No Photo Available
Clarence Wesley Ingersoll: May 28, 1867 - February 25, 1921
(Confirmed through Adams County Courthouse - Graceland Cemetery - Quincy, IL.)
Clarence Wesley Ingersoll is the father of John Wesley Ingersoll and husband of Aletha Ingersoll. Noted below. This information was confirmed through the Adams County Courthouse and the Memorial Park Cemetery Staff. However, Graceland Cemetery no longer exists and the graves for Clarence Wesley Ingersoll, Aletha Ingersoll and John Wesley Ingersoll were only recorded at the courthouse. They are 3 of 2000 internments/graves that were not marked with a number or headstone. Graceland Cemetery is located at 36th and Main Street in Quincy, IL. Memorial Park Cemetery is now the owner of Graceland. Memorial Park Cemetery is where Gladys (Ingersoll) Hodges was buried. Clarence Wesley Ingersoll is the father of John Wesley Ingersoll.
No Photo
Available
Aletha Ingersoll: July 19, 1866 - April 21, 1920
(Confirmed through Adams County Courthouse - Graceland Cemetery - Quincy, IL.)
Aletha Ingersoll is the wife of Clarence Wesley Ingersoll. The date of their marriage is not found on record at the Adams County Courthouse.
John Wesley Ingersoll: June 12, 1886 - January 5, 1937
(Confirmed through Adams County Courthouse - Graceland Cemetery - Quincy, IL.)
If there is one thing that marks the history of the John Wesley Ingersoll family it is the stark history of the male longevity -- or lack thereof. John Wesley Ingersoll passed away at the age of 51 from double pneumonia. There are two primary stories surrounding the death of John Wesley Ingersoll. One is re-counted by his youngest daughter, Gladys. The second, his recalled by his daughter-in-law, Hazel (Coats) Ingersoll. Wife of Robert Lee Ingersoll, Sr. On 2-26-05 I spoke with Hazel and she re-called the story leading to the death of John Wesley Ingersoll. She stated that John Wesley was already sick with pneumonia. The weather was cold and his next door neighbor had come by to ask if they needed anything from the local store up the road. When he realized the neighbor next door (a female) was going to walk up to the store by foot he offered to get the groceries for her and his family. He returned and soon became very ill. He was placed in the hospital inside a tented bed. Hazel recalls visiting the hospital just before he passed away. A few days later she stated he passed away and she spent time with the family and they went to dinner. Hazel can remember when Harold, the youngest child, was just a baby. She used to have him sit on her lap whenever she came over to visit the family. The exact birth date of John Wesley Ingersoll was confirmed by the Adams County Courthouse and the Graceland(Memorial Park) Cemetary.
Clarence Ingersoll: March 3, 1908 - July 19, 1969
(Confirmed through SSN Index)
He passed away at the age of 61 from Emphysema. He left behind 3 daughters. Clara Berniece (Smoot) Ingersoll; Betty Ann Ingersoll & Barbara Jean Ingersoll. Their mother , Esther May (Beal) Ingersoll passed away at the age of 35 from Tuberculosis.
No Photo Available
Thomas Henry Ingersoll: June 18, 1909 - November 2, 1909
(Confirmed Adams County Courthouse - Quincy, IL-Birth & Death Certificate on file. Birth Certificate states on header it is a "Report of Birth". Birth address shows it is the Ingersoll Family home where he was born.)
However, he passed away at the age of 5 months old from complications stemmed from stomach toxemia.
Robert Lee Ingersoll, Sr.: August 29, 1912 - May 23, 1966
(Confirmed through SSN Index)
According to his son, Robert & Shirley. Robert Lee Ingersoll, Sr. passed away from Emphysema. In addition, it is further noted he also spent some time in Tuberculosis quarantine at an earlier age. He left behind 3 children. Shirley Ingersoll, Robert Lee Ingersoll, Jr. & Ross Ingersoll. (From 2nd marriage to Juanita). He is survived by his first wife, Hazel (Coats) Ingersoll and his 3 children.
Carl Delbert Ingersoll, Sr.: July 19, 1915 - February 01, 1973
Carl passed away from complications of diabetes. He left behind 3 sons, Carl, Jr., Dennis, Darryl and his wife Lorraine. They have a total of 5 grandchildren.
