The Obituaries of January*

Ms. Melati Prakoso…… October 2, 1939 — January 18, 2020

The family of Ms. Melati Prakoso of Beddings Corners announces with sorrow the death of their beloved great grandmother, grandmother, mother, and aunt. Ms. Melati, 81 years old, had lived on Winslow Street in Beddings Corners since arriving in this country from Indonesia in 1962.

Ms. Prakoso met her husband, Hasan, in an internment camp in Central Java, during World War II when their families were being held by the Japanese. The two were very young and lost touch with each other in the tumultuous aftermath of the war. For a time Ms. Prakoso’s family relocated to The Netherlands while Mr. Prakoso’s family settled in the UK. In one of those curious coincidences that often make for features in the Sunday papers, the two went on to attend the University of Cambridge where both were studying advanced mathematics. Ms. Prakoso often recalled the day they found themselves in the same class and she corrected her future husband when he solved for an equation improperly in front of the class.

The two married and soon started a family with the intention of making their home in the UK. However, Mr. Prakoso was recruited by IBM and by the birth of their third child the family had moved to the United States. Mr. Prakoso worked for IBM at the company’s Cambridge, Massachusetts location for his entire career and the family soon found their home in nearby Beddings Corners. Ms. Prakoso, as was usually done in those days, gave up her career in physics to raise the children and care for the family.

Over time, members of both Mr. and Ms. Prakoso’s extended families relocated to Beddings Corners. Mr. Prakoso passed away in 2005 following a series of strokes but Ms. Prakoso refused to leave the family home. Several of her grown grandchildren, including Ms. Jenny Batusura, have lived with their grandmother for the past six years. Family members from Indonesia and around the world often came to visit and the local food co-op began importing Indonesian specialty foods.

Visiting hours for Ms. Prakoso will be held at Hemmings Memorial Home next Tuesday and Wednesday, January 21 and 22, from 1 pm to 3 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm. The funeral will be held Friday, January 24 at All Saints Catholic Church in nearby Standish Falls.

© Remington Write 2020. All Rights Reserved.

*This is a fictional obituary using a stock photo from a Medium-approved source.