Mom passed away on Monday, December 25, 2023 at the age of 93, and I, was blessed to be with her.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Eugen and Luise Speck; her husband, Kenneth A. Comer; her sisters, Irmgard and Herta and her brothers, Rolf and Hans Speck. Left to remember her are her son, Michael and his wife, Cindy of Williamsburg, VA; her grandchildren, Nathaniel (Leslie) and Casey of Gloucester, VA; her great-grandson, Christian of Gloucester, VA; her brother, Harald (Gudrun) Speck of Canada and many nieces and nephews in Germany and Pittsburg, PA.
Mom was a loving mother and grandmother and would light up when she saw Christian. She was a tough, hardworking woman. She was born in Karlsruhe Germany and grew up during WWII. Her family never had much, but they had each other and they survived. Mom and dad met in Germany after the war and were married in the U.S. in 1952. She learned how to be an Army wife and moved to many states and Germany twice, finally settling in Newport News in 1967 when my dad went to Vietnam. At that time, mom went to work at J.C. Penney’s in the old Newmarket Shopping Center in Newport News. She sold shoes and in a short time became the department manager. Those were the days of commission and mom was a hard worker so she did well. After 20 years, mom retired to spend time in her yard and weekends at her camper in Gloucester Point with dad. Dad passed away in 2012.
Mom’s health began to decline over the past 8 years and in 2022 she moved into Edgeworth Park Assisted Living facility in Williamsburg. Due to increasing decline in her health, she moved to Sanders Long Term Care in Gloucester in 2023. The Sanders staff was wonderful and treated mom with great respect and compassion.
At mom’s request there was no picture even though we all thought she was beautiful, she was always right, so I complied. A Graveside Service will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at Peninsula Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, please take time to love and appreciate your family this holiday season and throughout the year.
