The heart of the family: My Mom

The LW Weekly invited residents to submit memories of their mothers in honor of Mother’s Day. Here are their submissions: Hyun D. Suhr, 1936-2025

It would be hard to guess— from her crisp, starched plaid dress with cinched waist, fashionably lifted collar, big pearls, demure Timex, patent pumps—that she hasn’t a dime to her name.

Because really, doesn’t she look like a million bucks? That teasing smile. Artfully- applied lipstick. Bouffant hair. Easy pose. Someone of privilege, with all the time in the world on a sundrenched, perfect Southern California day.

In fact, she’s an au pair for the Steinmetz family of Westwood. Today she’ll mop, dust, vacuum, dishwash, launder, iron, assist two girls with homework, and help Mrs. Steinmetz cook. Then she’ll study. Just before sleep she’ll pack brown bag kosher lunches for Attorney Steinmetz and daughters.

It’s a far cry from a childhood of comfort and class. An ocean away, her father served as personal physician-surgeon to Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee. Servants outnumbered siblings. Her father built a hospital for locals who could not pay. Their house was famed for installing Seoul’s first western commode. (Pull chain overhead to flush, like a British loo. This newfangled contraption was so foreign, guests did not know which way to sit.)

All that’s past this bright afternoon at UCLA, circa 1959. Annexation, occupation and subjugation by Imperial Japan, then war and geopolitical forces beyond changed her landscape. In this freeze frame she’s a poor, lovely, vivacious immigrant on full scholarship.

In January 2026, we buried mom on a sunny California day, much like the one pictured (above). Her plot overlooks the vast Pacific Ocean that bridges two lives.

Between Life 1 (Korea childhood and formative years) and Life 2 (USA) is notable public service: 35 years teaching plus another 10 mentoring; church and community volunteering; a legacy of laughs, jokes, being the life of the party, ace cooking, perceptiveness, truth-telling, and above all fierce love. Sixty-four years of marriage to the equally penniless “only man I ever loved” who photographed her here. Three kids and five grandchildren who look Asian yet think nothing odd of loving kosher food. L’Chaim!

—Julie Kim, Mutual 2

Memories of My Mother: Maria Baudilia Matos

Though my mother has been gone for about 10 years, I have many vivid memories of her that I hold dear to my heart; stories she told me and the things that she did.

My mother was the oldest of 10 children, born and raised in Corozal, Puerto Rico. She was a quiet sort of shy person but very strong willed. As a young woman, still living at home, she was engaged to be married to a local young man. Right before she was to

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be married she realized her life would be one of waiting at home while her husband went out drinking and running around with his brothers. Additionally she would be under the thumb of a domineering mother-in-law; she wanted no part of that. She put her escape plan in place. One day she dressed and filled a tote bag with her things and told her parents she was going to San Juan to do some shopping for her little bazaar store. Bazaar stores were common in small country communities back then; a store with a little bit of everything.

She boarded a bus to San Juan, bought passage on a ship and headed off to New York City. She was seasick the entire trip, but her freedom was well worth it. Once in NYC she stayed with her married cousin and soon got a job as a seamstress, working in a factory. Those same factory spaces have since been converted into highly sought after, high priced lofts in Manhattan.

She was the first of her sisters to venture North and soon her other sisters joined her. It was at a dance a couple of years later, she met the young Cuban man who would be her husband, my father, Orestes Enrique Matos. She would tell the story that he first asked her sister to dance but her sister Grace, always high spirited, ended her dance with the Cuban man by slapping his face. She thought him too forward. My mother apologized to the stunned young man, and they danced the rest of the evening. They were married a year later, and my sister came along 10 months, to the day, after they were married. Money was tight for this new family; my father borrowed $500 from my mother’s cousin (the same one she had lived with). He would dutifully pay down the loan each week on pay day until it was repaid. It wasn’t until years later my mother let him know that the $500 he had repaid was actually her money that her cousin was holding for her for safe keeping. My mother always believed it was important for a woman to have her own money, just in case life went in an unexpected direction. She taught me that, and it has served me well in my life.

As I write this, I have realized for the first time why, years later, she would say to me, “Yevette, if you don’t like what’s on the page, you turn the page.” She said this to me because I was on my fourth marriage and rather than be judgemental, she understood. I guess she was recalling the young woman who turned the page by sailing north.

—Yevette Louie, Mutual 12

My Mother: A Very Special Lady

She raised 10 children: six girls and four boys. The oldest and youngest were 20 years apart. My mom was from Ft. Worth, Texas, and had a beautiful Texan accent. She took great care of us and my dad went to work. She cooked all our meals, did several loads of wash daily, made our beds and kept our house very clean, but she did have a cleaning lady several times a week.