Lois Genevieve (Andrews) Ingersoll: June 20, 1918 - November 20, 1990
Albert Ingersoll: June 7, 1920 - 1946
Uncle Albert passed away at the age of 24. He had just gotten out of the service. There are 2 very different stories regarding his death. One told by his younger sister, Gladys and the other told by his older brother, Carl to his son Dennis. The first story surrounding his death was that he had Polio and passed away from this disease shortly after returning from World War II. The second, told by his brother, Carl to his son Dennis. Dennis re-counted the fact that Albert had suffered a heart attack caused by two of his close friends who were "horsing" around with him. In the process of his two friends pulling his arms in opposite directions it put excessive stress on his breathing (caused by the polio) which this in turn set off a massive heart attack.
Wilbur Ingersoll: February 1, 1922 - unknown at this time
More information regarding Wilbur Ingersoll to come.
Gladys (Hodges) Ingersoll: January 15, 1924 - October 20, 1988
Gladys was best known for being the "Story-teller" the one who lit up the room when she walked in the room. She was always wanting to look at the brighter side of things. She was funny, giving and enjoyable to be around. She left behind a daughter, Carol (Jones) Hodges, one grandson and one granddaughter. She will always be remembered as a woman who truly cared about others before herself. She was very giving of her time and resources even when she didn't have much of it to give.
Harold Glenn Ingersoll - September 29, 1927 - July 25, 1974
For me (Jimmy) personally I remember my dad as the one my younger brother Kelly and I wrestled with on Saturday mornings. He also built us our first box derby car. However, I think a close family friend described him well in 1991. "Your dad was someone who demanded his kids to behave 100 percent of the time. However, there was one thing a person understood and that is God, family, his workplace and horses were always his top priorities." He worked as a butcher, trucker, Auxilliary Deputy Sheriff (Also a "Fee-Deputy"). He also served on the Mounted Division for the Washtenaw County Sheriff Department. He was also a furniture Store Manager for one of his closest friends, Harry Brennan in Saline, Michigan. When he passed away he left behind 10 children and 4 grandchildren and his wife of 23 years Doris Muriel (Motley) Ingersoll. The amount of grandchildren has more than doubled since his passing away. His wife of 23 years passed away in November of 1988. His oldest son, John Wesley Ingersoll passed away in August of 2004. December of 2004 his youngest daughter, Judith Gay Ingersoll passed away after a 27 year battle with a kidney disease.
John Wesley Ingersoll - August 25, 1948 - August 12, 2004
John Wesley Ingersoll, 55, of Lapeer, formerly of Davison,died Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004, at his home from cancer.
He was born Aug. 25, 1948 in Flint to Harold and Evelyn (Hunter) Ingersoll. He married Jean Follet in 1969 at St. Cyril's Catholic Church in Bannister.
He grew up in Davison and was a graduate of Michigan State University, receiving both his bachelor's (1970) and master's degrees (1972) in criminal justice. An avid MSU fan, he also belonged to the Lapeer branch of the MSU Alumni Association. He worked for the State of Michigan for over 20 years. Prior to that, he worked for the City of Kalamazoo for 10 years. He was president of the Kalamazoo Jaycees in 1981-82 and voted the Kalamazoo Outstanding Man of the Year in 1981 for building six soccer fields and in restoring Kalamazoo's Bronson Park, which was devastated by the 1980 tornado. He was also president of the Lapeer Rotary Club in 1992-93 and was club secretary for many years. He worked on many community projects. He enjoyed spending time with his family. He coached soccer little league in Holland, Coldwater and Lapeer. He and his family have hosted several Rotary exchange students.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Jean; sons, Anthony Ingersoll of Lapeer and Todd (Monica) Ingersoll of Chicago; half-brothers and sisters, Marcella (Walter) Shank, Jacklynn Ingersoll, Joanne (David) Klanke, Jonathan (Joanne) Ingersoll, Jill Ingersoll, Janet (Craig) Bisard, Judith Ingersoll, Kelly Ingersoll and Jimmy (Nina) Ingersoll; in-laws, Richard and Martha Miller; and several nieces, nephews and friends.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
Funeral services were Saturday (Aug. 14) at Muir Brothers Funeral Home, Lapeer. The Rev. Todd Smith officiated. Burial was in Ford Cemetery in Bannister.
