Vignettes of Virginia

GINI THE ULTIMATE CARING LOVING EMERGENCY NURSE

Gini was not famous but she was a unique person. I know that most write glowing things about their departed loved ones. But she was unique. Not that it matters much for even now the memory of her fades and it isnt even 5 years. I am so glad I wrote down some memories 2-3 years ago or I wouldnt be able to write these. Someone might just enjoy knowing some of the uniqness of her person. If not well, I will enjoy writing for my own sake.

These items have no chronology. One day I just sat down and wrote notes about her. So each item is complete of itself. And altogether it will show how unique she was. It can be said of her that there will never be another Gini. Her sister and brother although they carry many of the same genes are not like her at all. How blessed and priviledged was I to have her to love and also how fortunate my children to have her as a mother.

She was a natural as an emergeny nurse. She loved it and often said she wouldn't have worked anywhere else in the hospital. She thrived on taking over ina time of crisis. She told me ofan incident when she was in nurses training. Something she was doing caused her to breakdown. The director of the school told her she just didn't have the steel to be a nurse. Gini who was planning on being a missionary nurse asked for another chance. Gini decided then and there no matter how she felt inside no one would see her

sweat. That prepared her to be a special emergency nurse.

But she wasn't cocky and always avoided the limelight, but also wanted to be a part of the action. She was actually shy in front of an audience, especially when she was to sing a solo. Many would look at her play the piano effortlessly. But only I knew that she was still the shy girl and I would notice her dress shake as she sat at the piano or organ, but her expression was one of nonchelance. She looked around as she played so effortlessly. She played with gusto on the piano. Her dad heard her practicing one day and came in and said.... play with some feeling and passion. Gini often said she played a piano more like a man than a woman because of her dad.

She was a city girl but she was trained by her father who had grown up on a

South Dakota farm at Sumitt SD. When her parents build a cabin on the North shore of Superior she helped her dad haul rock to make a fireplace etc etc. She was then a bit of a tom boy. After we were engaged I brought her out to the farm for the opening of pheasant season. Lots of cousins etc were there. All the wives were in the house talking about ladies things. But Gini said she wanted to go with the hunters to do some target clay pigeon shooting. After we shot for a while she wanted to try a shot and she blasted the clay pigeon on the first shot. My dad who had been cool to Gini because she was "taking his son from the farm" exclaimed "By Gul she can even shoot a gun." It broke the logjam and when we went hunting Gini walked the cornfields next him. At one point Gini stepped in some mud and got her feet wet. My dad took her in to nearby Danube and bought her some new anklets. Later Gini was changing clothes upstairs at the farm house and somehow got the key in door and it broke off and she couldnt get out. She sent word down to me and my dad then took over and pryed the door open. the pry marks are still there to this day.

Gini was remembered as someone who never played favorites or was clickish. As her friend said.... she was the same to everyone. We had a neighbor lady near the farm that was in some ways a little crude etc. Gini took her in and she would come over just to talk to Gini but felt the others didnt have time for her

Sandy Fuhr who is now also in glory at the time of Gini's departure who and expressed her thoughts about Gini. She wrote in March 2005 not long after Gini passed.

"Gini was really a reasissance woman. She did it all. She made a home not for her family where ever she was, but she invited in the whole neighborhood, whether it was in Viet Nam or Renville County. I think I met her for the first time in the bookstoreas a not very seasoned Christian. She was warm, excited about introducing people to good Christian thinkers and writers, but mostly she seemed to always have time to listen to the heartaches of her customers. She was a believer in the deepest, most loyal parts of her inner being, she trusted God. Steadfast, such a formal word and she wasn't especially formal, she loved to laugh and have fun. Gini was a called out one and I think the nursing was another manifestation of a vocational response to serving peoples need. Her music mad us cry so many times over the years, because her heart infiltrated the music and it touched the deep places in us. Darrell was one of the lucky ones and he literally spent thousands of hours playing hymns and choruses with Gini praising God. He loved harmonizing with her beautiful alto voice. None of the roles whe had were very easy, but she never made anything look hard. She was the most beautiful testimoney of a very loving, supportive wife and mother, and yes she was so much more. The legacy will be in the poeple she touched. For you, her family these are shocking, devasting days. No one was ready or expecting her to leave so soon. But she built strength and heart into each one of you. You are more than you can even imagine right now. She's with the One she loved so much and she's helping Him get our places prepared. Love Sandy and Darrell."

(Well Sandy left for glory and no one was prepared or expecting her to leave so soon.... your with Gini now too). Just recently I was with crystal Dahmes who was in our church. They lost their son in a accident. Gini's life came up.... she said...."I have never met anyone like her." Well crystal there are many more who agree with you....

Gini didnt worry about money. She bought good stuff but always kept us in the black. She told how one time she went shopping with her mother and her mother said here this looks cute on you.... but only after checking the price tag. But her dad would take her shopping and pick out the best dress and never look at the price tag.

