Funeral Services for our mom

My mom is finally free from the anguish that Alzheimer's and Lewy Bodies has been putting her mind & body through. She was far too young to have been stricken with these diseases. It began slowly over 10 years ago. A scan at age 52 already showed plaque on her brain, but she still  flourished and didn't really begin showing noticeable symptoms until about 5 or so years ago. It seemed every year after that we witnessed slow, but definite cognitive decline. Then, after awhile she began experiencing balance problems. She and my dad were avid bike riders and she started finding it difficult to ride her bike. She was also a marathon runner and ran the St. George Marathon several times. Soon though, she and my dad had to start going to the gym for her to run because he worried too much about her getting lost when she'd go out for a run around the neighborhood. Then, as time marched on & these diseases became more & more aggressive, she began running less & either walked or rode a stationary bike because the Eventually, she & my dad had to give up on the gym. The past year, however, has been the most challenging in every way. Mom began forgetting who her children & grandchildren are & we knew she'd eventually not recognize her husband, our dad.  She started feeling afraid all the time, couldn't sleep at night, & cried much of the time. My dad would literally spend hours sitting on the couch, holding her in his arms, trying to comfort her &  relieve her of her fears. Unfortunately, after awhile, he could no longer comfort her because she didn't know who he was & that only made her even more afraid. My dad, my hero, cared for our mom day and night as long as he possible could. We convinced him that his health was suffering from lack of sleep & she needed to be cared for in a home away from home. Two months ago, we moved her into The Retreat at Sunriver, where every CNA immediately fell in love with her. How could they not, she has a spirit that lights up the room when she's in it & there's no denying that there's something indescribably special about our mom. She is quite literally the kindest, most loving person I've known. I've never met someone who has more love to share with everyone she meets. She always craved love as a child, but sadly never really received it & instead of allowing herself to feel bitter about that, she made a choice to show love to  everyone she met, so that they'd never feel unloved, at least not by her. I can't express how blessed we feel to have been given to a mother like her. I remember when I was in college, she asked me if I had a happy childhood & felt loved. I laughed aloud because it was the most utterly ridiculous question I'd ever been asked. We probably had more love flowing over us as children than we deserved, but that's my mom...never wanted anyone to feel unloved. Our request is out of our love for our mom...In lieu of flowers, we would like  to request a donation to assist in the cost of our mom's funeral services. We hope to provide her with a simple, yet beautiful service in her memory sometime next week. I'll post the date/time/place once we've met with the funeral director this Saturday. Our deepest, heartfelt gratitude goes out to each of you. With love, Joanna, Jason, Amanda, & Tara