E. Jill Blahnik

A tribute to Jill from her loving family

Thessalonians 5:16

Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

I believe this is how our Mom lived her life. We are all here because Jill, our Mom, has touched many lives and we want to celebrate her life. She is our Dad's soul mate, our mom, a wonderful grandma, a twin sister, (Jack and Jill), cousin, aunt and your good friend.

What a remarkable, wonderful lady. Dad, she loved you so much and was very proud of you, too. You were always there for each other. Their marriage of 52 years consisted of 4 children, 9 grandchildren and many pets, too � hello Batman. Mom loved her family very much. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy � she dearly loved every one of them and would do anything for them. She always had cookies, donuts, and chips for them. Her door was always open to them, their friends and pets, and a couple of our kids, too. She loved the family being all together eating and laughing.

Mom had a great sense of humor, great laugh, contagious smile, and was kind to everyone. She would talk to anyone and make them welcome and important. You would become her friend instantly. Mom loved her friends, playing bridge, going to lunch, going to the casino with Dad, bible study, new clothes, music, Ohio State football, actually sports, and would love to wager bets on them, too.

Mom had a tremendous faith in God and would pray about everything. If you ever went to her with a problem and wanted an answer or advice, she would say, "let's pray about it, don't worry, and it will all work out � trust � sometimes we would think, "are you kidding?" But, it always did work out. Her faith in God was steadfast and true. Even with her many health issues she never complained or looked at them as obstacles. She only looked at her blessings and lived each and every day to its fullest. Mom would always laugh with us, listen to us, hurt with us, and pray for us.

Steve, Teresa, David and I have been truly blessed with a wonderful Mom. She taught us to love God and trust him. She showed us how to have courage, confidence, how to be kind and giving to everyone, and to pursue our dreams. So thanks for giving us those wings to fly with, but also roots to come home to. We will all remember our Mom with our own fond memories - they will make us laugh, cry and even smile a lot. We will miss her dearly, but the void in our hearts will be filled every time we think of her because her love for each and everyone of us has been engraved in our hearts.

Mom, we all love you very much and we are all OK because of you. Dad, you did so much for her. You were her strength and always walked arm and arm with her. So Mom, always "Thumbs Up", and Happy Mother's Day.

John 11:25

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. "Do you believe this? I know Mom did.