Judith Gay Ingersoll - October 14, 1964 - December 6, 2004
"She Gave Of Herself"
Twenty years ago the Saline Reporter ran a story called, “He gave of himself,” featuring a 19-year-old Jim Ingersoll who donated his kidney to his sister, Judy who was depending on dialysis to survive. Now, as a tribute to a life lived courageously, Jim felt it was time to tell Judy's story. Judy Ingersoll died Dec. 6, 2004.
In the weeks following her death, the Ingersoll family discovered the diary Judy kept, recording her feelings leading up to the transplant and the days that followed. In 1985, Judy was spending 3 days a week connected to a dialysis machine for 5 hours each visit. She was thrilled with the possibility of living without the burden of dialysis. She wrote: “I really want to get off dialysis, I want to try. I need a change.” The transplant took place March 20, 1985. Four days after the surgery, Judy began to experience the beginning of tissue rejection and took detailed notes in her diary. She reported severe chest pains, swollen limbs, low blood pressure and fever on Mar. 25. She writes of being afraid to tell the doctor about the symptoms. Her brother, Jim indicated that Judy never told anyone when she was in pain. At one point, she wrote that the doctors gave her Tylenol 3 for the pain. “The Tylenol 3 did nothing, so they gave me the morphine drip. It did nothing for the pain. I never felt such horrible pain.” Her family knew she was in pain, but had no idea the degree of pain she was suffering. “She cared too much about our feelings, about worrying us,” Jim Ingersoll said. “We didn't know how she felt. We didn't know until we found her diary.” Not seeing any improvements, Judy begins to weigh her options.
“There are times when I imagine how I would feel if the kidney rejected...there are days I feel great and days I feel bad. And I wish I were on the machine because I felt better. But overall I don't want to go back on. [dialysis]” - April 27, 1985.
Concerned, the doctors perform exploratory surgery. They find the kidney partially dead and removed it on May 11.
May 18, Judy wrote, “...I cried...It seems like I fell asleep for two months and dreamt that I was off the machine for two months.”
Judy would continue to fight the kidney disease for twenty more years. The transplant failure weighed heavily on Jim's mind. It was his kidney.
“After they removed it, I remember I walked into the ICU just as she was waking up and I was crying because I felt guilty,” Jim said.
“She looked up at me as if she knew what I was thinking and she consoled me. She kept saying, `It's okay Jimmy.' She was always trying to reassure us that everything was okay.”
Around 1978 the Ingersoll children caught the measles. According to Jim, everyone recovered, except Judy, who was having trouble bouncing back. That is when they discovered she had a kidney disease, he recalled. From the age of 12, a key portion of Judy's life was taken up with doctors, hospitals, medications, needles, blood tests, pain.
The ordeal shaped her future. Four months before the transplant surgery,
She wrote:
“I really think this is the career I want. To become a real nurse, to help others like I was helped.” Although the operation was unsuccessful, and despite her ill health she pursued that dream and became a nurse. A good nurse, according to her brother. “She was the one we called when we had a medical question,” Jim said.
Judy enjoyed a successful nursing career her entire adult life. She started nursing at the Saline Evangelical home and eventually landed a position with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.
In the years to come, Judy would go through two more transplant surgeries. She spent a lot of time in hospitals and seemed to take it in stride. Always going back to her nursing job as soon as she could, her brother indicated. “Judy was the center of our family. She didn't let her medical situations get in the way of living her teenage years and adult life to its fullest. When you look at the family photos her energy and joy of people just jump out at you.”
There were other problems in addition to the acute kidney disease. She also suffered from a condition, which severely weakened her bones. Jim remembered watching her break an ankle because of her foot falling asleep. “Her bone broke just from standing too hard on her foot,” he said.
“Whenever any of us had a problem we never spent any time feeling sorry for ourselves. We only had to think of Judy and everything she was going through. She never let any of it hold her down.”
There was another time, when Judy met Jim's wife and son for the first time. “Judy was hobbling along with a broken knee-cap. We had planned a day at Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. We suggested Judy not go with us because it would only aggravate her more,” said Jim. “Of course, Judy insisted she wanted to go. Broken knee cap and all she walked close to three miles during that visit.” Last year was a hard year for the Ingersoll clan. Jim's older brother, John Wesley died Aug. 12, and then three months later they lost Judy.
