The late Tepa Mostert

The late Tepa Mostert
With Birthday Flowers

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Our missionaries: Kristian and Kylie are home

The first of our grandchildren to serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Kristian and Kylie Mostert have both successfully completed their missions and returned to their new home in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Kristian, speaking Spanish and English, served for two years in the Las Vegas, NV Mission. He spent time in both Nevada and Kingman, Arizona.  For several months he served as one of the Assistants for the Mission President.  Kylie spent time in both New Mexico and Arizona as she served for 18 months in the Tucson, AZ Mission. She was called as an English speaking missionary, but had to learn some Spanish due to the large number of Spanish speakers in her mission. Kristian has resumed his schooling at Brigham Young University, along with his brother and sister: Karson and Kelsey. Kylie plans on returning to BYU later this year.

Their grandmother and I were most pleased with their desire to serve missions, as we had done in Finland in the late 1950s. Their father Kari, now a Colonel in the US Air Force, also served a Spanish speaking mission in the San Bernardino, CA Mission in the early 1980s.

How about that...three generations of Mostert Missionaries.

Tepa died Dec. 9, 2010

I don't know why I am just getting around to it, but I need to let those who follow this blog know that my wife of over 51 years Tepa (Terttu Tuulikki Aunola) died in a Champaign, IL nursing home the afternoon of December 9th 2011.  She was 75 years old.  She had several strokes that affected her life style. She suffered greatly from Osteo-Arthritis as well as Diabetes and other diseases. Just two weeks after we celebrated with all of our family members our 50th Wedding Anniversary in August 2010, Tepa suffered two strokes from which she never really recovered.  After rehabilitation for two months, she was able to come home and I, with paid and other help, was able to care for her until Fall of 2011.  Following several falls, she was confined to a hospital bed which we set up in the middle of our living room.  Then in September she was hospitalized with bladder infection.  Infection later traveled throughout her body, especially to her bottom, heels and lower legs. When taken back to the hospital for the infections they did all they could and we transferred her to the Heartland Medical Center in Champaign, which is where she was her last two months. Although not too lucid, I was able to understand her most of the time.  But finally she got to the point where she rarely opened her eyes and did not eat much. At her request we did not put her on medical life support and she passed quietly in her bed.  We held a Memorial Service for her on Dec. 27 and the next day I and sons Kari and Timo with Kari's two oldest sons: Kristian and Karson dedicated her and my graves near my mother's in the South Lineville, MO Cemetery and along with several of my cousins from the area of Mercer, MO scattered her ashes. A lovely gravestone is being engraved and will placed there in Spring 2012. The Cemetery contains Cox and Duncan family members graves dating back for over 170 years. I miss her.