Eulogy for Barbara Birt
(12/4/30-7/2/96)

as delivered by eldest son, John, on behalf of all of us

Barbara Birt;
Given by God on December 4, 1930, taken back by God, July 2, 1996.

Daughter of our Grandma, Marion Smith, for 65 years; 
Wife of Dad for 44 years;
Mother of 6, Grandmother of 13, friend of many.

I invite you to take a look around and see the number of people Mom touched during her life. When the question of who would do the eulogy came up, it seemed unanimous that the privilege should go to the to oldest; and what a privilege it is!
It is fitting that we gather together during the Independence Day Celebration of our country. Like our country's fight for freedom, Mom fought courageously for freedom from breast cancer, a hideous disease that shows no mercy or boundaries. Today, we celebrate Mom's life, and her freedom and independence from the pain, hospitals, IV's, helpful and well-meaning nurses looking for a good vein, blood tests that had become a part of Mom's life over the last 4 years.

Mom is here with us today. While her mortal body lies here before us, her God-given Spirit is with all of us in many different ways. We all have a new guardian angel to look after us. As she's watching this gathering, she's either saying, "don't make such a fuss over me", or "it's about time they fussed over me." Knowing Mom, I'm sure she is saying the former.

As I reflected and prayed over what I'd say today, I was reminded by a very good friend that eulogies fall under the jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is with His guidance, and that of our new guardian angel, that I come before you today.

So how do we remember Mom? What a question. I'm sure it's one we've all been pondering for the past few days. Not to put any of you Mom's down, our Mom was one of the best. The truly sad part is that I, and maybe WE, didn't realize it at the time. For all of our music lessons, baseball games at smelly OSO Park, track meets, band practices, and competitions, church activities, scouting, homework, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a million other things, including being a wife, housekeeper, and bookkeeper, Mom was there. I get exhausted just thinking about it and to think it was for 6 of us! So what's the big deal? Aren't Moms supposed to do all those things? Didn't God put that in their job descriptions when He made them? I wonder, if we were to go back in time, knowing what we know now, whether or not we would treat Mom with any more respect and appreciation than we did. Would any of us?

I guess the more important question is how would Mom like to be remembered? Mom devoted all of her time and energy to raising 6 kids and being a good wife. During the early years, she did much of the child rearing on her own since Dad's sailing career kept him away for long periods of time. Even though there was a large span between Jim and me, Mom always provided us with exceptional parental guidance, emphasizing education and religion in our lives. Mom was the matriarch of the family, the glue that kept us together, even though we had so many different things going on. Over the years, as we began to stand on our own, Mom developed a passion for arts and crafts. Today, many of her paintings, plaques and other handicrafts decorate many homes and businesses throughout Texas. The only other activity where Mom displayed as much passion was Aggie football. There was no way of knowing how the seeds of Aggie tradition would grow as the 6 of us entered and graduated from A&M. She became so engrossed in Aggie football and tradition, you would have thought she had created the 12th Man! Those of you who were around her on game day, know what I mean.

As I think back, I am reminded of one of Mom's most notable quotable phrases. It came at a time when we were temporarily misplaced on the map and Mom's directions were "straight ahead backwards!" I am reminded of the many trips to the ore docks in Duluth, the Imperial Sugar wharf in Galveston, and to the Reynolds Metals plant to meet Dad when he came home from weeks at sea. I am reminded of the pride in Mom's eyes when we all graduated from High School and Texas A&M. I am reminded of all the camping trips which always seemed to turn into true adventures.

Those of you who were around Mom here while we all were out making our marks on the world, might remember her active involvement in organizations like the Alter Rosary Society. She was always telling us of the fun things she was doing and the places she was going with you all.

I remember when it was decided that Mom and the girls would start an annual "mother/daughter getaway". They went on the first one to San Antonio; not knowing that the first one would also be the last.

Above all, I remember Mom as part of the Mom and Dad Team. In Modern  day wrestling terms, they would have been known as a
"tag team". This was especially true on one of those "wait until
your Dad gets home" days. Their strengths and weaknesses complimented each other and their love for each other, their kids, and their God served as an excellent example for all of us.

I think of the family reunion for their 40th anniversary. While we all had a great time and acted as if we'd left all our individual cares at home, there was a sense among some of us that Mom was not the same. Her steps were slower, her reach was shorter, and she seemed to tire more easily. In the short weeks that followed, the roads of life and mortality converged. During the next four years, Mom fought courageously for the life she enjoyed so much.

The Lord was setting His table for Mom and blessed us with time to accept Mom's impending departure from this world. He knew we would need it. To all of you who were a part of Mom's life, we thank you. Mom, we bid you farewell. We love you and we will miss you.

At this time, I would like each of the kids to come up and place one of the yellow roses on her casket as a sign of our love and final farewell.