The Ingersoll family survived the holidays this year for the first time without two of their siblings. They all congregated on New Year's Day as well.
“Family meant everything to Judy,” Jim said. “She was the epitome of what it meant to live courageously with the freedom of loving others with reckless abandon.”
Last Sunday was Easter, and they gathered again. According to Jim, who now lives in California, the family, which now consists of eight siblings instead of ten, will reunite more often than they used to... “Judy gave of herself,” said Jim. “We are all better for it.”
AUTHOR:
Kym Boelter-Muckler - Saline Reporter
March 31, 2005.
“She left us quietly with HIS Promise”
“She left us quietly, Her Love was well known. She left us memories we are thankful to own. She was a gift from you O' Lord, and now she is in your garden of rest; thank you Lord for the gift of Judy, family and all the rest. For when on earth she was one of the best.”
Poem written by: Jimmy D Ingersoll
(Taken from Judy's Eulogy)
"See you in Heaven Sis!"
"Merry Christmas From Heaven"
I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love
on cold wintery nights
I still share your hopes
and all of your cares
I'll even remind you
to please say your prayers
I just want to tell you
you still make me proud
You stand head and shoulders
above all the crowd
Keep trying each moment
to stay in His Grace
I came here before you
to help set your place
You don't have to be
perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip
If you continue the climb
To my family and friends
please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you
In a new special way
I love you all dearly
now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year.
HELLO AFTER GOODBYE
Verse 1
We dress in black and we say goodbye, how our hearts break and, oh, how we cry
Yet through we grieve, we still have hope
'Cause for all hearts of faith, we trust and know
Chorus
There is a hello after goodbye, a blessed reunion, promised in time
We will be with them far longer than we were without
No doubt, no more tears in our eyes
In that beautiful, wonderful, hello after goodbye
Verse 2
Next time we see them, we'll never more know
The sorrow and pain of letting go
We're with them forever, life without end
In that most blessed sweet moment when
Chorus
Bridge
We will see them again, be with them again
Laugh and talk like before, sing and worship forever more
Chorus
The Ingersoll Family Copyright 2019
Clarence Wesley Ingersoll: May 28, 1867 - February 25, 1921
(Confirmed through Adams County Courthouse - Graceland Cemetery - Quincy, IL.)
Clarence Wesley Ingersoll is the father of John Wesley Ingersoll and husband of Aletha Ingersoll. Noted below. This information was confirmed through the Adams County Courthouse and the Memorial Park Cemetery Staff. However, Graceland Cemetery no longer exists and the graves for Clarence Wesley Ingersoll, Aletha Ingersoll and John Wesley Ingersoll were only recorded at the courthouse. They are 3 of 2000 internments/graves that were not marked with a number or headstone. Graceland Cemetery is located at 36th and Main Street in Quincy, IL. Memorial Park Cemetery is now the owner of Graceland. Memorial Park Cemetery is where Gladys (Ingersoll) Hodges was buried. Clarence Wesley Ingersoll is the father of John Wesley Ingersoll.
No Photo
Available
Aletha Ingersoll: July 19, 1866 - April 21, 1920
(Confirmed through Adams County Courthouse - Graceland Cemetery - Quincy, IL.)
Aletha Ingersoll is the wife of Clarence Wesley Ingersoll. The date of their marriage is not found on record at the Adams County Courthouse.
John Wesley Ingersoll: June 12, 1886 - January 5, 1937
(Confirmed through Adams County Courthouse - Graceland Cemetery - Quincy, IL.)
If there is one thing that marks the history of the John Wesley Ingersoll family it is the stark history of the male longevity -- or lack thereof. John Wesley Ingersoll passed away at the age of 51 from double pneumonia. There are two primary stories surrounding the death of John Wesley Ingersoll. One is re-counted by his youngest daughter, Gladys. The second, his recalled by his daughter-in-law, Hazel (Coats) Ingersoll. Wife of Robert Lee Ingersoll, Sr. On 2-26-05 I spoke with Hazel and she re-called the story leading to the death of John Wesley Ingersoll. She stated that John Wesley was already sick with pneumonia. The weather was cold and his next door neighbor had come by to ask if they needed anything from the local store up the road. When he realized the neighbor next door (a female) was going to walk up to the store by foot he offered to get the groceries for her and his family. He returned and soon became very ill. He was placed in the hospital inside a tented bed. Hazel recalls visiting the hospital just before he passed away. A few days later she stated he passed away and she spent time with the family and they went to dinner. Hazel can remember when Harold, the youngest child, was just a baby. She used to have him sit on her lap whenever she came over to visit the family. The exact birth date of John Wesley Ingersoll was confirmed by the Adams County Courthouse and the Graceland(Memorial Park) Cemetary.
