Amando Jayme, Jr.

Amando Jayme Jr., from Irish Hills, MI, died  January 14, 2017.  Age 70.  Beloved husband of Janina (nee Szacko) for 51 years.  Loving father of Jolanda Karson, Amando (Hazel) Jayme & Tiffany (Daniel) Troost.  Proud & loving Papa / Bumpa of 8 grandchildren.  Proud & loving Uncle to nine Nieces, eight Nephews & 20 Great Nieces & Nephews.  Dear son of the late Amando & Lilia Jayme Pons.  Brother of Rosa (Ed) Jayme, Norma Weldon, George (Rita) Jayme & Raymundo (Suzie) Jayme. Amando Jayme Jr.,family in marriage & love, who were no longer just  Brother in Laws and Sister in Laws but Brothers & Sisters, Amando was the Pillar of  our family & loved by all…Gary & Christine Gladki, Dave & Cynthia Otremba, , Bob & Ilene Madden ….Thank you for cherishing Amando, a great Blessing to our family throughout the years. He cherished you, his Faith, Family, The UAW….Life & Living.  Visitation Friday, January 20th, 1-8 pm with Rosary at 6:30 pm at Stanley Turowski Funeral Home, 25509 W. Warren, Dearborn Heights, Church service, Sat.Jan.21, 2017, instate 9:30. Mass 10 am at Church of Divine Child, 1055 N Silvery Ln, Dearborn, MI 48128.   LIVING, LOVING, LOSING MY HONEY, AMANDO   Saturday, January, 14, 2017.  Today my heart didn’t just break but died.  My Honey Amando slipped away from us into eternity.  He was the most kind, loving, loyal, precious man who ever blessed our world.  Those who knew Amando loved him & if they didn’t he would win them over soon. His presence & charisma was felt the second he walked into a room. He was a man’s man & women loved him.  The minute others walked into his presence & charisma he stood out.  I was lucky & blessed to have Amando, my Honey, my husband, father of my children for 51 years, 4 months 14 days 8 hours & 18 minutes.   Still we wanted more time.  I wanted more time. My Honey’s departure surpassed any loss I have lived through.  He was that kind of man.  I could write a book & I would need an entire volume to write about my Honey, Amando, “The Man Who Would Be King”.  He was my King & our children & grandchildren’s Papa was King.  We crowned him & in his humor he never hesitated to remind us he held this royal position.  Even telling the grandkids his crown needed straightening again.   I often teased him that his large ears were not a result of family genetics but he needed big ears to hold up his heavy crown.  I hated my Honey smoking because I worried about his health.  I didn’t push him to stop because he really loved smoking & I enjoyed watching & spending time with him smoking.  My words would only be candles to the wind & the ritual would go on. We grew up in the age when everyone smoked & he was no different.  His first cigarette was at twelve years old & he never looked back...I didn’t smoke but the funny thing was that I enjoyed Amando smoking as we drank our coffee together many times a day especially when he retired. “The way he lit a cigarette, the way he held it, the conversation & stories he shared in his puffing ritual was something I would miss.  A perfect commercial for cigarettes….….he was…...my Honey.  When he finally took smoking to the outside in the winter, only spring, mild fall days &  patio or balcony breaks held the same magic with our coffee and his cigarettes.  Sitting on the swing off our bedroom balcony, absorbing the heartwarming sun, serenade of our birds, light breezes was magic in itself.  My Honey promised he would quit & finally did when his health forced the issue.  Amando’s last cigarette was November 4th 2016.  Years before Alexandria even cut a lock of Papa’s hair so she could clone him if something ever happened because of his smoking. The negotiations never stopped with her Papa or PapaDad as she coined him.  Alexandria “When will you quit smoking Papa?”  “I don’t want you to die”. With a his laughing eyes and loving grin he answered, “If you keep up your grades throughout the school year I will quit”. “Oh Papa, then  can I quit school altogether”?  she would ask. Like I said negotiations were on going after that. My Honey, Amando endearingly coined me Babe & he was my Honey.. The only time he digressed & called my name occasionally when he was upset about something.  Even that exchange was humorous……. (my birth name Janina) “ Jeannette I know what I’m doing” he would mumble. Alexandria loved mimicking her Papa & would repeat in low voice  “Jeannette I know what I’m doing” ….Much to her Papa’s smiling delight…My niece Tina said she will miss Uncle Amando’s smile, sense of humor, support & quiet strength.  So will I till I join my honey one day.  Till the end he was a warrior like he lived his life.  He loved Muhammad Ali & boxing ,baseball & sports. I loved boxing too & we enjoyed going to matches and watching together.   