Writings of Constance Ore ( 1937 – 2010 )

Constance Louise (Schau) Ore, 72, Seward, died at her home near Seward, Neb. on September 16, 2010. She was Born October 11, 1937 to Hans and Agnes (Rothe) Schau in Crawford County, Iowa, and baptized, confirmed and married at St. Paul Lutheran Church (Hanover) near Charter Oak, Iowa. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education and Master’s Degree in Family Life Science from Concordia University, Seward. She taught elementary school in Chicago (1959-60) and Niles, Ill. (1960-61). She served as Director of Music at St. John Lutheran Church, Seward (1979-2001) where she was organist, choir director, and junior high music teacher. She wrote lyrics for “Come to Our Reunion” (1981) and “Ring, Bells, Ring” (1983) published by Augsburg Fortress. Connie enjoyed birdlife, travel, and entertaining and was known to her friends and family as an outstanding cook. In her last years, she documented her journey through MDS/AML [leukemia] in a weekly web journal titled “My New Life”.

Survived by Charles, her husband of 50 years; daughter and son-in-law, Heidi Ore and Jon Taylor, Lincoln; daughter and son-in-law, Janna and Todd Nugent, Lake Bluff, Ill.; son, John-Paul Ore; granddaughters, Zoie and Kira Taylore, Fiona and Ursula Nugent; brother and sister-in-law, Howard and Caroline Schau, Tuscon, Ariz.; brother and sister-in-law, Allen and Sharon Schau, Charter Oak, Iowa; uncle, Clifford Baak, Newell, Iowa.

Celebration of life service:
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 28
St. John Lutheran Church in Seward ^map
Pastor James Pragman officiating.

Potluck supper:
5:30 p.m., St. John Fellowship Hall to greet the family and honor “the cook.”

Memorials:
Concordia University
c/o Development – Ore Organ Scholarship
800 N. Columbia Ave
Seward, NE 68434

Memorial Service “A Celebration of Life”
Rev. James Pragman officiating
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Seward, NE
Tuesday 28 September, 7:30 PM

Potluck to preceed service
St. John’s Fellowship Hall – 5:30 PM

Memorials:
Concordia University
c/o Development – Ore Organ Scholarship
800 N Columbia Ave
Seward, NE 68434
Condolences:www.ConstanceOre.com

14 September 2010
An update from Constance’s Family:

Hello Friends,

Starting Sunday evening our dear Constance became unresponsive to verbal cues and entered a consciousness unconnected to our reality. Her lungs breathe and her heart beats, but as of Tuesday afternoon, we’re in our world, and she’s in hers. Occasionally, a loved one’s words or a joke summons her grin: rare, brief, and unmistakable. She’s being made ready for a journey to worlds unknown.

We are eager pupils of our hospice nurses who teach us how to keep Constance comfortable and clean, and at her bedside together the family shares meals, hymns, and Psalms.

We installed in her own bedroom a hospital bed near a window and her husband. It has mechanical tilting and an auto-variable-air-pressure mattress. After testing the bed with our own persons, we found it befitting the high standards Constance imparted to us.

We, Constance’s family, thank you for all for your heart-felt consolation, manifest in thoughts, words, and deeds. We invite your continued prayers, as often during this journey many of you have shared your optimism and Faith.

We will continue to use this web journal to describe Constance’s situation as it unfolds.

THE ORES

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
–Psalm 23 v. 4

What does this ending time feel like? To me, it is feeling sick most of the time, and that is accompanied by the great exhaustion. I weigh 116 pounds and I look very ill. When I saw myself in the morning recently, it made me cry. In visiting with the hospice nurse about how one would deal with getting pills into the system without eating I asked, “Do you mean one goes forward, consuming pills and water and nothing else?” She said “That’s right. . .we are now into ‘quality of life'” and that does mean trying to keep the suffering down”. This morning, feeling particularly morose, I breakfasted on a large quantity of pills and water. Doable, but not delightful. The question that hovers over the experience is “Why?” Those of us who go onward encased in our present bodies ask again and listen carefully. This query must surely be made by humanity all over the world but the answer will not be heard outside of eternity.

Days move forward with the summer’s end approaching. For our eyes, it announces itself through the lovely gatherings of dusty pink sedum and the sagging goldenrods that edge our space on every side. Cardinals and blue jays provide some color and the sound of the jay’s morning scolds is welcome after a summer season so rich with sound.

I determined to write a short poem for each day that I go forward. Sitting and waiting is too grim. Immediately, I find true poetry is not an easy thing, a fact that has been brought to my attention through vigorous paragraphs in books gotten from the library. Since there is no intent to wave the poems about, I will just write.

And yes, the conversation with God has gotten shrill at times; mostly though, the respite of music that bears beautiful text is always there, and comfort is found. and when one wants to shake a fist, the psalms provide many good words for outrage and fist-shakings.