Bingowings said:

(though I am a lot older than you by the sound of things)

It's horrible what you have been through, it's no joke to have a parent die young

I just have issues with her attitude and selfishness with smoking throughout our lives as kids. I don't care what she did after I moved out. It wasn't my decision to make, nor was I too concerned. I knew how she felt about it.

Other than that, we were close-ish. Maybe not like some parent\child relationships, but we talked on the phone occasionally and I went back to Houston for Christmas most years, when I lived in New York during the 80s. Probably a somewhat average relationship. Not a bad one at all.

She wasn't that young when she died, 66 I think (not 65 as I said earlier).

I'm 49, by the way.

*edit*

Just asked my wife. My mom was 69 when she died. It was 2005. Seems a lot longer ago than that.