Alma Kehrli was “Tops” with and to a lot of people. In fact, it’s a name she gave herself when she was a toddler.

“The story is that when she was about four years old, someone asked what her name was. Mom’s reply was ‘Tops,’ and from then on, she was called ‘Topsy’ or ‘Tops,’” said her daughter, Ann Peters.

Alma died Nov. 6 at the age of 90 during the week leading up to Veterans Day. Alma was 39 years old when her husband, Sgt. Herbert Kehrli, was killed in Vietnam, leaving her with three daughters — ages 15, 13 and 11 years — to raise. “My dad was in the Air Force, and when he had to go overseas for a tour of duty, Mom came back to Stoney Creek to live. She had a little house next to her parents and she had brothers and sisters who also lived closed by,” said Ann.

“My mom has always been a spunky person, but I never realized what a remarkable woman she was until the day I turned 39,” said Ann. “When my dad died, my mother was still a relatively young woman, but she chose to remain single and devoted herself to raising me and my sisters. At the time she was working at Iodent. However, she quit her job and became a full-time mother,” Ann said. “She had a lot of challenges in life, but she faced them with courage and determination. She was a wonderful mother.”

With her parents and four brothers living next to her, Alma had a lot of family support raising her daughters. “Oftentimes when we wanted to do something, Mom would tell us to ask her brothers. However, we knew regardless of what they said, she had the final say,” said Ann.

“Growing up was so much fun at our house. We were always surrounded by people. Our friends were always welcome, especially after Friday night ballgames. Mom would cook, usually making us pizza. Looking back, I think Mom liked it that way because she always knew where we were,” Ann shared.

Alma enjoyed cooking for family and friends. It was her favorite thing to do. “When we lived in New Jersey, my dad was an Air Force recruiter, and Mom became friends with an Italian woman, the mother of one of my dad’s recruits. She taught my mom how to make lasagna and pizza, and shared many recipes with her. I think that is when she really began to enjoy cooking,” said Ann.

A few years after her husband’s death, Alma and her sisters ran the Midway Grill. “They couldn’t have made any money, because they gave more food away than they sold. They carted food all up and down Stoney Creek. If someone died, they packed up a box of food and took it to the family. If someone was sick, they took food. If you ate at the Midway Grill, they made sure you had seconds. Always, they asked, ‘Did you get enough to eat?’” Ann shared with a laugh.

Alma’s obituary noted that she was blessed with the gift of hospitality and loved nothing more than having a house full of family and friends to cook for.

“At Christmas, she loved baking, especially cookies. She kept the coffee pot going. You didn’t walk into our house and not be offered a cup of coffee and cookies or a grilled cheese sandwich,” Ann said.

Alma Kehrli made life fun, whether it be cooking, entertaining family or friends or watching an episode of Days of Our Lives.

A highlight of last year was Alma’s traveling to Gatlinburg for the 50th anniversary book tour of the popular soap, Days of Our Lives. “Mom had been a fan of the show from its beginning and two of her granddaughters took her to the book signing and stood in line with her for four and one-half hours to get an autograph. She got to meet some of the actors, and for weeks that’s all she talked about,” said Ann.

“Whatever the grandkids asked her to do, she tried it. One taught her to snap chat. Another taught her to play with a fidget spinner. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother,” said Ann.

Alma was a long-time member of Dungan Chapel Baptist Church, attending the church since she was a child. Her daughter said she had a deep faith and it was the guiding force in her life. “Often when a problem would come up with us or in our children’s lives, Mom would often ask ‘Have you prayed about it?’’’

Her pew buddy at Dungan Chapel was one of her cousins, Billy Bob Garrison, who every week would bring her a box of Moonpies or key lime cookies.

This past August, Alma fractured her back in a fall. Until then she had never had any major illnesses. Once she was talking about dying, and a couple of the grandchildren didn’t like it and told her so. Her reply was: “Now honey, I am 90, and I am ready when the Lord is ready for me.” One of the granddaughters said, “But, we’re not ready for you to go.” Her reply: “You’ll just have to get over it.”

Alma was one of 11 children, the eldest daughter of Robert and Tilda Grindstaff. Three sisters and a brother survive her. “They were a very tight-knit family,” said Ann.

When Alma turned 90, her family honored her with a birthday party. “She gave us a guest list of 170 people, and what is amazing is that everyone of them came. Many of them shared about visiting in her home, eating her cookies, having a piece of her pizza, drinking coffee with her, receiving a box of food from her. It was wonderful and she talked about it for weeks,” Ann shared.

Alma Kehrli’s husband made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. Lest we forget, she who waits also serves.