Clarence Ingersoll: March 3, 1908 - July 19, 1969
(Confirmed through SSN Index)
He passed away at the age of 61 from Emphysema. He left behind 3 daughters. Clara Berniece (Smoot) Ingersoll; Betty Ann Ingersoll & Barbara Jean Ingersoll. Their mother , Esther May (Beal) Ingersoll passed away at the age of 35 from Tuberculosis.
No Photo Available
Thomas Henry Ingersoll: June 18, 1909 - November 2, 1909
(Confirmed Adams County Courthouse - Quincy, IL-Birth & Death Certificate on file. Birth Certificate states on header it is a "Report of Birth". Birth address shows it is the Ingersoll Family home where he was born.)
However, he passed away at the age of 5 months old from complications stemmed from stomach toxemia.
Robert Lee Ingersoll, Sr.: August 29, 1912 - May 23, 1966
(Confirmed through SSN Index)
According to his son, Robert & Shirley. Robert Lee Ingersoll, Sr. passed away from Emphysema. In addition, it is further noted he also spent some time in Tuberculosis quarantine at an earlier age. He left behind 3 children. Shirley Ingersoll, Robert Lee Ingersoll, Jr. & Ross Ingersoll. (From 2nd marriage to Juanita). He is survived by his first wife, Hazel (Coats) Ingersoll and his 3 children.
Carl Delbert Ingersoll, Sr.: July 19, 1915 - February 01, 1973
Carl passed away from complications of diabetes. He left behind 3 sons, Carl, Jr., Dennis, Darryl and his wife Lorraine. They have a total of 5 grandchildren.
Lois Genevieve (Andrews) Ingersoll: June 20, 1918 - November 20, 1990
Albert Ingersoll: June 7, 1920 - 1946
Uncle Albert passed away at the age of 24. He had just gotten out of the service. There are 2 very different stories regarding his death. One told by his younger sister, Gladys and the other told by his older brother, Carl to his son Dennis. The first story surrounding his death was that he had Polio and passed away from this disease shortly after returning from World War II. The second, told by his brother, Carl to his son Dennis. Dennis re-counted the fact that Albert had suffered a heart attack caused by two of his close friends who were "horsing" around with him. In the process of his two friends pulling his arms in opposite directions it put excessive stress on his breathing (caused by the polio) which this in turn set off a massive heart attack.
Wilbur Ingersoll: February 1, 1922 - unknown at this time
More information regarding Wilbur Ingersoll to come.
Gladys (Hodges) Ingersoll: January 15, 1924 - October 20, 1988
Gladys was best known for being the "Story-teller" the one who lit up the room when she walked in the room. She was always wanting to look at the brighter side of things. She was funny, giving and enjoyable to be around. She left behind a daughter, Carol (Jones) Hodges, one grandson and one granddaughter. She will always be remembered as a woman who truly cared about others before herself. She was very giving of her time and resources even when she didn't have much of it to give.
Harold Glenn Ingersoll - September 29, 1927 - July 25, 1974
For me (Jimmy) personally I remember my dad as the one my younger brother Kelly and I wrestled with on Saturday mornings. He also built us our first box derby car. However, I think a close family friend described him well in 1991. "Your dad was someone who demanded his kids to behave 100 percent of the time. However, there was one thing a person understood and that is God, family, his workplace and horses were always his top priorities." He worked as a butcher, trucker, Auxilliary Deputy Sheriff (Also a "Fee-Deputy"). He also served on the Mounted Division for the Washtenaw County Sheriff Department. He was also a furniture Store Manager for one of his closest friends, Harry Brennan in Saline, Michigan. When he passed away he left behind 10 children and 4 grandchildren and his wife of 23 years Doris Muriel (Motley) Ingersoll. The amount of grandchildren has more than doubled since his passing away. His wife of 23 years passed away in November of 1988. His oldest son, John Wesley Ingersoll passed away in August of 2004. December of 2004 his youngest daughter, Judith Gay Ingersoll passed away after a 27 year battle with a kidney disease.
