Henrietta Donaldson

[abs]

What is known about Mary´s mother? Mary, in essence, only has mentioned her in connection to her too early death (as far as I know), so we basically know very little about her.

[tigerben]

What is known about Mary´s mother? Mary, in essence, only has mentioned her in connection to her too early death (as far as I know), so we basically know very little about her.

We do know Poor Henrietta was not the love of JD life, according to Mary ,Susan Moody is !

[abs]

What is known about Mary´s mother? Mary, in essence, only has mentioned her in connection to her too early death (as far as I know), so we basically know very little about her.

We do know Poor Henrietta was not the love of JD life, according to Mary ,Susan Moody is !

Maybe that is why I get this unhappy vibe from her.

[tigerben]

That comment from Mary , flippant or not, I think is the most horrible thing every to come out of her mouth, she has been airbrushed out unless needed for a charity speech! Mary had the heavy lids snipped off as well, all the kids seem to have got their mothers eyes.

[abs]

Tiger, when did Mary say that Susan Moody was the love of Slurrpie´s life? That is kind of like shooting herself in the foot, and very tactless and disrespectful towards her mother.

[BWpunisher]

It was during the Marymentary, when they were all in some winery(?) and Mosh was introducing members of her family.

[Galuh]

Other pic of Henrietta Donaldson

Henrietta Donaldson

[Diana Again]

What is known about Mary´s mother?

Struggled with mental illness.

[PeDe]

well, Yrma's wonky eye is from mom, may god rest her soul in peace.

[fairy]

While I value Diana's opinion in many cases (esp since she checked every single point on my Maxima list!  ) I don't get the mental distressed signal from Henrietta.
I think tbh that she indeed looks like the nicest member of this family. She looks to me like a lovely person and a caring neighbour, one that would show up with a casserole at a sick neighbour's door and remember her co-workers birthday with a little candle and cake.
However I would also think she was the most vulnerabale member of the family and quite overshadowed, even overpowered by husband and IMO youngest and most demanding child.

[Diana Again]

I don't get the mental distressed signal from Henrietta.
I think tbh that she indeed looks like the nicest member of this family. She looks to me like a lovely person and a caring neighbour, one that would show up with a casserole at a sick neighbour's door and remember her co-workers birthday with a little candle and cake.
However I would also think she was the most vulnerabale member of the family and quite overshadowed, even overpowered by husband and IMO youngest and most demanding child.

She is/was a nice person.  The mental illness in her case was not the type to warp her personality into something obnoxious like mary - in her case the mental illness caused a separation from reality, she found it difficult to maintain engagement with life, she would often slip into her own world and seclude herself, and even when surrounded by people, she was present physically but not mentally.  

If you look past her smile, and focus on her eyes for at least 5 secs you may see what i mean.

[Little_star]

That comment from Mary , flippant or not, I think is the most horrible thing every to come out of her mouth, she has been airbrushed out unless needed for a charity speech! Mary had the heavy lids snipped off as well, all the kids seem to have got their mothers eyes.

#


I'm so glad you said that, tiger as I've always felt that Mary "uses" her mother's memory when it suits her. Moreover her description of Susan Moody during that documentary is despicable. IMO.

[tigerben]

While I value Diana's opinion in many cases (esp since she checked every single point on my Maxima list!  ) I don't get the mental distressed signal from Henrietta.
I think tbh that she indeed looks like the nicest member of this family. She looks to me like a lovely person and a caring neighbour, one that would show up with a casserole at a sick neighbour's door and remember her co-workers birthday with a little candle and cake.
However I would also think she was the most vulnerabale member of the family and quite overshadowed, even overpowered by husband and IMO youngest and most demanding child.

  good post fairy, I think she put herself last, and compared to the dominant John, her kids probably thought she was a walkover , in that house when they were small and teenagers it was more than likely " what would daddy want/say/do or have" .

[fairy]

She is/was a nice person.  The mental illness in her case was not the type to warp her personality into something obnoxious like mary - in her case the mental illness caused a separation from reality, she found it difficult to maintain engagement with life, she would often slip into her own world and seclude herself, and even when surrounded by people, she was present physically but not mentally. 

If you look past her smile, and focus on her eyes for at least 5 secs you may see what i mean.

I do see that!
I am just not ready to call it a mental disease.
I agree with Tiger, in that she was probably a weak person, and was walked over and trampled on by her overbearing husband and daughter.
I would consider her introversion and her withdrawal part of her personality (for which she was probably chosen by the dominant John) and part result of being dominated probably all of her life. Often people like this repeat a pattern set by their own parents, so likely Henrietta already had had a very domineering parent.
Many women esp (and children) display such signs of withdrawal from reality as cope mechanisms from abusive or domineering family situations.
I wouldn't call it pathological. Honestly I would rather call the aggressor mentally and socially deranged.

[Maria]

I think she looks like a very pretty woman actually - it must be the Donaldson-genes that bring the fug, sorry to say it so bluntly. Having lost a parent myself, I find the way Mary spoke of Susan very, very strange. I wonder if Mary hasn't always been most close to John.