She was game to try anything. When I had my neck operation I could not mow the lawn. We had a large lawn and the mower which was a rider would cut but it would not move forward. So Gini said ok kids dad will steer and we will push the riding mower.... That was vintage Gini. When we first came to the farm, Gini and I would pick some of my dads old hand tools and just make some repairs and remodeling. We did it together with great joy.

Gini could be down right heroic. During our stay in VN I was gone to Saigon. When I returned to Danang the town was locked down in martial law. While I was gone there were riots. One day driving to grocery story she happened upon someone who had been hanged by barbed wire. During the riots the rioters came to the french school where Heidi was in school. Gini just walked right through the demonstrators and got Heidi and returned home.

In Viet Nam she could meet a five star general like Marine general Walt and not blink and eye and offer small talk and quips. During the time VN was falling and there was a breakdown of law and order she never blinked. In my career there were sometimes that I came under fire. Her strength made it known that if anyone was to get to me they had to come through

her. This she did without any fan fare, just naturally she rose to any occasion. While we were in VN Bob hope brought a new years show to the troops in Danang. She was called backstage to help the visiting starlets get dressed and ready. She help sooth the nerves of Miss World, and Janice Paige. To her they were just people who she could help and calm down.

Spiritually she grew up in Simpson Memorial CMA church near university and snelling in the Midway district of St. Paul. She tells about how she used to blow peas unto the stage for the visiting speakers. But the speaker said "if Jesus were to come tonight I would be ready. That got her attention. Sometime in the quiet of the night she would fear the Lord had come and she was left behind. So she would go into her sisters room. Sharon was there but Gini thot maybe she had gone and her body was left. So she would pinch her and when Sharon cried she knew the Lord had not come yet. So she repented and received the Lord. This was when she was about 9-10. She sang with two other girls and they were called the 3 half notes. They needed to stand on a riser to reach the mike. One time they were singing at church and they started to get the giggles. Gini said just think about your grandfathers funeral... And then they burst into laughter and had to run off the stage. Her parents werent to happy about this. She loved to play the organ. She was priviledged to be an organ student of the most famous organist in the twin cities. His name was Theodore Bergman. He actually came to our wedding. After I came to St. Paul Bible College, she would go into the chapel and play the organ just for me. It was a deeply spiritual experience.

She could hear from the Lord. When VN was falling I had gone to Saigon for a field committee meeting. At the meeting we were deciding to leave the country and sending some families home and others to phillipines etc. etc. It was at this meeting that a decision was made for our family to go to Australia and I would teach in the seminary in Canberra. So when I got home and I was walking down the path to our house she came out to meet me and I said.... Guess where we will be going??? She nonchalantly said Oh! we are going to Australia. Then later when thinking about moving to australia she felt led to pray for a 4 bedroom house. I thought that was a bit presumptious. But guess what when we got there they had rented a house with 4 bedrooms.... Another time we were in Nhatrang and a misionary was buying a van for us in Saigon. Gini prayed... "OH! by the way Lord make it a green one. Guess what it was green.


Her heroism and special character was part of the last hours of her life. When she started getting TIA's in her left hand she knew this could lead to a stroke. Because of this she saw Dr. Medrud in Redwood Falls. He also noted that her blood pressure was elevated. When you have TIA's it points to a possible stroke. But there are two kinds of strokes very different. One is a blockage in a bloodvessel in the brain. In this event they need to thin the blood. But TIA symptoms could point to a different stroke which is a "bleeder"... That is blood a hemorage in the brain. The ratio is 70 -40 that it will be a blockage in the brain. The Dr. went with the averages and gave her a very strong blood thinner. (He could have ordered a simple brain scan) It turned out that a blood thinner was just the wrong thing because Gini had a "bleeder"

I never thought of it at the time and I am sure she didnt either, but when we were going together at Bible College she had problems with her blood not clotting. She and Louise Anderson a friend who was a nurse had discussed these two posibilities. So when the Dr. came back on that fateful sunday morning and called out the words. "Its a bleeder" Gini knew how serious it was. While I was calling Heidi Blair Anderson prayed with her and asked her if she was willing to be healed or to go to the Lord. She calmly said I am ready for either. As told elsewhere when she was about to be placed in the ambulance.... HER CONCERN was not for herself but for me. She said to Louise "I am so concerned for Orrel, Take care of him because he is so soft harded" So her personality of confidence was with her till she passed over. One in 10,000 will ever be like Gini .... How could God make such a wonderful person like Gini and then I had the priviledge of being with her for 47 years.. She never exuded superiority because she never felt superior. Just pleasantly and joyfully confident.

"I died with her - though I still live in the flesh. Now its like two paralell universes. The old universe seems so real and the new one so strange and odd. As the old world tends to fade. It makes me so sad. These two universes are now sometimes in conflict. Or better yet I slip into an almost altered state and I return to the old reality and JUST BE WITH HER. If I could enter a time warp and go back I would in it in a heart beat.....