John Wesley Ingersoll - August 25, 1948 - August 12, 2004
John Wesley Ingersoll, 55, of Lapeer, formerly of Davison,died Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004, at his home from cancer.
He was born Aug. 25, 1948 in Flint to Harold and Evelyn (Hunter) Ingersoll. He married Jean Follet in 1969 at St. Cyril's Catholic Church in Bannister.
He grew up in Davison and was a graduate of Michigan State University, receiving both his bachelor's (1970) and master's degrees (1972) in criminal justice. An avid MSU fan, he also belonged to the Lapeer branch of the MSU Alumni Association. He worked for the State of Michigan for over 20 years. Prior to that, he worked for the City of Kalamazoo for 10 years. He was president of the Kalamazoo Jaycees in 1981-82 and voted the Kalamazoo Outstanding Man of the Year in 1981 for building six soccer fields and in restoring Kalamazoo's Bronson Park, which was devastated by the 1980 tornado. He was also president of the Lapeer Rotary Club in 1992-93 and was club secretary for many years. He worked on many community projects. He enjoyed spending time with his family. He coached soccer little league in Holland, Coldwater and Lapeer. He and his family have hosted several Rotary exchange students.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Jean; sons, Anthony Ingersoll of Lapeer and Todd (Monica) Ingersoll of Chicago; half-brothers and sisters, Marcella (Walter) Shank, Jacklynn Ingersoll, Joanne (David) Klanke, Jonathan (Joanne) Ingersoll, Jill Ingersoll, Janet (Craig) Bisard, Judith Ingersoll, Kelly Ingersoll and Jimmy (Nina) Ingersoll; in-laws, Richard and Martha Miller; and several nieces, nephews and friends.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
Funeral services were Saturday (Aug. 14) at Muir Brothers Funeral Home, Lapeer. The Rev. Todd Smith officiated. Burial was in Ford Cemetery in Bannister.
Judith Gay Ingersoll - October 14, 1964 - December 6, 2004
"She Gave Of Herself"
Twenty years ago the Saline Reporter ran a story called, “He gave of himself,” featuring a 19-year-old Jim Ingersoll who donated his kidney to his sister, Judy who was depending on dialysis to survive. Now, as a tribute to a life lived courageously, Jim felt it was time to tell Judy's story. Judy Ingersoll died Dec. 6, 2004.
In the weeks following her death, the Ingersoll family discovered the diary Judy kept, recording her feelings leading up to the transplant and the days that followed. In 1985, Judy was spending 3 days a week connected to a dialysis machine for 5 hours each visit. She was thrilled with the possibility of living without the burden of dialysis. She wrote: “I really want to get off dialysis, I want to try. I need a change.” The transplant took place March 20, 1985. Four days after the surgery, Judy began to experience the beginning of tissue rejection and took detailed notes in her diary. She reported severe chest pains, swollen limbs, low blood pressure and fever on Mar. 25. She writes of being afraid to tell the doctor about the symptoms. Her brother, Jim indicated that Judy never told anyone when she was in pain. At one point, she wrote that the doctors gave her Tylenol 3 for the pain. “The Tylenol 3 did nothing, so they gave me the morphine drip. It did nothing for the pain. I never felt such horrible pain.” Her family knew she was in pain, but had no idea the degree of pain she was suffering. “She cared too much about our feelings, about worrying us,” Jim Ingersoll said. “We didn't know how she felt. We didn't know until we found her diary.” Not seeing any improvements, Judy begins to weigh her options.
“There are times when I imagine how I would feel if the kidney rejected...there are days I feel great and days I feel bad. And I wish I were on the machine because I felt better. But overall I don't want to go back on. [dialysis]” - April 27, 1985.
Concerned, the doctors perform exploratory surgery. They find the kidney partially dead and removed it on May 11.
May 18, Judy wrote, “...I cried...It seems like I fell asleep for two months and dreamt that I was off the machine for two months.”
Judy would continue to fight the kidney disease for twenty more years. The transplant failure weighed heavily on Jim's mind. It was his kidney.
