My beautiful mom passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, December 22, 2020.  She has left behind three daughters: Cathy Carbone, Jennifer Tate, and myself, Jessica Tate.  She has also left behind countless close family members and friends.  This has become the most devastating Christmas for us, and the pain brought on by her passing is indescribable.

My mom touched so many lives in her 68 years of living.  She was very dedicated to her job as a psychiatric nurse and worked two full time jobs for many years to support her daughters as a single mother.  She was hard-working, fierce, bold, brave, and strong-willed.  She continued to work full-time until last week when she could no longer physically continue working.  In addition to her lifetime career as a nurse, she spent many years devoting her minimal spare time to our church growing up.  Many still remember her as the always smiling, always dedicated "Ms Tate" who loved nothing more than organizing children's outings at church.

My mom and I grew very close over the last eight years when she left Roanoke, VA and moved to Virginia Beach to be closer to me.  She eventually moved in with my husband and me, and I was fortunate to be able to spend day in and day out with her.  We became best friends and were inseparable.  We ran errands, watched the same shows, cooked, cleaned, and walked around the block together every chance we could.  Over the last few years, I learned to appreciate all the small things in life that my mom loved.  Daisies were her favorite flower.  Fruit Gems were her favorite candy and she consumed two to three pieces every night after dinner. Visiting Aunt Edna and Uncle Stanley in Purcellville and going to the casino became one of her favorite things to "look forward to".  In addition, before COVID-19, she was a true movie lover, and we would often go to a movie or two weekly.  Once quarantine began and my work hours were cut from 40 to 24, we became even closer and binge watched the entire season of Avonlea, one of her favorite shows when I was in elementary school, all summer long. 

Many of you have reached out to my sisters, my family, and to me with kind words, thoughts, prayers, and requests on how to help honor my mom.  Her passing was such a shock that there was no real plan in place on how to handle funeral expenses.  My mom was memorable to many people for many reasons.  If you would like to do something small in her memory, a small donation to her memorial fund and the funeral expenses it entails would be truly appreciated.  If you would like to make a donation to a charity in her honor instead, my mom felt strongly about St. Jude's Children's Hospital and donated to them every month herself for years.

Thank you to each and every one of you for praying for my family during one of the hardest times we will ever experience, especially at Christmas.