in a bedroom. Her boyfriend took full responsibility, and then killed himself. I watched the news the other morning and they mentioned something about a murder/suicide in Orange but there were no names mentioned. Then that night when I picked up the newspaper, and saw a photo of Mary, my heart dropped. How does this happen to someone that is so positive. I don't pretend to understand these things. It's taken me a couple of days to write this ,so please be patient with me as I struggle through this. I didn't think this would grab my heart the way it did, hurt the way it did, but I just couldn't let it go.

How do I know Mary? She was a customer at Country Roads until her MS made it difficult for her to shop. The first slide show I sent out to my E-Mail Express customers with lots of pictures of the store, she responded so positive with an email telling me how much she enjoyed the pictures because of her disability she wasn't able to come into the store as much as she use to and this made her feel a part of the store. Then our friendship kind of grew from there. She would make comments on my blog and would often email me. All positive, each and every word!! She would send me pictures of kittens and puppies. When she found out we had a cat in our gardens that had just had kittens, Mary emailed me to give information on a vet that was low cost and could help us. She loved animals and a few weeks back she asked if I would do a post on my blog about a low cost pet adoption that was coming up in Orange County. Because of Mary, this little dog found a home with one of my dealers and friend, Cindy Finch. Because of Mary, this little dog also found a home because of Mary. Bill, Cindy's husband, went back to the shelter a week later and rescued Gay Oscar!

I hope, with all my heart, Mary knew what a difference she made in people's lives. Her kind heart, the smile in the picture above, illustrates the Mary that I knew through emails and blog comments. You know, I do this blog for a couple of reasons. Of course, being in business I do posts to promote Country Roads. I also write this blog to encourage myself to "write" each day! But what I've found out with both owning the store and having a blog, this has given me so many opportunities to reach out to people when I can, to help when I can. I'm a big believer in "paying it forward" and the "giving back" thing. And Country Roads, and my blog have allowed be to do this.

It will be awhile before the ache goes away in my heart from what happened to such a beautiful person. I have the above picture posted on my bulletin board to remind me of the person Mary was; kind, caring and compassionate. I'm very grateful I had Mary be a part of my life, even if it was only a short time. Every email she sent me ended with this quote, "Just when the caterpillar thought her world was over. . .SHE became a butterfly"!! I now know that Mary has finally become the most beautiful, loving butterfly ever!

9 comments:

  1. Why? Why? I just don't understand such things. Two beautiful people lost because of one dumb s.o.b. I have several MS clients and knowing the limiting effects of the disease, I realize that the back and forth of communication with you was a joy to her. You added to her life just as she added to yours.

    This was a sad but powerful post, Sue.

    The Texas Woman

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  2. This is a senseless world sometimes...My heart aches for you, her family and friends....Marcela

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  3. I am so sad for you, I have you in my prayers, I know your heart is breaking, Many Blessings, Janna

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  4. My thoughts & prayers are with you.

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  5. Mary is the kind of person who goes straight up to Heaven..NO stops. I think she would be very proud of you for sharing that story and what she left behind through you, and I'm sure many others. She is now an angel. Sending you healing honks and positive prayers from NYC.

    --Edward

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  6. Such a senseless act. Stories like this make me want to hold my family so much closer. I am so sorry that you lost a friend this way.

    Teresa

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  7. i am so happy to hear that mary has touched you. she was an amazing person who was taken from us. i called her auntie mary. she always was so happy. i hate to see my mom cry over the murder of baby jake and her. there are so many questions i have and they will never be answered. i will just have to trust in the lord and strongly believe they are in a better place with her mom. this made my heart smile after so many tears have been shed for the past 5 days. thank you.

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  8. Hi and thanks for posting this. I just found out about Mary TODAY. I last spoke with her in December of 2008 and googled her name to see if I could find her on the internet. I've known her since the mid-1980s when we worked at Mervyns in Huntington Beach together. I was looking for an Obituary for her to see if her life was spoken about anywhere at all. She deserved better than this. I'm actually really angry that Jakes and her lives were cut short. I am glad to see that someone has honored her with a post like yours.

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  9. Thanks for the post, my wife Mary Armstrong Visger and I have known Mary for a long time; we have a picture of her and Jake in our home and I was walking by it today and decided to google her name to see if I could find any further information on that tragic day when Mary and Jake were murdered. I find it hard to believe that Mary went along with the MF's plan... Maybe I am wrong... God Bless and we miss you Mary and Jake! Jeff Visger

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Your words are always appreciated, thanks!