JoAnne L. (Lee) Rypysc, age 80, passed away on Dec. 29, 2012 in Amherst. She was born on May 13, 1932 in Maine. She was a daughter of the late Robert and Geraldine (Whittier) Lee. She is predeceased by her husband John Rypysc who passed away in 1991. She leaves her son Jeffrey Rypysc and his wife Ginny of Santa Barbara, CA; her daughter Julie Rypysc of Pelham, MA; 2 brothers, Richard Lee of Framingham, MA and Robert Lee of Houston, TX and one grandchild Zack Rypysc. She is predeceased by her son John Rypysc, her brother Barry Lee and also her sister Patricia Lee. All services will be private at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Disease Association, 264 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01104 or to the Doris Day Animal League, 2100 L Street NW., Washington, DC 20037.
Celebrating JoAnne and Her Life
May 13, 1932 – December 29, 2012
I planned this gathering in hopes to celebrate JoAnne and her life with all of you who walked together with her during her lifetime at many different times and in many different and unique ways. Thank you all for being here to make this possible.
I want us to celebrate with our appreciations for JoAnne and the gratitude they unleash from our hearts. I want us to celebrate with fond memories that speak of joyful connections. Let us offer our gratitude and joy to JoAnne as an expression of our love and appreciation for her and her life.
The memories and images of JoAnne that burn strongest in my mind now are the most recent ones that tell the story of her painful decline from alzheimers especially over the last two years. Fortunately I broadened my narrow perspective and delight in realizing the reality of the depth and breath of JoAnne’s full 80 years of life which I will attempt to paint a picture of for you now.
JoAnne had a rich, full life often driven by following her heart. Whether it was cuddling babies and sneaking in a forbidden kiss in the Neonatal Intensive care unit at Baystate, or getting up at 5 a.m. and going to Westover to greet the soldiers returning from Mt. Dessert Storm or cruising through the breath taking fjords along the Alaskan coast, JoAnne often went where her heart pulled her enriching her life. I am grateful for her showing me this possibility.
JoAnne was independent, self sufficient, and a strong woman both physically and emotionally. She had an amazingly strong constitution and must have come from good stock. Sixty-four years of cigarette smoking didn’t do her in. She taught me the importance of exercise and a strong body. For a time she exercised diligently with Jack Lalanne on the television with her glamour stretcher in hand. She’d invite me to be a guest in her YMCA exercise classes. Lucky for my brothers and I, when we were in grade school JoAnne fell in love with down hill skiing. On weekends she’d fill her station wagon with neighborhood kids, skies strapped to the top and drive us north to Berkshire East or Okeemo Mountain in Vermont for a fun filled day of skiing. In her later years she enjoyed golfing and bowled until she was in her 70s. She was a physically active woman.
My mom was a strong woman in another way, she had a strong will. There’s no doubt about it for those of us who knew her well, she knew what she wanted and she liked to get her way. This aspect of her character was like a double-edged sword; it could cause tension when it involved other people but I also saw it put to good use. It conjured up courage, strength and perseverance as she strived to reach a goal or as she grappled with illness or a declining physical form. Even though she could barely walk around her house last month, I was amazed she could still climb up and down the stairs using the railings. I think she was able to stay at home and live as long as she did because of her strong will.
I so appreciate my mom’s courage; it helped me feel safe. I honestly can’t remember a time when she was afraid of anything. She had no apparent fear of going into the hospital twice for surgery on each of her carotid arteries, or of “tucking” down steep snow covered slopes on her skies or of facing a loved one’s or her own death. JoAnne also had the strength and courage to face and overcome her addiction to alcohol and to remain sober for the last 23 years of her life. This accomplishment led her to contribute to the well being of others through four volunteer jobs. She was a “baby hugger” at Baystate and a helper with blood drives for the Red Cross, She also helped at the Ronald McDonald House at Baystate and worked for the Springfield public schools.
I am so fortunate and grateful that I had a mother who was so supportive of me throughout my entire life even with all its unconventional twists and turns. She never criticized me and I always felt she accepted me just the way I am. What a gift.
I cherish the friendship and companionship I shared with JoAnne over the last 56 years. I remember coming home from school everyday and sitting in the sunroom with her telling her about my day. Over the years we ran a neighborhood recycling program together, traveled to Alaska, went on retreats and to AA meetings together. But one of my most meaningful connections with JoAnne was based on our shared love of animals and nature. I believe connection to the natural world is so profound as it offers us a spiritual opportunity. Nature reflects the Creative Power of the Universe and awakens the same in us. I remember one of the last times I saw JoAnne we were in the nursing home and I shared about how the night before I’d been witness to a flying squirrel on my bird feeder. As I described how it looked and behaved to JoAnne and how sweet it was, she smiled and her eyes lit up with joy. There is was, our shared joyful transcendent connection.
I would like to end by sharing the wisdom of two friends that came to me by email in response to the news of my mother’s passing. Their words brought me comfort, peace and a feeling of being fully alive and in the Flow of Life.
I shared with Scott how intense my life has been intertwined with JoAnne’s for the past 3 years taking over managing her life and care. He said, “You mentioned 3 years and it brought to mind how intensely she cared for you in the first 3 years of your life. The wheel turns…” I am so happy that I could give this back to my mom the last 3 years of her life.
In his email my friend Larch Hanson responded that, “The veil between life and death is very permeable.” I asked him to say more. He went on to tell about the supportive, loving connections he’s maintained with both his parents and some friends who have passed away. Guidance comes through synchronistic events like when 6 people all came into his life in supportive ways all having the same birth date as his mother, May 4th.
Thanks to encouragement from Larch and other spiritual friends, I opened my mind and my heart to the possibility and now through meditation and prayer I’m cultivating a transcendent connection with JoAnne on the inner planes full of light and love.
After I recite a short meditation prayer, I invite anyone who feels moved, to share an appreciation for or a fond memory of JoAnne to help us celebrate her life here together.
Mother, you have left your physical form.
May you be at peace, may you be free.
You are One with all that is.
You are One with me.
You are One with all that is.
You are One with all of us.