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Remembering Alice

Alice will always have a special place in my heart. I never want to forget her kind loving spirit. Her smile and the joy she brought everywhere with her. She was so sweet and gentle, caring and generous. Recently I got to see photos of Alice as a child, and in high school. She was the first homecoming queen of Northeast Hamilton. That tells you she was loved by many in her school. She was also a basketball player and I have enjoyed seeing photos of her playing ball and I also found a photo from 4H showing cattle. She went on to the University of Iowa for the nursing program.

After going to Albuquerque as a nurse, she met and married Rod. I never got to know Rod very well, but from what I heard, he was not good for her.

Alice was in our lives so much even when she lived far away. She would fly home for holidays and a few times a year staying a week at a time. I remember looking so forward to those special visits.
When I think about my aunt Alice, horses come to mind. She has always had a love of horses that was passed on to me and on to Jayden. I can remember as a little girl, Alice had a Saddlebred named Romeo. He was tall and prancy and scared me to death. Alice liked me to ride on back of her and I would hang on for dear life! She had a mare named Queen that was more my style. I could ride her around and would kick her to get her trotting. When I couldn't get her to go, someone gave me a stick to swat her with and I got a little buck out of her. When I was a little older Alice took me on a ride around the section, about 4 miles. I thought it was the longest ride in my life! Alice was a loving aunt, sweet, kind and caring. She always smiled and had warm hugs. She was so full of joy and you just loved to be around her. She was always part of the family and we enjoyed when she could be back in Iowa. When I went to Colorado for a year to college, Alice sent me a plane ticket to come spend the weekend with her in Albuquerque. She took me on the tram to the top of a mountain where her and Rod took me out to dinner. She also took me for tamales and some good authentic Mexican food. I am so thankful for that time, sadly that was the only trip I ever made out there.
One year my parents took me on a ski trip with Alice. While out on the slopes, a couple snowboarders came swooping down the hill showing off for us and purposely falling in front of us. They got to talking to us and before long they were riding the chair lifts with us and snowboarded with us for the rest of the day and the next day. It was so much fun and the guys treated Alice like she was a college student and I felt just like I was with my college  age friend.


Alice eventually moved back to Williams with her Dad to help care for him. When Jayden was born, she was the first grandchild on the Wahlert side and spent a lot of time with Alice. She was there for many family events and got to have Jayden over to her house for some special one on one time. Jayden was the only one of my children who got to know my Grandpa Marvin before he passed away. Jayden recalls riding in Alice's baby buggy even when she was 3 and 4. it was a giant sized antique baby buggy. She played board games with Alice and loved seeing all her animals. She called her Siamese cat, "Chinese kitty." I am so glad Alice moved back to Iowa and we got to spend so much quality time together. I am glad Jayden got to share so much of her childhood with Alice. She would come back and live in Iowa for half of the year and spend the remaining half in Albuquerque and Arizona. She didn't like to be back in Iowa for the winters, I couldn't blame her!



The boys loved their aunt as well. Jake liked to visit Aunt Alice and explore her barns and ride in her old suburban. We made it a tradition to attend an apple orchard each year with Alice and Carina and kids. Alice was fun, she would get on a go kart and play in the corn pile. We went to parks together and one year to Living History Farms. She was the fun aunt and we have many memories.


Alice's love for trail riding and camping become a love in me as well. We planned trips to Brushy Creek and I would bring the kids. It started when Jayden was little and I would put her in a little buddy seat on the back of my saddle. When Jake came along, he would sleep in the play pen in the tent. Alice always made pancakes on her little griddle outside in the mornings. I liked to make hobo packs with meat and veggies in a foil pack. Of course we always had to do smores over the fire. If it was summer and hot enough, we would go to the beach and the kids play in the water. We took bikes and rode all over. Alice was never too tired or never had an excuse, she did anything and had fun. She loved to trail ride and her horses were her children. Jake got to trail ride on Winnie and Eagle with Alice. Jayden never cared for trail riding, but Jake did.

Through the years Alice was as much part of the family as Grandparents. We included her and invited her to many events. She continued to be very active with her horses, going on trail rides, taking long trips with horses, up until the last 6 months of her life. Alice and Jayden share such a love for horses and have gotten to enjoy them together. When Alice was looking for another horse, Jayden started searching online to help Alice find a Tennessee Walker, her preferred bred, She came across a palomino that Alice went to see and  ended up buying the horse and naming her Sophie.
Later when Jayden was looking for a horse, she asked Alice to go along with her to look. The horse was located in Exira, and what better person than Alice to go. Exira is the home of the Wahlert's and the host location of the Wahlert family reunions. They drove to Exira to look at a feedlot horse that we know call Joker. Yes, he was a horse Jayden bought as her project horse. And on another horse search, Alice willingly traveled along with Jayden all the way to North Dakota for a horse sale where Jayden brought home two project horses. One, a grey crazy barrel horse she sold after a few months, and a young Palomino filly she named Summer. They had quite a time traveling and staying the night in a hotel. Good memories.

Through the years Alice was there to watch the kids in activities such as rodeos, horse shows, county fairs, soccer games, basketball, volleyball, taekwondo, and many others. She was also part of our family and rarely missed a birthday party. She hated missing Luke's birthdays while she spent the winter's in Albuquerque, but she made up for it in all the other fun things she did with the kids. When she was away, the boys would call her on the phone and could talk for long periods of time about anything and everything. She was always so kind and happy and pleasant to speak with. Alice had such a sweet personality and smile.
She was a quiet christian, active in the church and women's groups and sang in the choir. I know that she loved and followed the Lord.
Alice became sick with ovarian cancer and had to have surgery in 2007. I remember going to see her in Ames in the hospital when Carina announced she was pregnant. Wade and Carina were not married yet and Alice's response was one of instant joy. She did not judge or hesitate to respond with excitement and enthusiasm. She could not wait. 18 months later it was discovered that all the cancer was not removed like it should have been and it had spread. The second time it was in areas of the intestines and diaphragm. She had an extensive surgery at Mayo clinic to remove the cancer and 5 masses and had a long stay. It was October 2008 and I went with my dad up to see her one day. I surprised her with my visit and bought a stuffed white fluffy cat at the hospital to give her. She had a fluffy white cat at home she called "Snow Kitty".
She went through lots of chemo, lost her hair and wore a wig. My kids never knew any of it. In time, her health was better and she was doing well. At some point Alice was tested for the BRCA gene which is a breast and ovarian cancer that is hereditary. She was positive, then my dad was tested, he was positive, then it was my turn, positive. In time, I would make hard choices and undergo a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, and hysterectomy. One of my doctors once told me that if I were to get ovarian cancer, it is not a matter if you survive, but how long. If you get ovarian cancer, you will eventually die from it. She also told me that you typically get 4 years. Those words stayed with me and I worried for Alice. Well, she fought a good battle and went 10 years without issues. We all got very comfortable and took it for granted that her health was good until last fall when the cancer was back and in full force. Cancer is such an ugly and horrible illness. I hated that Alice had to go through all that she did.
I loved my Aunt and am so thankful for the time I had with her. She was a sweet lady with a kind heart. I  miss her and her smile so very much, but I know I will get to see her again, heaven gained an angel!

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