Ask the Williamsburgers

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! My sister Julie and I are so blessed with such an extraordinary mother, Suzanne, whose unconditional love and friendship truly makes her such an incredible woman.

I often think back to the best story I have with my mom and it takes place around Christmas time when I was 8 years old. At that time, Titanic was a huge success and everyone had to have Rose’s sapphire necklace she wore in the movie. I saw it in the Avon catalog and begged my mom to get it for me for Christmas that year. The next week she had told me that she had tried to order it and it was all sold out – how disappointing! On Christmas Eve of that year, my mom took me for a ride and we stopped at the Woodbury Township building. She said to look for something in her purse and, lo and behold, there was the Titanic necklace I asked for. I don’t even have the necklace anymore, but I will forever cherish that moment with my mom. We talk about this from time to time and although she just thought it was a gift, it meant the world to me.

This got me thinking – what makes moms so special? I decided to ask some residents of Williamsburg on what makes their mom so special? Here is what a few had to say:

Carrie Schenk: Everything. But if I have to pick one thing specifically, I’d say her ability and strength to overcome challenges she has faced, and the ability to turn those challenges into meaningful lessons for her children and grandkids, as well as her ability to love, listen and support without judgment.

Zena Saylor: My mom is a wonderful mom – she is always there for me when I need her and I need someone to talk to – she’s my best friend. I love you, Mom!

Tina Brantner: Everything! My mom is our superhero. There isn’t anything that she hasn’t overcome or conquered. No matter how she feels she puts her children and grandchildren first. She is the most amazing mom – we couldn’t ask for better. She is our mom, best friend and support system. Her grandchildren think she is pretty awesome, too! We love her to the moon and back.

Veronica Hoover: I really wouldn’t even know where to begin. Everything about my mom is special. She raised 9 kids and never hesitated to take in our friends and other kids that were always around. She always, still to this day, has a home-cooked meal on the table almost nightly. I’ve never seen her house a mess – even when we were kids. She’s stood by my dad for 45 years now and counting. They came from nothing but they built their lives to be successful, built the best roofing business from the ground up, saved every dime to build a house on some land when I was little, and never stopped working her fingers to the bone. She now has about 40 grandkids and 8 great grandkids and is only 65 years! I’ve learned everything I know about cooking, canning, gardening, sewing, country music, laughing, loving, traveling, and just being yourself from her. She’s got grit and heart but is also a free spirit and would do anything for anyone. My mom, Ellie, is my best friend and I’m not sure how I could live a day without her in this world.

Katrisha Ropchock: She’s my rock, my best friend, my cheerleader and she teaches me the hardest lessons, but also there to catch me when I fall. She loves me unconditionally with every breath she takes, and is there to do so with my sons and my sister’s kids, also. She’s the most selfless person I know.