Ree Foster Frye

On Joy and Sorrow  Kahlil Gibran Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, "Joy is greater thar sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater." But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall. After a remarkable and inspiring 89 years, Geneva Ree Templeman/Foster/Frye passed away on September 23, 2008. Courage and independence were the hallmarks of her long life. When at age 39 a tragic train accident took her husband Orland Foster, Geneva refused self-pity. Instead, she became the family’s bread-winner and raised four girls and two boys in a home marked by humor, humility and joy. As a result, many decades later her children share a unique and loving bond with each other and deep admiration for their mother. Born June 2, 1919 in Litchfield, Kentucky to Matthew and Cova Templeman, Geneva’s family moved to Urbana, Illinois for her high school years. There she met and married Orland in 1940. The first of six children came in 1942. The family moved to Chicago, Il in 1949, Grayslake, Il in 1952, and Zion, IL in 1953. They moved to El Paso, TX in 1962 where she remained for the rest of her life. Geneva’s greatest pleasure was her family. No one laughed louder at her offspring’s antics – especially the good-natured teasing – than Geneva. It is perhaps this precious laugh we will miss most at family gatherings. Her strength and wisdom have been an inspiration to the entire family. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will seek her example as a path to follow. Geneva is survived by her dear sister Aileen Holstlaw of Olney, Illinois, and six children: Sandra Karnatz of Mt. Prospect, Ill; Tom Foster of Prescott, AZ, Janice Benavidez of Murrieta, CA, and Linda Brown, Robert Foster and Deborah Foster of El Paso, TX.. She was blessed with 16 adoring grandchildren: Cheryl, Suzanne, Kim, Kari, Randall, Chris, Aaron, Kristi, Orland, Wendy, Michael, Shawn, Ryan, Michelle, Charlie, and Kimberly. She was also loved by 14 great grandchildren: Taylor, Lexi, Riley, Lukas, Sarah, Joseph, Cooper, Beckett, Leo, Brooke, Kayla, Drew, Kerrigan, and Samuel. A celebration of her life memorial service will be held at 3 PM, Saturday, October 4, 2008 at Sunset Funeral Home-Northeast, 4631 Hondo Pass, El Paso, Texas. In lieu of flowers donations are being joyfully accepted to: Maria A. Pena Scholarship El Paso Community College P.O. Box 20500, El Paso Texas 79998 and Pulmonary Hypertension Association, PHA at 801 Roder Road, suite 400, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast. Please visit on-line register book at www.sunsetfuneralhomes.net