Bedside ceremony lets dying mother fulfill her daughter's wedding wish

Date: 12/28/2010

Dec. 29, 2010

By Katelyn Gendron

Assistant Editor

AGAWAM — Jenny Weber of Feeding Hills had one fear when thinking of her upcoming nuptials at Heritage Hall: an empty seat where her mother, Elaine Waterman, would have sat. Weber, determined to have her mother at her wedding, was married in her mother's hospital room at Mercy Medical Center on Nov. 15, just two days before Waterman lost her seven-year battle with cancer at the age of 53.

Waterman's husband, Ted, is still recovering from knee replacement surgery he underwent in October and is facing escalating medical bills and funeral costs. The family has set up an account to help cover the debt at TD Bank but the account balance stands at only $1,500, Weber said.

Weber called the holidays and what would've been her mother's 54th birthday on Dec. 26, a trying time in her family's history. "Everything sucks, no matter what you try to do to make it better," she said.

"Usually, this time of year, she'd be running around already moving furniture [making room for the decorations]. I used to just shake my head and nothing is moving [this year] and it just stays the same," Waterman said of the holidays without his wife.

When asked if a healthy sum of money to cover medical and funeral costs would be his favorite Christmas gift this year, Waterman said he's content with the rich memories of his lovely wife. "Everything I need is in my head now. All I want to do is take care of my kids and my granddaughter now."

Weber called her father's strength and perseverance admirable. "It's not easy. He does have a lot of bills but he's very good at planning and budgeting. We used to make fun of him and call him a 'cheapo,'" she recalled.

When asked if she regrets foregoing the traditional white wedding, Weber replied, "All we ever wanted to have was a big party and I never felt comfortable being that bride walking down the aisle. We will have a party someday."

She said her mother was unable to speak, but squeezed her father's hand to let them know she understood what was happening.

Town Clerk Richard Theroux conducted the ceremony and called the event very emotional. "After having my own daughter being married just a few months before, I understand that a wedding, however lavish or simple, what they do mean and should mean," he said. "It was a dark night to go up to Mercy Hospital to make sure this happened for them. It's one of those times where you walk to the parking lot with a skip in your step, knowing that you could make this memory for them."

Weber and Waterman hold on to hope that they'll have many more happy memories to come during the holidays or during time spent with one another, knowing that Elaine is with them in spirit.

Donations to the Elaine Waterman Fund can be made at any TD Bank branch. To mail a donation, send them to the Elaine Waterman Fund, c/o TD Bank, 40 Springfield St., Agawam, MA 01001.