03/11/2026
END OF LIFE
By Jeanne Ann Schneider Vargas
When I received the call from my son, Scott Kleppe, he told me that the biopsy results had come back. The doctors say the brain tumors will likely end his life in six to eight months.
What struck me most was his voice. It was strong. As he spoke, you would never think anything was wrong with him. He sounded just like himself.
This son of mine—58 years old—my precious boy. I know he is a man now. He has a wife, Tina. They have been married since 1992. I would not have chosen anyone different for him. And he has a son, Joshua, all grown up now and living his own life.
Scott has lived his life well. He has made many good choices—so many good choices. I cannot think of any bad ones. There was a time when he stopped talking to me for a long while, but I understood that. Perhaps he needed time to understand his own feelings about his mother and our relationship. I had to respect that.
From this moment forward, we are going to be grateful for every day my son opens his eyes and shares time with us.
My friend, if you are a prayerful person, and if you feel so inclined, please pray the Lord’s Prayer—or any prayer that comes to your heart—and remember my son, his wife Tina, and their son Joshua.
As for me, I am praying:
“Lord, Thy will be done. Give me the strength.”
Take time today to look around at your own children, nieces and nephews, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers. Do not let another day go by without telling them how much you love them and how much you appreciate them.
Make a date to see them.
Do not let your calendar become so full that you keep postponing the people who matter most.
Make those phone calls.
Say, “Hello.”
Ask, “How are you doing?”
Forgiveness is one of the most important things we can give each other. Forgiveness and tolerance strengthen our resilience.
From this day forward we are celebrating Scott’s life. We are not focusing on regrets. We are not keeping track of wrongs. We will be compassionate and empathetic with one another as we walk this long goodbye together.
Scott reminded me that we went through something like this before, when Francis’s daughter Stephanie Vargas died in 2010. She was only twenty-six years old. She had a stroke at that time, and shortly afterward she was gone.
We know that every life has an ending. Still, saying goodbye is very hard.
So please pray for us—that we will have the strength to walk through this time together with love.
Scott asked me to share this message with my friends. He knows how important friends are, and he has so many.
Thank you for being my friend.
