Stephanie Balch
Later Years
Stephanie and Eugenio settled into a very happy, quiet family-centred life in their later years. They lived two doors down from me, and there were many cups of tea in the afternoon, family dinners, happy hours and even the occasional wild party.. Their little dog Pepsi was the centre of their lives - man, that dog was spoiled! But she was sweet and gentle and brought them great joy.
When Stephanie was in her late seventies, she began to suffer some memory lapses and slowly, over the next several years, dementia robbed this brilliant, sweet lady of the full life she so deserved. It took her memories, her intellect, her reasoning, but it could not take her sweet smile, her twinkling blue eyes, and her loving nature.
The stories on this page are from this period in Stephanie’s life.
Stephanie’s grandson Jeffrey wrote this poem in honour of his Nana after her death in 2018.
Harmony Bell
A harmony bell, once hung from her neck,
Enchanting the boy below;
With a melody soft, and sweet as the soul,
Of a woman we’re lucky to ’ve known.
For eighty-eight years, she brightened our world,
With her smile, her laugh and her song;
From far and from near, she guided our path,
With us, she’s been all along.
Even when she, was without memory,
Her spirit continued to teach;
If she could be pleasant, and bear no resentment,
Surely then, so could we each.
That harmony bell was given to me,
A relic of when I was small;
On the day of her passing, through chance or through asking,
She’d visit, as peace and calm.
For my boy you see, was small just as me,
When he heard her harmony call;
So enamoured was he, by our Stephanie,
He no longer continued to bawl.
Reflecting on why, he was ceasing to cry,
I believe she was saying farewell;
With a love that now lingers, like his little fingers,
On grandmother’s harmony bell.
I pray that my son, will remember her face,
But truly, I fear he will not;
So I’ll tell him the stories, and share in her glory,
When the harmony’s all that we’ve got.
