Memories from Robin  Ritchie Barton (Daughter)

      Mom blessed me in many ways that I had just considered "normal" but have gradually discovered that were not.  I always knew that I was greatly loved by her and, as an adult, I now see what a great gift that was. Not only did she love me intensely, but she included without question anyone who was in my circle of friends. This was always precious to me, as I knew that I "had it good" at home.   I also had not realized that my love of being a girl yet not always having to be "girly" probably came from modeling after her, as well as from the encouragement of my dad (if you don't know me, I'm outdoorsy, take martial arts, get very dirty in the garden, but still like to dress up; sound familiar?).  Much of my childhood relationship with her is a blur, but I have since pinpointed many things that she taught me (not all serious): how to be organized, how to care about others, how to clean stuff, how to look on the bright side, how to manage money and be responsible with it, how to make moist stuffing, how to set the table properly, how to balance a general ledger. She also taught me that I don't like most German food! Fortunately, I didn't have to eat much of it. I remember opening the refrigerator once to a huge cow tongue sitting on the shelf right in front of my face - ew! I got her back, though, when my 7th grade friend and I dissected a squirrel in the back yard and then forgot that we had put the digestive parts in styrofoam cups in the freezer.  She did, however, teach me to try adventurous foods, which I love doing to this day.

       One "bonding moment" I do remember is when she and I discovered that "our cat" was not really ours. Months before, a cat had wandered into our backyard and was clearly hungry. Being naive (or not), I brought it inside and we fed and loved on it. The cat immediately lay in the middle of the floor and decided that it would live with us from then on.  Once some neighbors confirmed that it was a stray and had been hanging around their house for some time, we adopted Marmalade.  Imagine our surprise when, 6 months later, a family from across the canyon left a message for us that the cat, who had been theirs, had wandered back to their house and had a collar with our name on it.  We cried and cried before calling them back. We should have called sooner because they wanted to know when we  were going to come and pick up our cat!

       I also distinctly remember having to plan a phone call to her, not because I was in trouble, but because I didn't want to worry her. My friend Colleen and I had been riding our bikes from my house to hers to get something (she was spending the weekend) and were making a left turn.  A speeding car packed with teens coming from the opposite direction did not also turn left, as their turn signal indicated. The car hit me and I flew off my bike, but was just bruised and sore. We walked our bikes the rest of the way to her house because mine was broken, but needed a ride back home.   I dreaded telling my mom that I'd been hit by a car. I finally blurted out "Um, I kind of, um, gothitbyacarBUTI'MOKAY..." and she handled it calmly and planned to come and pick us up. Later, I expressed my surprise at her composure.  She replied "Well, all my life I have been worried about you being hit by a car. Now that it's happened and you are not badly hurt, I suppose I don't have worry about it anymore." Wow, I guess that's where I get my positive attitude from.

       When I was in college, I remember her taking the time to have an "official" discussion with our church college group to go over the political issues of the upcoming elections. She was always very knowledgeable in this area (and I have never been very interested) and was very helpful to us. Most recently, she was passionate about helping others by starting a support group at her local hospital for people going through conditions similar to hers. She loved to have any reason to get together and talk with people.

      Since I moved to Missouri with my husband shortly after being married, we did not get to spend as much time together as adults as we would have liked. But our annual visits were always fun and usually included a trip for a big huge ice cream somewhere.  Like I said, she taught me well!