We went to a meet & greet in the 1980’s & Ali autographed his picture. . Ali let me take one of Amando shaking his hand.  The  bodyguard was not happy about it.  But Ali said it was ok. Just like Ali was a Champion in the ring & other causes, Amando was Champion to our family, friends & the average Joe.  Everyone could count on him and they did.  We felt safe with him around ……His quiet strength and loud when it needed to be.  Besides his Faith, his Babe, his children & grandchildren, loyal friends & kindness to strangers, the UAW was his hearts work. He was Chief Steward & even when he no longer held the position, phones calls came in & he went above & beyond to help his fellow workers & buddies.  Collecting pledges for United Way from businesses, setting up, managing, coaching a company baseball team & so much more. My honey appreciated what the Automobile industry & UAW did for his family & his father before that.  My honey succeeded life in blue collar fashion & was proud of it. He handed this love down to his family & friends. He always fought for the common man and underdog. Like I said I would have to write more than one book about my honey. From humble beginnings to Man Who Would Be King. His devotion by everyone during his life, in sickness & in health  is a testament to Amando’s importance to us, our world & those who loved him. It was a testament to his unselfish love & actions toward everyone. He loved his church & lived his faith not just by going to church but living kind deeds, actions  bringing laughter & joy in every circumstance. One of his bucket list goals was to reach & celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We did in 2015 and my honey couldn’t be prouder & happier. This year of 2017 would have been our 52nd year of marriage.   We had renewed our vows three times during our life together & he was the first to initiate the conversation.  Amando was very sensitive at times to pain & Tiffy & I would tease him that he needed to toughen up.  He was afraid of nothing or no one but pulling a bandage off his hairy arm was a different story. This also proved not true. The nurses constantly said that he rarely complained about his liver disease & pain & was the best patient they ever had even when he shouldn’t have been. He was a warrior in every sense of the word  like Michael the Archangel. His last three months proved just what a brave warrior he was & verified the courage we witnessed throughout our years together.  Michael was his brother for sure.  My Honey was &  is my hero. Even at the end he was apologizing to us that he was putting us through this. I told him he was a saint and had no reason to apologize.  We loved him &  wanted him with us longer.  Amando, Joli & Tiffany spent many nights during their dad’s hospital stay to support my Honey. He tried to show that he wasn’t in pain but we knew he was. He didn’t like how the medicine made him feel. He wanted to be alert.  We celebrated Christmas Eve, Christmas Day,Tiffany’s Birthday & New Years Eve, with my Honey in the hospital.  We made it as festive as possible with decorations, Christmas cookies & goodies and shared with the nursing staff. So many visitors and friends at the hospital & home lifted his spirits. Amando’s brother & sisters, nieces & nephews were by his side.  His brothers & sisters, nieces & nephews through marriage & love were there to support & hopefully through prayer & energy would all make Amando well.  Remember “Miracles happen when pigs fly”.  I even gave my honey a flying pig ornament for his hospital Christmas tree that Joli brought & Tiffany & I his Babe decorated.  Father Jim & Father John came to the house to bless my Honey more than once.  He received Holy Communion, blessings, inspiring conversation, words of comfort.  Father Felix & hospital chaplains took care of his spiritual needs then. Even though my Honey was so sick he asked Tiffany to pick up a Christmas gift for me .  My Honey started my snowball collection years ago… What do you want me to pick up for mom”? Tiffy asked.  He said a snowball. Tiffany called him from the store & told him the choices. The minute she said  a church snowball, my Honey asked if it was like the one by our house that I always took pictures of rain, snow or shine.. “Yes dad.” That is the gift I want you to get for mom”. He said happily. . I opened it at the hospital along with the CD by Grace Vanderwaal and cried. I still can’t listen to the CD till today but play the snowball every morning & night. The snowball even had the date of 2016.  How prophetic my beautiful church that will forever be etched in my heart as the last gift I would receive from my Honey.  Thankyou for thinking of me always.  