And There Shall Be No More Death - Sept 14th

It has been two weeks since Beth passed. I am not yet ready to write about all of the pain, all of the mircales, all of the love, all of the long nights, all of the thoughts that have filled my head over the past two weeks. I just don't have the energy to do so yet. Therefore I will share a General Conference talk from this past April. Elder Paul Johnson perfectly explains that despite the deep sadness and loss I feel why I am able to keep moving forward.  I know I will see Beth again.



I will also share some of the images that our friend Lee Ann Norris captured from the services this weekend.  What an amazing job she did.  Thank you!

More posts are coming.  I can't say when, but I do have much to say.

Hardship vs Happiness - Sept 12th

Beth taught me so much. I miss learning from her. She posted this 6 months before her passing.  Long live #TheBethEffect 

Now Here's a Little Story I've Got to Tell... Sept 7th

Well, it's looking like another sleepless night for me. I've had about 5 hours of sleep TOTAL over the last two nights.

So since we are still all up, I thought I'd share with you a funny story about some of the last words Beth spoke. It was 3 days before she passed (Sunday). It was the last day she was able to really talk. I helped her sit up to use the bathroom. She was so weak that I had to hold her up so that she wouldn't tip over. As we sat on the side of the bed, my arm wrapped around her holding her up, we waited for her to gain strength to try and move to the toilet. Out of nowhere she very faintly started rapping the opening verse of the Beastie Boys, Paul Revere - "Now here's a little story I've got to tell about 3 bad brothers you know so well..."   

I just love that crazy, spunky girl. She was so funny and full of life up till the very end. I laughed and just imagined her laying in bed all that time reciting song lyrics in her head. 

I think a lot of her friends would be surprised to know exactly how much rap and hip hop Beth listened to. She would always listen to the edited versions and she always would make me laugh anytime she would hear one of her favorite rap songs but accidentally hear the unedited version. She was always so shocked and upset that they were using foul language. "Why does Tupac have to curse so much". She cracked me up.

I wish I could find out how many people's lasts words were lyrics to a Beastie Boys song. I'm serious, I think she said maybe 3 more words after her impromptu rap session (for the record those last 3 words were "l love you").  

Man I miss her so much.

Disclaimer: Beth would want me to point out that in this picture she was NOT miserably failing at throwing up the "Westside" W sign.  Her missionary companion took this picture on their P-day and Beth was saying " Only 3 more months till I come home".  

Obituary for Bethany Campbell Mowrey

www.brunners.com/obituaries/Bethany-Mowrey/#!/Obituary

Obituary for Bethany Campbell Mowrey

Bethany Campbell Mowrey age 40 of Hudson, OH, formerly of Redondo Beach, CA, died Wednesday August 31, 2016 at home surrounded by her family. She was born March 1, 1976 in Torrance, CA.

Bethany loved being a wife of 17 years to Alan Mowrey and mother to Benson, Ella, Caroline & Lily Mowrey, daughter to Neal and Nancy Campbell, sister to David Campbell and Christi (Michael) Cluff, aunt to Chancellor Campbell, London, Ashton, Holland, Joseph, Alexander, Truman & Elijah Cluff, Emily and Anna Crow, sister in law to Randall Lopez and dog lover to Poppy.

She is preceded in death by her sister Rebecca Lopez, niece: Sam Lopez and nephew Bo Lopez.

The family will receive friends from 4-7 pm Friday September 9, 2016 and 10- 11 am Saturday September 10, 2016 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 8751 Kirtland Rd, Kirtland, OH 44094.

The funeral service will be 11 am Saturday September 10, 2016 at the church.

Interment: North Kirtland Cemetery, Kirtland, Ohio.

Arrangements Entrusted to Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave. Mentor, OH. 44060.

Send flowers or offer condolences at www.brunners.com

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Bethany Campbell Mowrey please visit ourSympathy Store.

I'm Trying - Sept 1st

Beth’s services will take place on Sept 9th and Sept 10th.  Both the viewing on Sept 9th from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. and the funeral services on Sept 10th at 10 A.M. will take place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Kirtland Ohio (8751 Kirtland Rd, Kirtland, OH 44094), which is about 30 minutes east of Cleveland.  More complete details coming within the next day or so.

I thought I knew what today was going to be like. I knew the “day after” would be hard but today was so much harder than I expected. I feel a physical emptiness in my stomach.  Numb. I am really struggling.  I’m so heartbroken I can barely think straight.  Beth and I were a team.  We were such a great team.  We complimented each other so perfectly. I am struggling to envision doing this without my partner in crime.   

Lily also had a hard time today.  We spent a lot of time crying together.  She wants everything to go back to normal.  She doesn’t want us to move anything, pack away any of Beth’s stuff and she wants everyone to stop acting like things are normal. I am 100% with her.  

I think this will be the last blog post for a while; probably until at least after the funeral. I have not yet decided if I will continue to post on this site.  I feel like I need to close this story, print it out and put it on the shelf so that the #TheBethEffect can live on. So that our kids and our grandkids can pick it up and read about how amazing their mother/grandmother was.  

Then there is the other part of me that wants to continue on. To keep Beth close to us. To see how the #TheBethEffect will continue to permeate our lives as we adjust and move on.

To continue or not to continue is just one of the hundreds of concerns and worries that I have thought of today.  We’ll see.

Lastly, just a little glimpse into what a complete mess I am.  Today I was putting some things away and noticed a jacket that had been hanging on a hook on the back of the door leading to the garage. It had been there for a very long time.  I grabbed it off the hook and there under the jacket was Beth’s purse that had been hanging in the same position for months now. I broke down sobbing knowing that the owner of that purse will never use it again. It has been the small things like this that have really gotten to me today.  I think I heard Beth yell down from heaven, “Dude pull yourself together”. I’m trying babe, I’m trying.