After all the kids grew older, she decided to go to work at Marshall Fields in downtown Chicago. She worked there for 20 years and ended up working in management. It was her first job ever!

My mom was a loving and kind lady, and I always had a very close relationship with her. I love her and think of her often. She made me who I am today.

Happy Mothers Day! —Mary Ellen Fuller, Mutual 2

To All Mothers: A Poem

To All Mothers, We give tribute to you from our heart.

Just thinking about “Mom” brings so much tenderness, I thank the Lord—for the first thing that fills my heart, Is the warmth running through the memories.

What about you, of all ages? Mother, yes you! You are truly the heroine as you entered motherhood, once upon a time of selfcentered dreams are packed away for another time yonder, and replaced with many sacrifices, many nights sleepless, and a jar full of prayerful tears through the stages of infant, toddler, child, teenager (it will come sooner) and beyond infinity of motherhood.

With motherhood comes the perks of joy As your grown-up baby Gets married and repeats the new life cycle— so, let us remember the mothers gone by and take comfort knowing, as we hold our family, that we had our own mother and no other, back when neither iPhone nor computer; yet they gave us all the examples to follow to be better. What better family legacy than to impart your love thru Jesus, the greatest teacher who showed us true Love— to all the past, present, and grandmothers— This Mother’s Day in May 2026—You’re the Best Mother Ever to Your Child(ren)!

—Sun Han, Mutual 11

My Mother: The 5’3” Spitfire

How can I talk about the woman who gave me life, nurtured me as I grew into adulthood? Who was she? Was she a good person or not? Did she prepare me for living?

Mom was born Mary Campbell Harding, the daughter of Judge Justin Woodward Harding, a West Point colonel and U.S. judge, and an Irish spitfire, May Gaynor.

Her parents raised her to hunt, shoot and ride; they also told her she could be anything she set her mind to.

To start with, Mom didn’t love the “grand old name,” Mary, even though the name Mary Campbell is drawn from our family ancestry. She used the name “Cam” for the rest of her life.

Our family was not particularly religious. Mom sometimes said, “I come from a long line of agnostics.” And then she’d say, “I’m a Presbyterian.”

She was brilliant. She had an IQ of 140. She was, for the first 26 years of my life, a superior criminal court reporter for the County of Los Angeles. She was one of the first women to hold that position.

Mom worked on the Sirhan Sirhan trial. I got daily reports on it, including a fortuitous encounter with Rosey Grier. Mom stood 5’3” in heels and Grier was 6’5”. There were three reporters that worked in relay and the hallway was filled with people—and Mom couldn’t move until Grier came over and asked, “You need some help, little lady?” She nodded and she later described it as Moses parting the Red Sea.

There was a lot of laughter in our house, a lot of love and a lot of tears. Mom’s little brother, Justin Jr., committed suicide at the age of 28. So it wasn’t all good. Mom was an alcoholic. We had our ups and downs. But she made it to six days short of her 91st birthday, so she must have had a lot of strength and spirit.

Bob Slater and I took her back to her hometown of Franklin, Ohio, and I buried her with her parents and her brother, Justin Jr.

—Galit Levy-Slater, Mutual 4

Close Together

To my dear Mother, Lou Byas of Mutual 15: So happy we’re here together in Leisure World. This is going to be your best chapter yet! We all love you so much! Keep on dancing, pool exercising and being your cute fun self!

—Sherri Coleman and Glenn Fields, Mutual 15 The Empty Piano Bench Reminds Me Of You For as long as I can remember, I left the piano bench sticking out in the middle of the living room. My mother would often say with the utmost restraint, “Put the piano bench BACK, when you’re done playing.” My mom is no longer alive, but I still think of her when I leave it out. Leaving it out is annoying as hell for me, too. But when I forget (often), I still think of her fondly.

—Rod Sims, Mutual 10

The Picture Bride

My mother, Abbie Lau Fong, was a “picture bride,” whom my father chose from an album of dozens of eligible young women. They met just four days before they married. Mom thought Dad was good looking and sounded like a kind man. He thought she was very pretty. So they had a wedding.

We are four siblings from that marriage. Being old-fashioned Asian, they would have as many sons as possible. I was firstborn, a female. Two more daughters followed. Finally, much to Mom’s relief, she bore a son.

Both parents had only partial high school education and spoke English with an accent. Making a living was tough. They resolved, before each child was born, that they would go to college. With an abundance of wisdom, intelligence, and observant of their surroundings, they gave us an excellent upbringing. I learned to treat others kindly, to earn a good living, to discipline my children, and to respect the elderly in our society.

Mom has gone on to her reward, but I often think of her and the important lessons she taught me.

