5th Anniversary of Death of Hilda van Stockum

Remembrances of Hilda van Stockum (1908-2006) October 20, 2011 - All Six of Her Children Have Posted Remembrances. Her Fifth Anniversary is November 1, 2011 - All Saints' Day.

OLGA (Joan in The Mitchells Series) has for 51 years been based in Nairobi, Kenya, and in June 2011 received an honorary D.Litt. degree from Strathmore  University in Nairobi. She writes from the Navarre Clinic in Pamplona, Spain: "Mother liked to say that we were a family that knew how to love. I think this is very true. Our parents lived for us, and we grew up very close to one another..." More   Hilda van Stockum with Her Self-Portrait BRIGID (Patsy) writes from Berkhamsted, Herts., UK, where she paints and writes, living near her sons Chris and Desmond and Desmond's wife Anna and son Ivan: "Mother often seems to be near me. She was a larger than life person and I can detect parts of me as I get older that are parts of her. I feel in a way she has gone ahead into the unknown valley of death to help us cross the barrier when the time comes..." RANDAL (Peter) writes from Ottawa, Canada, where he teaches at Carleton University and Ottawa University, writes articles about Wikileaks and propaganda, lives with his wife Elaine and keeps in touch with their six children, two of whom have married: "We know Mom thought a lot about her duties as wife and mother. In an interview, when someone asked how she could write, paint and raise a family all at the same time, she replied 'by neglecting my duties.' One day (or night) she had an epiphany about her duties as wife..." SHEILA (Angela) writes from the High Elms Manor in Garston, near Watford, Herts., UK, where her four daughters and spouses, grandchildren and friends live under the same grand roof: "After five years, the memory of Mother has not faded but is just as strong. I have become far more appreciative of her books and paintings..." JOHN (Timmy) is writing from New York City, where he teaches at NYU and Pace Universities, manages Boissevain Books, engages with the media and lives with his wife of 40 years, Alice. They visit frequently with their two nearby children: "We can't know how Mom has changed in the last five years! But the five years since her death have given me so much better an appreciation of who she was and how she got there. Her letters and unpublished manuscripts, as well as her published books and paintings and photographs..." LIZ (Catherine) writes from London, where she lives with her husband Cliff Paice and is called on frequently for babysitting for their grandchildren. They have two married daughters and a married son: "I find myself remembering Mom's sayings. 'Writers write. Painters paint. If you haven't got time just now, you aren't a writer or a painter.' ..."   More To add your own remembrances, go to Facebook or NY Times Legacy.