My eulogy to my mother:
Family and dear friends,
We have come here today to say good-bye to my mother. A lovely, elegant lady who captured the heart of everyone she met. I think those few words capture the essence of who she was. I think each of her friends and family here today knows exactly what I mean.
We feel both sadness and a sense of relief in knowing that her physical torment of the past few years is finally at an end.
She was proud to say that she was from Westbury, New York where she grew up with her two younger sisters Joyce and Mary. The three sisters played together, laughed together and cried together as they began the journey of their lives. They were together again when their big sister reached HER life's final destination.
Joyce recently told me some hair-raising stories of their youthful escapades. Like the time they stole their neighbor's cat, and the time they stole their Grandmother's neighbor's cat. I never knew that my sainted mother started out as a professional cat burglar.
With her criminal career largely behind her, she moved on to her teen years. Surrounded by her best friends Janet and Joan Little and Stevie Schramm, she matured into a stunningly beautiful woman.
A few years later, she met my dad. At least for him, it was love at first sight. They both worked at Sperry and were in the same carpool. My dad loved to tell the story about how, once, he was so captivated, staring in the rear-view mirror at that gorgeous woman in the back seat, that he ran right into the back of a parked bus.
They were soon married and moved to Florida and then into their brand new home. Three years later, she began her long career as my mother.
I consider myself very, very fortunate to have had a mother such as her. She was kind, caring and supportive as well as firm, fair and consistent. Good table manners were always very important.
We had a lot of fun, too. Like the trips to Indian Rocks beach with Aunt Janet and her daughters. I particularly remember one time, on the way home, when she and Janet launched in to a spontaneous rendition of "those were the days my friend". Janet's daughters and I joined in as best we could and it was a joyous moment.
Always the perfect hostess, she made holidays and family gatherings that much more special. The New Year's eves with Joan and Paul. The Christmas eves with Nancy, Debbie and Brian. All the Thanksgivings and birthdays. She always worked so hard to make sure that everything was perfect. And it was.
After I grew up and moved out, she began to explore her talents as an artist. She found her greatest talent to be oil painting. We were all amazed at each new masterpiece she produced. The paintings stand today as evidence of the beauty within her.
After my dad passed away things began to change, for it was around that time that she began to experience the first symptoms of the insidious affliction that would ultimately claim her life.
Though the effects slowly worsened, she was still able to join MY family for the holidays and special events that SHE once hosted. She got to see her son evolve into a proud and contented family man and watch her grandchildren grow and share in their triumphs.
In the last few years though she lost the ability to get around town on her own, and to her, living in a facility was out of the question, but with a little help from so many of us and especially my mother-in-law, Gabriele, she was able to stay in her home. Through our small efforts, she kept the satisfaction of remaining mostly independent, and I think she would agree that THAT was the greatest gift we could have given her.
She leaves a legacy, not only in her artwork, but in the way that she affected each of us in a PURELY positive way. We will all remember her as a lovely, elegant lady who captured the heart of everyone she met.
