CANDY LAND

The objective is to be the first one to get to the end.

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There’s a place between the Candy Cane Forest and Gumdrop Mountain where my childhood memories reside. Tonight, this game of neopolitan ice cream and licorice gumdrops is taken very seriously by a family who needs a playful rest from the agonizing goodbyes.

The object is to be the first one to make it to the King’s House [in this case, a gingerbread cottage]. If we consider the one we have come here to honor, she is the real winner of the game.

This is a story of four mamas, their colorful paths intertwined. January 19th will be the day we celebrate the life of my daughter-in-law’s mama. It is also the day I lost mine.

I hear Archie’s giggle as he moves his gingerbread man past his Papa’s. We are all so eager to get to the end. I feel the weight of the implications as my enthusiasm lingers behind.

How remarkable that I am the one remaining. How unexpected the timing of it all. Our journeys as unpredictable as the cards piled in the center of a candy-colored path. Some of us propelled forward. Some of us sent back.

All the while sweet giggles pierce the missing and the grief.
Along this candy-colored path where life is breathtakingly sweet.

Between the Candy Cane Forest and Gum Drop Mountain a little girl’s innocent memories reside, while her Grandson’s tiny fingers rest nearby.

The first one to the finish line is Winner. In this moment there is a great big part of me that disagrees.

NOTES:

This is not my typical entry. In fact, what I had planned to share was set aside. Instead, I wanted you to share an intimate moment in the life of a family as we prepare to say goodbye.

Today I held my grandbabies while Erin and I listened to songs that will play over treasured images of her mama that best depict her adventurous, remarkable life.

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Christel Ketelsen, 70, peacefully passed away at home in November 2024. Born in Northern Germany in 1954 to Hans and Hertha Ketelsen, she was predeceased by her parents and brothers, Christian and Jens.

Christel shared a life of adventure with her husband, John, whom she met in 1976.  Together, they drove through Mexico and Central America, then lived and traveled extensively across Europe and Asia for 7 years. They also lived and traveled across North America after returning to the US to raise their daughters, Lisa and Erin, then settled in Lake Forest Park for almost 30 years. Christel and her family made regular trips to Germany to stay connected with relatives and childhood friends, while also maintaining strong ties through frequent contacts.  

Trained in Germany as a high-level dental technician, she first worked in labs and then spent her last 30 years at practices with top professionals specializing in prosthodontics and impacting patients through her work including assisting in complex dental and facial reconstruction.

Christel had a love for travel, nature, and learning. She was an avid reader, gardener, and enjoyed creative design, ceramics, crafting, quilting and sewing projects. 

Above all, Christel was devoted to her family. She was a loving mother to her daughters, Lisa and Erin, and a proud grandmother. She instilled in them a sense of independence, kindness, and curiosity, and her influence will forever be felt through them.

May her joyful laugh live on in our hearts forever.

Christel is survived by her husband, John Clavadetscher; daughters, Lisa Ketelsen (Greg Szot) and Erin Kraft (Kyle); and four grandchildren. She is also remembered by her extended family and many dear friends, both in the U.S. and Germany.

The family requests that those who wish to remember Christel in a special way make donations in her memory to the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. 

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