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I am writing
to tell you the story of an incredible woman. Her name was Georgina Wallace
Cooper Lannigan Depruda. She was born in Scotland on February 13, 1902 and
left us on April 13, 2003 at the age of 101 years old. She came to the US
at age four, the eldest of five children. Along the way she lost her
youngest sister and her mother. At age 8 years old she and her siblings
were placed in an orphanage. There she learned how to cook, clean and take
care of children. Unfortunately she suffered from many illnesses as a young
woman and lost most of hearing and had very poor eye sight. However in
spite of or because of her hardships, Auntie, earned her teaching degree.
She later to moved to California to be with her sister. There she met a
young Philipino man, Louis Depruda. The two fell in love, but in order to
get married had to go Reno and prove that he wasn't of Asian, but Spanish
descent. Their marriage lasted for 40 plus years. They raised over 150
foster children. A core group of these children became their children in all
but blood. The cared for more than 500 children. Auntie survived Louis by
more than 20 years. During this time she continued to touch the lives of
many. First as a volunteer working with the "old people" at the Senior
Center, even though she was the oldest. She continued to teach more
generations of children. Finally when at 94 she could no longer care for
herself, her daughter Janet, got a chance to return the love and care she'd
been given. She cared for auntie unselfishly, with tremendous love and
patience. In this short letter I can't possibly convey all that Auntie did
nor all she met, but I wanted to make sure her story was out there and
hopefully preserved and shared.
Sincerely,
Marna Blanchard |
