My neighbor Vera

Vera Eggers, 1924-2019

  

I read the following at Vera's memorial service today:

Vera was my neighbor. I met her ten years ago when I first moved into the neighborhood. I enjoyed knowing older people, and Vera was the oldest person on the block. We did different things together, including going to performances and having tea and cookies in her kitchen. But what I remember most are our walks together. We walked slowly and noticed lots of little things. Vera knew each individual house in the neighborhood and could comment on what had changed: what had been newly planted, what tree had been removed, whose yard had been tidied up, whose yard had been neglected. We liked having specific destinations. Once we walked to the newly opened Sherwin Williams paint store, just to have a look. Another time, she and Dan and I walked to the nearby McDonalds to see the recent remodel. When Vera moved to Exeter House, we stopped walking together, but she continued to walk frequently in nearby Freeway Park and won a contest for most distance walked. When Exeter House closed and she moved to Ida Culver House in our neighborhood, we would walk together in the spacious grounds. Vera hung a string of beads on her walker to keep track of how many laps she did each day. Walking with Vera, I forgot my worries and lived in the moment. I miss our walks and I miss Vera.