November 4, 2022 – Today would be the 99th birthday of Cardie Oma Hannlis, who became a dear friend and invincible shero to this community over the years. Her wisdom wowed us, and her real-life adventures in turn cracked us up and brought us to tears.
Nearly 100 caring Cardies sent birthday cards to Hannlis last year, and many kindly sent Thinking of You notes to her year-round. She said many times how very much these unexpected friendships meant to her at the end of her good, long life. Because she was the beloved muse behind 17 different designs, for her birthday, those 100 members of her little fan club each received the full collection of Hannlis-inspired cards.
As part of that package, we included a powerfully touching note that I received from Contributing Cardie Sarah Ashley Posch a month after we lost H. We’d long known Sarah Ashley to be a very strong writer, honoring emotions as ably as anyone — she wrote the message above, as well as the first card below memorializing our incomparable friend. I want to share Sarah Ashley’s follow-up message to me with you now as I find her writing so real and powerful, and I sense you, too, will appreciate every word.
Dear Jodee,
I started this note once before to tell you how very sorry I am to hear that you’ve lost a dear friend, Hannlis. But “friend” is such a small word. Her life, her being, was anything but small.
Some of us are blessed to have one or more of our own version of Hannlis — those people who always seem to reflect the best in us, people who fill the room (and our lives) just by walking in, people who create Joy out of the most ordinary moments and grab us in to be part of it. When they are done, a part of us is gone … and yet … our hearts are full.
Your photo of The Cloud that Carried Hannlis, it took my breath away. For nothing, no image could have been more perfect. To think that my words — written and submitted more than a year ago — were there waiting to pay tribute to her. What a great honor. I wept.
My heart goes out now to all who miss Hannlis. All whose hearts are full.
Sarah Ashley Posch
Sarah Ashley’s message in the gift packages went in the mail a week ago as we were thinking it might take the USPS until yesterday or today to deliver. Well, they arrived straightaway — some the very next day! — and I felt strangely disappointed that they got there so far ahead of H’s birthday. It was Cardie Community Manager Kristen Caminiti who pointed out to me that, had the postal service not been so prompt, we would not be able to now share some of the beautiful thank you messages that poured in this week from the gracious Cardies that Hannlis came to know and appreciate so.
Happy Birthday, dear Hannlis, Happy Birthday to You.
Below find some of the beautiful thank you messages that arrived this week from the gracious Cardies that Hannlis came to know and appreciate so.
Oh my. A box of special memory cards, a heart tin of tasty pecans, a great story, and memories of Hannlis shared. Such a surprise! I laughed. I cried. I remembered. I hope blessing others filled your soul. Thank you. Ever so much.
Carrie Wolfgang
What a nice tribute to Hannlis, all wrapped in a bow! I loved looking at the back of all the cards and seeing the numbers growing through the years of birthdays we knew her … 94, 96, 98!
Nancy McGinn
It was a Monday at work … a manic Monday … all I wanted to do when my work was done was to go home and curl up in a ball and pretend the world doesn’t exist … however, I went for a few groceries and checked my mail when I got home and 🥳🥰❤️ woo hoo 👏 there was a box from you!!!! 🎁 I quickly opened it while the groceries sat there on the floor. Wow, H’s spirit lives on and touches us again and again! 🥰 Your gift, like your cards always do, arrived at just the right time with just the right words. From the bottom of my ❤️ I thank you. This chilly, damp, dreary day was just made warm and sunny.
Mary Pat Rossi
Though I look forward to sending you a card soon (there’s so much joy in that), I wanted to take a minute now to thank you for the gift that arrived yesterday. What a delightful way to celebrate who Hannlis was and what made her a joy to know. I loved reading your story of her. Also, what a unique collection of cards (and the candied pecans – sweet touch!) On the one-year anniversary of my grandma’s passing (she would have turned 100 this year), I wanted to do something she loved in her honor. I immediately knew it would not be cooking (she was fabulous, and my culinary talents include boiling pasta and “cooking” Spaghetti-os). What I chose to do in her honor was write a handwritten letter to a friend (in cursive, as Grandma did – whew! It was quite apparent that I don’t use cursive for much other than my signature). Your gift in memory of Hannlis brought that sweet remembrance to mind as well. What a joy to share memories. Hannlis is smiling with delight … I could almost see her wink. Love, grace, and peace to you.
Lauren Rowell
Put Sarah Ashley Posch on retainer! What a beautiful tribute to Hannlis and, wow, the huge supply of cards inspired by her. Remembering her spirit was a real boost today. May her birthday serve up some sun and lots of joy.
Mary Morini
A thank you card is in the mail (of course) but I didn’t want to wait to thank you for the array of great cards sent in memory of Hannlis! And the note written by Sarah Ashley was beautiful. Hannlis certainly drew us Cardies together!
