I remember the first morning I was to start work, there on the San Jose Mercury News front page was a big story about how Steve Jobs was out of Apple. I remember calling my Mom that night, and telling her everything about my day, including the Steve Jobs article. She never understood my career exactly, but did understand the players in my industry and last year when Jobs passed away, she called me and we talked about that day in 1985.

The thing about my Mom was, a phone call was not just a phone call. It was a talk show, and she was the host. Funny thing about those two years of being single, making money and having lots of time on my hands is I spent a lot of time on the phone with my Mom and future wife, and both were very inquisitive. The phones calls would last for hours.

I remember my Mom’s favorite restaurant in Orange County was Captain Jack’s in Seal Beach near HB. That is where my parents met Kelly Marie Mitchell while I was going to school. Since then she always expressed a lot of fondness for Kelly, not so much about other girls (all my friends as a matter of fact), but loved Kelly. Yep, strange I fell in love with a Kelly, same name as my sister. But I think she loved Kelly Marie at that time especially because she was a primary reason why I traveled back to So. Cal almost every weekend I had a chance – just to have a date with Kelly – and that meant I would be staying with Mom. Eventually in 1987 Kelly and I married.

Here’s my mom at Kelly’s shower.

Here’s some wedding pics from Nov. 1987

Ok, my Grandmas…CUTE!

If you look carefully those Grandmas are in my Mom and Dad’s wedding snaps 30 years prior. They just didn’t have the better cameras back then.

So Kelly and I bought a house in San Jose, had a baby (Michael), and then another (James). We often visited our parents in So. Cal. Here is a visit in 1989 at the Huntington Beach condo.

Here’s my Mom playing with Michael and my Grandma Gertie with James.

In 1994 Kelly was pregnant again, I think by the start of 1995 we all knew she would be a girl.

I am now going to break from Father Shea’s suggestion I only focus on the good things. I am only putting down it here because this one bad thing led to a very good thing.

Margaret Weimer called her son in the spring of 1995 and told him she had liver/colon cancer. It was shortly thereafter I learned that is was in-operable cancer, and terminal.

All of us came up with a plan. Kelly, pregnant with Sarah and wanting a bigger house decided we should buy a larger house in Campbell. My Mom (and Kelly) decided my parents would purchase the San Jose house. It was all done before the summer.

We researched, and found some great doctors. I’ll never forget the first appointment. It was with a Dr. James Cohen recommended by Kelly’s friend Kim. And he asked why the Doctors in Orange County didn’t operate. My Mom said, because they said it was impossible. Dr. Cohen shook his head and said, :well we are more agressive here I guess”.

He recommended Dr. Gutman (yes, that is the name)…the surgery lasted about 4 hours, My dad, my Dad’s brother Oliver, and his wife Lorraine and I sat there at the hospital biting nails during it all. Then Dr. Gutman came out with a smile on his face and said “Mr. Weimer, she’ll be fine, I got it all out, it was a good surgery”. I said “Huh?, what do mean you got it all out?”.

Sounded cocky yes, but man oh man, he sure was sure. I told Dr. Cohen about this, and he said something about surgeons always thinking they’re Gods and said “I’ll decide when it is ‘all out’ of your mother”.

He then proceeded to chemo the heck out of her within an intense short period of time. By July 1995 her treatment was over. Here’s a pic in June with her newborn grand daughter.

We didn’t know it then. But my Mom was cured, and lived another 17 years near us in San Jose.