In Memory of My Mom, Lillian Tkachuk Grady....

Sadly on July 26, 2015 my Mom, Lillian Tkachuk Grady passed away in Florida.

She was 86 years young...
I was present when she died as she told the Family she did not want to die alone. She did not....she was surrounded by intense love by her Family.

Mom was born in Chihuahua, Mexico on June 27, 1929....her parents immigrated to America from Ukraine --Ellis Island in New York was overcrowded so she began her life's journey in Mexico.

Started out life in exceptionally poor, poor conditions....very limited food, limited clean drinking water, no real health care to speak of and crude housing at best with dirt floors.....

She was married to John Grady for 50 years who passed away in 2001.

Mom raised 5 children, her first child was Robert who would have been 65 yrs old but passed away in 1990...Mom was very proud of Robert or Bob as she called him as he was an attorney and was appointed a Federal Judge in Birmingham, Alabama prior to his death.

Mom's other children followed successful paths as well: her youngest is Sean, a prominent cosmetic dentist in
Virginia ; her only daughter Kara is a professional corporate writer residing in Idaho; her son Scott is recently retired from the federal government and was a very successful white-collar crime investigator with the Department of Defense. He resides in Bohannon, Virginia. Oh... and then me, Brian that's the crazy son living out in Las Vegas as a CPA & real estate broker! She was very proud of her children.

Mom was more than a loving mother. She was our Chauffeur before each of us could drive.... She was our personal Chef that made countless incredible home cooked meals from scratch, fit for a king....

....she was also our Referee as raising 4 boys is no easy task!...she was our in home Nurse to help us feel better when sick and give us hugs.....she was our in home Psychologist to help us 5 kids figure the twists/turns/disappointments life threw our way.

But most of all ----she was just a Fabulous Mom, an incredible, kind Mom with deep love and care for each of her kids that only fellow parents can truly understand.

Mom was also a proud grandmother to 6 wonderful Grandchildren that she adored and was very proud of....

The last 5 years of her life were very difficult with her declining health. But through it all she still kept a sense of humor. One of my Mom's favorite expressions about getting old was: "getting old is not for sissies"....funny but so true.

Her funeral and services are going to be in Massachusetts where she grew up as a young girl.... She only lived in Mexico for a few years and her family resided in Chelsea, Massachusetts for many years.



My Mom loved children immensely. The family has asked in Lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation that does so many incredible things for very sick/terminally ill kids.

Thank you all for your kindness during this most difficult time.

Mom...Rest In Peace. No more pain. No more doctors. No more needles. No more tears.

God loves you and we will all see each other again.

I asked Mom to put in a good word for me in Heaven when she was dying.... She smiled, so I'm taking that as a Yes!

Goodbye Mom. We love you and will miss you so much.

Lillian's funeral will be held at 10am on Saturday Aug. 1  at Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. Relatives and friends may visit with the family on Friday evening in the Funeral Home from 4-8pm. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lillian's name to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, One Bulfinch Place, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02114.

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