Cherished Memories Memorial Chapel

How to Cope with Grief during the Holidays Getting through the first Holidays following the death of a loved one can be bittersweet. How you celebrate is very unique, as is with grief. People grieve the way they live, and holidays are no exception. Here are some survival tips that may help you during this sensitive time: 1) Trust That Grief is Part of Healing... Time does not heal the pain associated with your loss; it’s what you do with the time that matters. Grief is the process by which you begin to heal. Experience the pain instead of seeking ways to escape it-this can actually help you feel better in the long term. 2) Set Healthy Boundaries It’s okay to limit your decorations or to avoid the holiday atmosphere by shopping online for presents. Pick a few things you can do to assert some control over the holiday cheer. Keep in mind that life goes on for other people and it’s ok that they’re happy to celebrate the holiday. 3) Allow Yourself to Feel Range of Emotions Create a special way to commemorate the person you lost. A simple gesture can go a long way-whether lighting a memorial candle, cooking their favorite meal, or hanging a special ornament on the tree. 4) Create New Traditions Don’t be afraid to create new or alter old traditions to make them fit with the new phase of your life. 5) Do Something Kind for Others Even in the midst of grief, you still have something to offer the world. Performing a few acts of kindness can be good for the body and soul. Grief is a heavy burden to bare, especially during the holidays. Do not be afraid to reach out to a loved one for comfort. We will never forget our loved ones, as they will always be in our hearts. The holidays are a perfect occasion to reflect and connect with those who have made us who we are today. May you have a holiday season filled with joy and love.

Remember & Honor

See, when you drive home today, you’ve got a big windshield on the front of your car. And you’ve got a little bitty rearview mirror. And the reason the windshield is so large and the rearview mirror is so small is because what’s happened in your past is not near as important as what’s in your future. Joel Osteen

The importance of the human need to be remembered.

May you feel the bright, joyful blessings God has to offer you during this Easter holiday. I hope this Easter holiday fills your home with peace, joy, and plenty of colorful Easter eggs.

Welcome to Cherished Memories Memorial Chapel, Fresno

Annette Joanne Funicello was born on Oct. 22, 1942, in Utica, N.Y., and as the first grandchild on either side of the family was indulged to the point of being,... in her own words, a spoiled brat. At age 2, she learned the words to every song on the hit parade, her favorite being Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive. In 1946, her parents decided to move to Southern California in the hope of doing better economically. They lived in a trailer park until her father, a mechanic, found work. They settled in Studio City and later moved to Encino. Annette took dancing lessons, learned to play drums and, at 9, was named Miss Willow Lake at a poolside beauty contest. She did some modeling. Mr. Disney, who wanted amateurs and not professional child actors, discovered her when she danced in Swan Lake at a local recital. The Mickey Mouse Club was instantly popular, generating orders for 24,000 mouse-eared beanies a day. Annette quickly became the most popular Mouseketeer, and Disney marketed everything from Annette lunchboxes and dolls to mystery novels about her fictionalized adventures. But she did not receive special treatment. When she lost a pair of felt mouse ears, she was charged $55. It was deducted from her $185 weekly paycheck. She once decided she wanted to change her last name to something more typically American. She chose Turner. But Mr. Disney, whom she considered a second father, convinced her that her own name would be more memorable once people learned it. In 1958, as The Mickey Mouse Club was ending its run, Mr. Disney summoned Ms. Funicello to his office. She feared she was going to be fired for growing too tall, but instead he offered her a studio contract the only one given to a Mouseketeer. Her first movie role was in The Shaggy Dog, Disney’s first live-action comedy. Then came the television series Zorro. Next she was loaned out, in industry talk, to CBS to appear on the Danny Thomas sitcom Make Room for Daddy. She also pursued a recording career, and had two Top 10 singles: Tall Paul in 1959 and O Dio Mio in 1960. She and her family continued living as they had, with her father working five days a week at a gas station and everyone pitching in to do housework. She was not allowed to date until she was 16. When her mother was asked how she was able to keep life so normal, she answered succinctly, Nothing impressed us. Ms. Funicello had crushes on her fellow singers Fabian Forte and Frankie Avalon but fell hard for Mr. Anka. As Paul wrote in his hit song about us, she wrote, just because we were 17 didn’t mean that, for us, our love wasn’t real. But their careers were increasingly busy, and time together was scant. When Ms. Funicello finally told Mr. Anka that she really cared for him, he replied, What script did you get that from? Her records continued, including the albums Hawaiiannette, Italiannette and Dance Annette. Movie parts included Babes in Toyland, in which she sang I Can’t Do the Sum. (She actually could, as proved by her straight-A high school record.) When Mr. Disney told her he had been approached by American International Pictures about her making a beach movie, he said he thought it sounded like good clean fun, but asked her not to expose her navel. She readily agreed. She and Mr. Avalon ultimately starred in a series of beach movies together, beginning with Beach Party in 1963. She harbored no illusions that she and Mr. Avalon were the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of their generation. Ma and Pa Kettle of the surf set, she suggested instead. On Jan. 9, 1965, Ms. Funicello married her agent, Jack Gilardi. Charles M. Schulz, in hisPeanuts comic strip, showed Linus reading a paper, clutching his security blanket and wailing: I can’t stand it! This is terrible! How depressing. ... ANNETTE FUNICELLO HAS GROWN UP! She made a few films in the middle and late 1960s, including Fireball and Thunder Alley, but her attention was focused on her children, Gina, Jack Jr. and Jason Michael. During the 1970s and early 1980s, she appeared occasionally on TV but was known principally for commercials, including her memorable issuing of the Skippy peanut butter challenge: Which has more protein? (Bologna and fish were not the correct answers.) In 1987, she and Mr. Avalon reunited to do a self-mocking beach party movie. She wore polka dots with matching hair bows, and he portrayed a work-obsessed car salesman who hates the beach. Their fictional son wore punk clothes and carried a switchblade. But Ms. Funicello’s main concern was being a good mom, her daughter, Gina, said. In a 1994 interview, she told In Style magazine that her mother was always there for car pools, Hot Dog Day and the PTA. In 1981 Ms. Funicello divorced Mr. Gilardi. In 1986 she married Glen Holt, a horse breeder. Mr. Holt, who cared for Ms. Funicello in her later years, survives her, along with her 3 children, 4 stepchildren, 12 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Ms. Funicello learned she had M.S. in 1987 but kept her condition secret for five years. She announced the illness after becoming concerned that the unsteadiness the disease caused would be misinterpreted as drunkenness. She set up the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases and underwent brain surgery in 1999 in an attempt to control tremors caused by her disease. But for many, Annette Funicello remained forever young, whether in mouse ears or a modest bathing suit. Some may even recognize a ditty from the long-ago television shows: Ask the birds and ask the bees And ask the stars above Who’s their favorite sweet brunette; You know, each one confesses: Annette! Annette! Annette! See more