—Allena Fong Kaplan, Mutual 2 Katherine Joanne “Jody” Hughes Mother’s Day has a way of bringing things back into focus. Not just what our moms did for us, but how they lived and how they made people feel. For me, that always brings me back to my mom, Katherine Joanne Hughes, Jody to most, who lived 82 full years and left behind something far more meaningful than accomplishments. She left an example.

She raised five kids in a home that was full, loud at times, and always grounded in love.

Somehow, each of us felt like we had her full attention when we needed it. She had a way of guiding us without forcing, supporting us without hovering, and letting us find our own path while knowing she was always there. That balance is something you only fully appreciate later.

Her life went well beyond our family. As a speech therapist, she worked with children with disabilities, helping them find their voice and confidence. She spent time supporting atrisk women through shelters and outreach, always focused on helping people get back on their feet.

She also worked with underprivileged children, helping create experiences that gave them something to look forward to. She did this work quietly, without ever needing recognition, just because she believed it mattered.

She was also appointed to governor’s advisory councils focused on the needs of exceptional children. She stepped into those roles not for status, but because she saw a chance to help.

Even later in life, she kept going. In Sunset Beach, North Carolina, she served on the board of a women’s shelter, helped it grow, and started a library that still carries her name today. That feels fitting. She believed in people having access to opportunity, to learning, and to something better.

What stands out most, though, is how she lived day to day. She had a calmness about her, even when things were not easy. She listened in a way that made you feel like what you were saying actually mattered. She treated people the same, whether you had known her for years or had just met her. And she had a sense of humor that kept everything real. She could laugh

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at herself, which made everyone else feel more comfortable doing the same.

At her service, it was said that she gave much more than she took and left the world better than she found it. That really is the simplest and most accurate way to describe her.

So this Mother’s Day, the best way to honor her is not complicated. Slow down a little. Listen a little more. Be patient. Be kind. Show some grace when it would be easier not to.

We miss her, of course. But more than that, we carry her with us in how we live and how we treat people.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. You’re still showing us the way.

—Mark Hughes, Mutual 2

Remembering Mayme Tesla

My mother, Mayme Tesla, was a talker—like Bev Bender. She would meet people on the plane and write to them for 20 years. Later in life my brother, Dan Tesla, moved her to a one-bedroom apartment on St. Andrews. Then sister, Elaine Tabyanan moved to Mutual 17, and I moved from Florida to Mutual 12. My sister, Georgia Tesla, bought a condo in Hermosa Beach first. Later in life she lost her speech. She now is in heaven talking to the angels.

—Marina Tesla, Mutual 12

My Compassionate, Dedicated Single Mother

Happy Mother’s Day to my dearest mom, Angelica Estrella! She is compassionate, dedicated, and determined. She raised me as a single mom and taught me to work hard, save and live within my means, and have the resolve to reject malarkey. I am extremely proud she attained her nursing degree in her 50s, worked two jobs and put a family member (not I) through nursing school, and bought her place at Leisure World through years of hard-work and sweat. Love you, Mommy!

—Hope Lim, Mutual 10

She Had An Amazing Life

My mother, Maxine Wells, was born on the plains of Yuma Colorado in 1918. She was one of eight sisters and two brothers. She contacted smallpox from her mother when she was born and since a doctor was too expensive and too far away, she was treated at home. Her mother put kerosene oil on the pox, wrapped her in a blanket and put her near the wood burning stove.

Her father built a threeroom house with no running water or electricity. A trip to the outhouse in winter was decided by scraping off the ice on the windows to see how high the snow was. She walked 2 miles to a one-room school that went from grade one through eight with one teacher. One day she got caught in a blizzard and got frost bite on her fingers.

Her father died in 1932 with only her mother and sister to work the farm. Next came the Dust Bowl: crops failed, livestock died and families became migratory. When the depression came, the farm was sold.

She moved to Long Beach in 1936 to live with her sister, met a handsome fireman, Art, and they were married 62 years. They had two children, Scott and Bonny. They loved to entertain and had an open-door policy. Mom and dad travelled the world by trailer, air and freighter. Imagine what she has seen in her lifetime.

She lived in Mutual 14 for 24 years and moved to assisted living two years ago. Happy Mother’s Day to our amazing mother and thank you for always being there for us.

—Bonny Spencer, Mutual 8

Hyun D. Suhr, mother of Mutual 2 resident Julie Kim, pictured in the UCLA quad circa 1959.

Maria Baudilia Matos, mother of Mutual 12 resident Yevette Louie, squares up in her nightgown.

Edward and Jody Hughes, parents of Mark Hughes, on their wedding day.

Abbie Lau Fong (l) and Allen Fong, parents of Mutual 2 resident Allena Fong Kaplan.

Mutual 14 residents Sherri Colman (l) and her mother Lou Byas.

Hope Lim and her motherAngela Estrella, Mutual 10 resident

Maxine Wells, mother of Bonny Spencer, lived through the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.