Lugarda Mae Ainslie

Obituary LuGarda Mae (Mernaugh) Ainslie February 9, 1921 - November 28, 2005 How does one do justice in a few paragraphs about a wonderful woman, who is a great lady, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend? LuGarda, affectionately known as Little Maude by her five sisters and Mrs. C to her beloved husband, has put on her dancing shoes and accepted the invitation to the great dance of the everlasting in the kingdom of heaven. She is now enjoying the music of Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey with her mother Maude, father Minn, granddaughter Heidi and older sister Marian Gale. This is a woman who loved life, adventure, all things Irish and most of all her family. From her humble beginnings as the 2nd oldest of six daughters on a farm in Letcher, South Dakota, her family migrated to the Great Northwest, and eventually she become a world traveler as the partner and fiercely loyal wife of her Country Bob (Mr. C), Col. Robert E. Ainslie. She is an artist who created beauty, order and comfort wherever she went. She has many faces -- from being a charter member of the Blue Barons Motorcycle Club to the perfect officer's wife. She has the courage to support her husband, sons, daughters & grandchildren as they answered the call to duty in far off places, some of which included WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Panama, Desert Storm and Iraq. She kept the candles burning until all were home safe & sound. She married the love of her life, a young Air Force lieutenant from Mitchell, SD, in the romantic city of San Francisco and from there, embarked on the life of a military wife and mother. While Mr. C was flying missions in all the unsafe places on this earth, she managed to create a home in the hearts of all her children and other displaced military folk who were away from their own homes and families. There was always another place at our table for the extended family that is military. It was amazing how this could be accomplished with "hold baggage" and temporary quarters! Her family began growing in Tacoma (Dan's birthplace & first deployment), then to Travis AFB (JoAleen's induction to life), and continued in San Antonio, Texas. "Remember the Alamo" has a whole new meaning for us because that was where the twins, Tom & John were born! That was also when the city experienced the first snow in decades. She and Dad built our first snowman. We made the local news & our Christmas tree was a mesquite! We learned to camp, fish and the fine art of archery. We all became quite proficient at hunting bales of hay with pictures & targets on them. We were transferred back to Travis AFB in California, which became Joye's entry portal into life. We lived on a migrant fruit ranch and grew to really appreciate the great outdoors. Mom didn't just tell us about walking five miles to a one-room schoolhouse in three feet of snow -- she made us walk two miles in the sunshine to catch the bus into town for school. From there, it was on to the Normandy Provinces in northern France, where the family lived for three years. Mother was very Catholic, and as such insisted we go to the Catholic school there -- even though no one there spoke English and none of us kids could speak French. Fortunately at that time, mass was still in Latin everywhere! We spent our time exploring chateaus, villages, finding our family roots, and her two favorite places, Mont San Michelle and the Grotto at Our Lady of Lourdes. It was in the little village of Conches where we lived that she earned the respect of our French neighbors as the crazy American woman with five kids who could change her own tires on the big, blue, Mercury station wagon. She managed to take 13th place in the Women's International Archery Competition at Robert the Devil's Castle, also in France. She gave Tallulah Bankhead a run for her money in the 41st Air Force Squadron Follies. We came back to the states to a small town in Tennessee, just south of Nashville during the turbulent 60's. What an experience that tour was! We witnessed the assassination of JFK and saw first hand what the civil rights movement was all about. It was here that she taught us by example, the strength of her convictions. She taught us to never tolerate small minded, mean spirited people. She inspired us to seek justice, tell the truth and have respect for all God's people -- to speak out and defend the principles for which our father put his life in jeopardy to preserve. It was here that brother Dan married, and joined the Army to become a premier helicopter pilot. Little did she know he would be destined to serve two tours in a future war as she and Dad pinned on his first lieutenant bars. On to Ohio, where we again lived on a farm, until Dad was promoted to Wing Commander, which meant another move to be on base. At this time, what was to become Viet Nam was simmering on the other side of the world. The saddest moment came when Dan was posted to SE Asia and Dad received orders for Thailand at the same time. She turned it into a happy moment because it meant she could move her children back to her beloved Northwest and have the comfort of her sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews to sustain our family while Dan and Dad were off again making the world safe. Holy Cross went through a lot of candles during that time. She was there for us through so many schools, Elvis and doo-wop, Beatle boots and long hair; bikinis, bleached hair and psychedelic music. She put up with a lot -- allowing us to be ourselves, yet with firm boundaries -- to which we all returned. She saw us through college, marriages and divorce. She helped us deal with the deaths of loved ones and celebrate new lives as grandchildren were born. She was the voice in the stands at all the athletic events as each of us kids and grandkids sought glory on the sport's field and court. Everyone knew Mrs. Ainslie and was concerned if they did not hear her yells of encouragement through both the victories and the defeats. She never forgot the birthdays of every child, grandchild, great grandchild, niece, nephew, aunts and uncles. She was the keeper of the calendar. When her children grew up and moved away pursuing our new lives as adults with families of our own, she and Dad bought an RV and every summer criss-crossed this great land of ours to see us all. They took the granddaughters to see the world with them. She was there to support each of her children and grandchildren as they went off to war in other lands or fought the ones right here in Tacoma through the education of others. She left her heart in San Francisco, but always returned to be with her beloved Country Bob and family. We love her and will miss her. A very special thank you to all the warm and caring folks at Retsil Veteran's Home in Port Orchard. These compassionate folks comforted her and treated her with dignity, love and respect during her last years of her life. She is survived by: her husband, Col. Robert E. Ainslie, USAF retired; son William Daniel Ainslie (Sherry, their 3 children, 6 grandchildren); daughter, JoAleen L. Ainslie (2 children, 4 grandchildren); son, Thomas Richard Ainslie (Rhonda, their 4 children, 1 grandchild); son, John Robert Ainslie (Brenda, 4 children); daughter, Letha Joye Jepson (Rob, 2 children); sisters Patricia Sinkovich (John); Connie Moisio (Larry); Callie Sterino; Phyllis Louman. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, December 3, 2005, 11:00 am. at St. Patrick Catholic Church. Rosary will be recited TODAY Friday, December 2, 2005, 7:00 p.m. at the Gaffney Funeral Home Chapel. Interment at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent. Please leave online condolences at www.gaffneyfuneralhome.com. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, 253-572-6003.