Lillian remembered

On Monday (May 11), in response to a query from a friend,  I pored through the Albuquerque Journal’s obituary listings for August 2011. I didn’t find what my friend was looking for.
I did find an obituary notice for Lillian Cantrell, age 100, who died on Aug. 10 of that year. 
Oh my goodness. This had to be the Lillian Cantrell who worked for my family as a housekeeper — the term at the time was “cleaning lady” from roughly 1957-69. 
What a very hard life she had. 
Lillian lived in a poor section of Albuquerque’s South Valley. She made her living cleaning, doing laundry, etc., for ours and other households.
Her husband had deserted her and left her with three children, two of whom had a disability  (I don’t remember exactly what the disability was). Her other son died young, I believe in a car crash.
Yet, Lillian was unfailingly cheerful. She loved our first Welsh Terrier, Terry, and got along better than some of us did with our second, Binky, who had some temperament problems stemming — I believe — from inbreeding. She was always a welcome and comforting presence in our home.
I’ll never forget this, though I wish I could. At some point, someone broke into her home and stole, among other things, her TV. Thinking it a nice gesture, I rented a TV for her for some special occasion — her birthday, the Christmas holidays, something.
Dumb teenager that I was, I didn’t realize I could have BOUGHT her a freaking TV with the money I spent on the rental. Awful.
More awful still, I guess: As I went into the Army in September 1969, my parents split up. I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I guess at that point Lillian’s services were no longer needed. I don’t remember if my mother stayed in touch, but I know I never saw her again. I don’t remember the last time I even thought about her until I saw that obituary notice.
My God — 100 years. 
The obituary mentioned no family, just that there was to be a viewing that Aug. 14, followed by interment (cremation) two days later. 
Thinking of you now, Lillian, hoping too late is not too little. Rest In Peace.

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