Toni Hoepf
The package honoring Hannis arrived today. What a wonderfully poignant remembrance of an amazing woman. I’ve decided that each of those cards will be sent to people in my life in the next year. They will all go to people who are deserving of a little extra love in their lives. Your thoughtfulness means so much, especially in these often trying times. 💜
Ms Kerry Spears
Grab your tissues …
Thank you so much for the cards honoring & remembering Hannlis. My own beautiful, snowwhite-haired mother, Flo Massey, passed away Sept 21st … leaving a legacy of love to me and my siblings, her grands and great grands. It’s amazing how we can adjust and move forward after we lose a loved one … and how we find the strength and courage to honor them after they’re gone. In Mom’s case, there’s no doubt in our minds that we did the best we could for her and that she is at peace with her dear Lord. Thank you again! xoxo
Babs DePalermo
I have Hannlis’ birthday on my calendar and was going to email you a toast on the 4th to let you know I still remembered right along with you, so I was astounded to receive your letter and the gifts in memory of her today. As I opened the first Hannlis card — the condolence one — I found the message from Sarah Ashley. Her reflection about “some of us are blessed to have our own version of Hannlis … people who reflect the best in us, people who fill the room and our lives just by walking in, people who create joy out of ordinary moments …” touched me deeply. In July, I bought almost every Feel Better card you have to send to a special 45-year old niece who was going into Cleveland Clinic for a bone marrow transplant necessitated by aplastic anemia from autoimmune issues. She was so upbeat and positive and looking forward to being “cured.” I intended to send her a card a week for the month she was to be hospitalized and for the three months she was to be staying in an Airbnb in the Cleveland area. I never got to send them all. There were complications of an infection, and we lost her September 29th. Steph was my Hannlis. I know that now from reading Sarah Ashley’s note. Steph was the first grandchild of my parents, my first niece, and lived closer to us than she did her parents. She didn’t visit all the time, but when she did, the room lit up with her kindness, her vibrant personality, and her ability to laugh at herself. And we all felt better, long after she’d left. Today was an especially hard day for me … so many memories and plans we never got to execute! Your generous gift and Sarah Ashley’s writing lifted my spirits. I know we were blessed to have had Steph as long as we did, but I mourn all that will never be. I know, too, that time will make the loss less painful, but thank you so much for lifting me today when I needed it badly. P.S. Your newsletter with the link to the poem “I Want to Age Like Seaglass” arrived the day before Steph died. I had printed it out that evening to take to her on our next visit, since the beach was her favorite vacation destination. I never got to give it to her, but I did read it at her funeral. It described her perfectly.
Amy Davis
November 4, 2022 – Today would be the 99th birthday of Cardie Oma Hannlis, who became a dear friend and invincible shero to this community over the years. Her wisdom wowed us, and her real-life adventures in turn cracked us up and brought us to tears.
Nearly 100 caring Cardies sent birthday cards to Hannlis last year, and many kindly sent Thinking of You notes to her year-round. She said many times how very much these unexpected friendships meant to her at the end of her good, long life. Because she was the beloved muse behind 17 different designs, for her birthday, those 100 members of her little fan club each received the full collection of Hannlis-inspired cards.
As part of that package, we included a powerfully touching note that I received from Contributing Cardie Sarah Ashley Posch a month after we lost H. We’d long known Sarah Ashley to be a very strong writer, honoring emotions as ably as anyone — she wrote the message above, as well as the first card below memorializing our incomparable friend. I want to share Sarah Ashley’s follow-up message to me with you now as I find her writing so real and powerful, and I sense you, too, will appreciate every word.
Dear Jodee,
I started this note once before to tell you how very sorry I am to hear that you’ve lost a dear friend, Hannlis. But “friend” is such a small word. Her life, her being, was anything but small.
Some of us are blessed to have one or more of our own version of Hannlis — those people who always seem to reflect the best in us, people who fill the room (and our lives) just by walking in, people who create Joy out of the most ordinary moments and grab us in to be part of it. When they are done, a part of us is gone … and yet … our hearts are full.
Your photo of The Cloud that Carried Hannlis, it took my breath away. For nothing, no image could have been more perfect. To think that my words — written and submitted more than a year ago — were there waiting to pay tribute to her. What a great honor. I wept.
My heart goes out now to all who miss Hannlis. All whose hearts are full.
Sarah Ashley Posch
Sarah Ashley’s message in the gift packages went in the mail a week ago as we were thinking it might take the USPS until yesterday or today to deliver. Well, they arrived straightaway — some the very next day! — and I felt strangely disappointed that they got there so far ahead of H’s birthday. It was Cardie Community Manager Kristen Caminiti who pointed out to me that, had the postal service not been so prompt, we would not be able to now share some of the beautiful thank you messages that poured in this week from the gracious Cardies that Hannlis came to know and appreciate so.
Happy Birthday, dear Hannlis, Happy Birthday to You.
Below find some of the beautiful thank you messages that arrived this week from the gracious Cardies that Hannlis came to know and appreciate so.
Oh my. A box of special memory cards, a heart tin of tasty pecans, a great story, and memories of Hannlis shared. Such a surprise! I laughed. I cried. I remembered. I hope blessing others filled your soul. Thank you. Ever so much.
Carrie Wolfgang
What a nice tribute to Hannlis, all wrapped in a bow! I loved looking at the back of all the cards and seeing the numbers growing through the years of birthdays we knew her … 94, 96, 98!