“After they removed it, I remember I walked into the ICU just as she was waking up and I was crying because I felt guilty,” Jim said.
“She looked up at me as if she knew what I was thinking and she consoled me. She kept saying, `It's okay Jimmy.' She was always trying to reassure us that everything was okay.”
Around 1978 the Ingersoll children caught the measles. According to Jim, everyone recovered, except Judy, who was having trouble bouncing back. That is when they discovered she had a kidney disease, he recalled. From the age of 12, a key portion of Judy's life was taken up with doctors, hospitals, medications, needles, blood tests, pain.
The ordeal shaped her future. Four months before the transplant surgery,
She wrote:
“I really think this is the career I want. To become a real nurse, to help others like I was helped.” Although the operation was unsuccessful, and despite her ill health she pursued that dream and became a nurse. A good nurse, according to her brother. “She was the one we called when we had a medical question,” Jim said.
Judy enjoyed a successful nursing career her entire adult life. She started nursing at the Saline Evangelical home and eventually landed a position with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.
In the years to come, Judy would go through two more transplant surgeries. She spent a lot of time in hospitals and seemed to take it in stride. Always going back to her nursing job as soon as she could, her brother indicated. “Judy was the center of our family. She didn't let her medical situations get in the way of living her teenage years and adult life to its fullest. When you look at the family photos her energy and joy of people just jump out at you.”
There were other problems in addition to the acute kidney disease. She also suffered from a condition, which severely weakened her bones. Jim remembered watching her break an ankle because of her foot falling asleep. “Her bone broke just from standing too hard on her foot,” he said.
“Whenever any of us had a problem we never spent any time feeling sorry for ourselves. We only had to think of Judy and everything she was going through. She never let any of it hold her down.”
There was another time, when Judy met Jim's wife and son for the first time. “Judy was hobbling along with a broken knee-cap. We had planned a day at Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. We suggested Judy not go with us because it would only aggravate her more,” said Jim. “Of course, Judy insisted she wanted to go. Broken knee cap and all she walked close to three miles during that visit.” Last year was a hard year for the Ingersoll clan. Jim's older brother, John Wesley died Aug. 12, and then three months later they lost Judy.
The Ingersoll family survived the holidays this year for the first time without two of their siblings. They all congregated on New Year's Day as well.
“Family meant everything to Judy,” Jim said. “She was the epitome of what it meant to live courageously with the freedom of loving others with reckless abandon.”
Last Sunday was Easter, and they gathered again. According to Jim, who now lives in California, the family, which now consists of eight siblings instead of ten, will reunite more often than they used to... “Judy gave of herself,” said Jim. “We are all better for it.”
AUTHOR:
Kym Boelter-Muckler - Saline Reporter
March 31, 2005.
“She left us quietly with HIS Promise”
“She left us quietly, Her Love was well known. She left us memories we are thankful to own. She was a gift from you O' Lord, and now she is in your garden of rest; thank you Lord for the gift of Judy, family and all the rest. For when on earth she was one of the best.”
Poem written by: Jimmy D Ingersoll
(Taken from Judy's Eulogy)
"See you in Heaven Sis!"
"Merry Christmas From Heaven"
I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love
on cold wintery nights
I still share your hopes
and all of your cares
I'll even remind you
to please say your prayers
I just want to tell you
you still make me proud
You stand head and shoulders
above all the crowd
Keep trying each moment
to stay in His Grace
I came here before you
to help set your place
You don't have to be
perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip
If you continue the climb
To my family and friends
please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you
In a new special way
I love you all dearly
now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year.
HELLO AFTER GOODBYE
Verse 1
We dress in black and we say goodbye, how our hearts break and, oh, how we cry
Yet through we grieve, we still have hope
'Cause for all hearts of faith, we trust and know
Chorus
There is a hello after goodbye, a blessed reunion, promised in time
We will be with them far longer than we were without
No doubt, no more tears in our eyes
In that beautiful, wonderful, hello after goodbye
Verse 2
Next time we see them, we'll never more know
The sorrow and pain of letting go
We're with them forever, life without end
In that most blessed sweet moment when
Chorus
Bridge
We will see them again, be with them again
Laugh and talk like before, sing and worship forever more
Chorus
The Ingersoll Family Copyright 2019