Pamela Boldman remembers her mother, Jeannette Green, 92, as a strong, independent and curious woman.
But she also remembers her as a good friend that made her laugh.
Green, 92, died from COVID-19 April 28.
Jeannette was a single parent in the 1960s in Ohio, long before it became common. And though she was involved in scouting, both Boys and Girls, her primary centerpiece was always her family. She loved attending her kids sporting events and musicals.
But more importantly she held her and her brother, Craig, together as a family, Pamela said. “You don’t think of these things as a child but looking back she had to make all these hurdles just to … She did an excellent job keeping our family together.”
The family was living in Ohio back then, later moved to Illinois after her second marriage, then DeWitt, Iowa and eventually Davenport.
From the 1970s on, it was Iowa, Pamela said.
Still, from the way she tried to look after her from Ohio, as well as the way Pamela spoke of her mother, the friendship existed to the very end.
“I just enjoyed her as a mother but a friend,” Pamela said. Their relationship was more like “girlfriend to girlfriend,” Pamela said.
Her mother loved to sing, and also played the piano. “She had a lovely singing voice,” Pamela said, eventually singing in the First Presbyterian Church Choir in Davenport for many years. “She played the piano, but I think it was her singing that she most enjoyed.”
An excellent chemistry student and a graduate of Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia majoring in home economics she eventually worked for 15-plus years for the Visiting Nurses Association in Iowa until she was 70, where she earned praise for her work.
Before that she had a hand in not only raising her three kids but three additional stepchildren. She was a talented sewer but still she kept unique aspects of her personality intact after all the kids were out of the house.
“Very independent,” Pamela recalled. “Very curious woman.”
So curious that she explored the Buddhist faith and it’s teachings, though remaining true to her Christian roots from her childhood in Pennsylvania. “She liked to explore new things,” Pamela said. “She enjoyed trying out new foods, whether she was preparing them herself or not. She liked to try new things. She liked to look out in the world and explore new things.
“She grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania,” Pamela said before adding, “She always maintained her curiosity about other cultures and religions.”
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