Nancy McGinn
It was a Monday at work … a manic Monday … all I wanted to do when my work was done was to go home and curl up in a ball and pretend the world doesn’t exist … however, I went for a few groceries and checked my mail when I got home and 🥳🥰❤️ woo hoo 👏 there was a box from you!!!! 🎁 I quickly opened it while the groceries sat there on the floor. Wow, H’s spirit lives on and touches us again and again! 🥰 Your gift, like your cards always do, arrived at just the right time with just the right words. From the bottom of my ❤️ I thank you. This chilly, damp, dreary day was just made warm and sunny.
Mary Pat Rossi
Though I look forward to sending you a card soon (there’s so much joy in that), I wanted to take a minute now to thank you for the gift that arrived yesterday. What a delightful way to celebrate who Hannlis was and what made her a joy to know. I loved reading your story of her. Also, what a unique collection of cards (and the candied pecans – sweet touch!) On the one-year anniversary of my grandma’s passing (she would have turned 100 this year), I wanted to do something she loved in her honor. I immediately knew it would not be cooking (she was fabulous, and my culinary talents include boiling pasta and “cooking” Spaghetti-os). What I chose to do in her honor was write a handwritten letter to a friend (in cursive, as Grandma did – whew! It was quite apparent that I don’t use cursive for much other than my signature). Your gift in memory of Hannlis brought that sweet remembrance to mind as well. What a joy to share memories. Hannlis is smiling with delight … I could almost see her wink. Love, grace, and peace to you.
Lauren Rowell
Put Sarah Ashley Posch on retainer! What a beautiful tribute to Hannlis and, wow, the huge supply of cards inspired by her. Remembering her spirit was a real boost today. May her birthday serve up some sun and lots of joy.
Mary Morini
A thank you card is in the mail (of course) but I didn’t want to wait to thank you for the array of great cards sent in memory of Hannlis! And the note written by Sarah Ashley was beautiful. Hannlis certainly drew us Cardies together!
Toni Hoepf
The package honoring Hannis arrived today. What a wonderfully poignant remembrance of an amazing woman. I’ve decided that each of those cards will be sent to people in my life in the next year. They will all go to people who are deserving of a little extra love in their lives. Your thoughtfulness means so much, especially in these often trying times. 💜
Ms Kerry Spears
Grab your tissues …
Thank you so much for the cards honoring & remembering Hannlis. My own beautiful, snowwhite-haired mother, Flo Massey, passed away Sept 21st … leaving a legacy of love to me and my siblings, her grands and great grands. It’s amazing how we can adjust and move forward after we lose a loved one … and how we find the strength and courage to honor them after they’re gone. In Mom’s case, there’s no doubt in our minds that we did the best we could for her and that she is at peace with her dear Lord. Thank you again! xoxo
Babs DePalermo
I have Hannlis’ birthday on my calendar and was going to email you a toast on the 4th to let you know I still remembered right along with you, so I was astounded to receive your letter and the gifts in memory of her today. As I opened the first Hannlis card — the condolence one — I found the message from Sarah Ashley. Her reflection about “some of us are blessed to have our own version of Hannlis … people who reflect the best in us, people who fill the room and our lives just by walking in, people who create joy out of ordinary moments …” touched me deeply. In July, I bought almost every Feel Better card you have to send to a special 45-year old niece who was going into Cleveland Clinic for a bone marrow transplant necessitated by aplastic anemia from autoimmune issues. She was so upbeat and positive and looking forward to being “cured.” I intended to send her a card a week for the month she was to be hospitalized and for the three months she was to be staying in an Airbnb in the Cleveland area. I never got to send them all. There were complications of an infection, and we lost her September 29th. Steph was my Hannlis. I know that now from reading Sarah Ashley’s note. Steph was the first grandchild of my parents, my first niece, and lived closer to us than she did her parents. She didn’t visit all the time, but when she did, the room lit up with her kindness, her vibrant personality, and her ability to laugh at herself. And we all felt better, long after she’d left. Today was an especially hard day for me … so many memories and plans we never got to execute! Your generous gift and Sarah Ashley’s writing lifted my spirits. I know we were blessed to have had Steph as long as we did, but I mourn all that will never be. I know, too, that time will make the loss less painful, but thank you so much for lifting me today when I needed it badly. P.S. Your newsletter with the link to the poem “I Want to Age Like Seaglass” arrived the day before Steph died. I had printed it out that evening to take to her on our next visit, since the beach was her favorite vacation destination. I never got to give it to her, but I did read it at her funeral. It described her perfectly.
Amy Davis
My Aunt Linnie was my own personal Hannlis. I believe she was 99 when she passed. She was a retired pediatric RN. The hospital where she worked lost track of how old she was, and so she just kept working well into her 70’s. She was very active, liked to travel, do crafts, visit friends, and especially go out to eat. She was a one of a kind. So when I read about Hannlis while ordering cards one time, I thought of my Aunt. Imagine my surprise at receiving a box of cards, a lovely note, and tasty candied pecans in the mail that not only brought to mind one wonderful woman, but two? Happy Birthday Hannlis!