I will miss you my love….the love of my life….my Honey… My Honey didn’t want a hospital bed at home. He hated the hospital torture bed as he called it &  said he wanted me to lay by his side at home. Home was Megan’s bedroom & often Brendan’s. They opened their home & hearts to us. Tiffany would come home & run to the room to see her daddy. Her face all  aglow. It was the highlight of her day. Joli too… Even in the middle of the night I could count on my girls and son to help. The first place everyone would go when they came in was to Amando’s room.  After Theresa one of  the Hospice nurses  saw the interaction between the grandkids, children & everyone she did not try to convince us to get a hospital bed.  She said it was cute & special that everyone surrounded my Honey & lay by his side or sitting in chairs around his bed. His humor was evident till the day before he left us….left me…. I knew he was in pain but being the warrior he was he said he was happy with all the commotion & he truly was. .This is the way we lived our life.  Autumn, Alexandria, Megan , Brendan, would talk to him, rub his head, kiss him & comfort my honey. At night when I lay by his side doing the same, sometimes I would sneak away to the couch from my honey’s restlessness. He was like an alarm clock.  Babe, Babe he would call the minute he realized I was not by his side. Oh to hear him call out Babe I want a cup of coffee……the cigarette ritual would come with it…But this would be no more.  No coffee.  No cigarettes. No storytelling. No honey. Amando held on for our son Amando to make it from New Mexico and we gave him updates on his progress.  Out of town family reached Michigan first. They were able to spend the first days with my Honey.  At one point Amando asked where L. Amando was now. Tiffany said Missouri. Frustrated my honey blurted out an expletive “What only in F------ Missouri”?  We passed it on to L. Amando and all of us bursted out laughing. It was the way he said it. (He rarely swore & not in front of the kids for sure) Little did we know that when our son got there Thursday evening, two days later my Honey would finally give in his struggle to hold on any longer. Technically he was holding on for dear life every second & every breathe he took. He wanted to eat enchiladas that Tiffy & I cooked up special. He wanted to eat those with his brother George & told him he enjoyed eating the two enchiladas with George. Never happened. At that point he could barely eat or swallow. But George went along with him. Then there was the special blue Christmas blanket from Cindy and Dave & girls. It warmed his body & his heart at the hospital & home. Everyone including the hospital staff loved that beautiful, blue paisley blanket. We laughed  at how the blanket could turn up missing during the night because everyone had their eye on it including the nurses. It survived its way  home.  The morning he left us family came to say their goodbyes once more . The first time in awhile my honey looked peaceful like he was sleeping on his side where the hospice nurses turned him. But he was gone. We were able to spend five more hours with my Angel of a man. He was getting colder but we wanted to hold on thinking and hoping we could bring back warm life into his being.  Not so. Everyone that could came to the house for one more goodbye. We promised Amando he wouldn’t die in the hospital. He never wanted to. All of us kept our promise to this special man. We we were Angels for him like he was our Michael the Archangel from the beginning.  Our Church family, Pastor & Priests, Face book friends, long life friends, new friends, Hospice carried us and my honey on this journey. I will forever be thankful to all of you till I take my last breathe for being there for us & my Honey.   Then it was time to say goodbye once more.  Dakota & Nick were two young, respectable proper men.  They came to take my Honey away with the dignity he deserved.  They gave us more of the time we needed while they patiently waited for us to finally let go. Let my Honey go. They brought my Honey out in a beautiful handled burgundy red wrap.  My Honey was in there eternally asleep. The six beautiful white roses that crowned his body stayed with him as they gently place him on his journey. We all cried. We followed outside & were still saying our goodbyes.  As they pulled away carrying my precious jewel of a man with them I thought  everyone should be so loved & treasured till the end.  I’ll miss you my Honey but know you are my King forever in the arms of Our Master King Our LORD. So till we are together once more.. I love  you forever my Honey. I thankyou for everything  and will never forget Living, Loving  Losing My Honey Amando, your Babe Janina