My Sister's Eulogy to Our Mother

My sister sent me the eulogy that she will give at my mother's funeral mass on Sat. morning. They will have a bag piper at the church and the grave site. My sister and I have shared our most initmate thoughts over the years and I could have not added any more to her feelings.

Barbara's Eulogy
I can't think of a better way to explain a eulogy than to give tribute to a great woman: my mother.
My mother passed away on February 21 at 1:20 a.m. And my life will never again be the same. She was my best friend. We would gab for hours about life, spirituality, world events, family, the weather, crafts and on and on it would go. There was no such thing as quick phone call to Mom.
Mom was born in Union, NY, she had 1 older brother and 2 younger sisters. She graduated from Union Endicott High School class of 1942. She played the clarinet in the marching band and had a wonderful appreciation of music. My mother took the nurse’s training course at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester and graduated in 1944 with her RN. She met my dad when she was working as an industrial nurse at IBM in Endicott. He received medical attention from a pretty young nurse when he came to the first aid a few times. Mom would remember, “Every time he came in, my heart would skip a beat, but I didn’t say anything to him. He would sit quietly while I attended to him.” The love between them grew and led to 60 years of marriage, six children, 15 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. How awesome is that! What is even more amazing is that both mom and dad grew closer together over the years and their love for each other grew and endured some hard times as well as good times.
My mom was dying, she experienced her death, she died and now she is dead. Please don’t refrain from saying the “D” word with her family. Please don’t refrain from using her name in your common household chatter. Mom, Dad and I had many conversations about death. What a gift that I knew exactly what Mom wanted her funeral mass to be like, the music, the outfit she wanted to be buried in. If Mom was here she would tell us it’s such a shame that everyone typically wears black at funerals. Everyone should dress in bright party clothes. Mom viewed death as a celebration of life just as we would celebrate a birth. Do not be sad for Mom – celebrate for her. She is exactly where she needs to be today. We are all exactly where we need to be. She is very proud of all of us – family and friends. The outpouring of love and caring would have made her smile that wonderful smile of hers.
There are so many stories to tell. Funny stories, sad stories, happy stories, and some pretty amazing stories.
Mom was a great teacher. She taught many things to many people. She only taught me two, everything I say and everything I do. (lol)
One of my favorites stories is about her birthday. Mom was born on the 4th of July, 1924. Every year on her birthday there would be celebrations across the nation. No one went to work; there were parades, picnics and fireworks. As a very young child she thought, “Isn’t this great, all these people are celebrating my birthday!” When she was a little older she finally realized that it was also our nation’s birthday. Her birthdays were a special time for our family. We would always sing Yankee Doodle Dandy after the birthday song. One year when I was a young woman, living on my own, I wasn’t able to afford the gas to drive from Albany to Binghamton. My dad really wanted all of us home and I was the only one not able to make it. He asked me if I had a penny jar, which of course I did, so I rolled up all $5.45 worth, gased up my 1964 Chevy Impala V8 and drove home for broke. I did make it home with the engine running on the smell of gas for the last mile. Mom was so happy that I made it home.
My mom’s faith in God is what I most admired. When I failed, she would remind me that it wasn’t the end of the world. And when I acted like a jerk, she wasn’t afraid to call me on it, love me through it, and forgive me for it. She often loved me in spite of myself.
When I couldn’t hear the Lord speak to me, I could always reach out to my mom and she would take me by the hand and walk me through the crisis. Her faith in God never wavered even when she experienced trauma, sickness and the deaths of loved ones. But I wasn’t the only person she did this with. My mother had very strong faith and her spirituality was backed up with an amazing knowledge of the bible. She taught what she knew to anyone who wanted to learn. Mom used to tell me, “God, he know what he do.” She got that from an elderly black women she visited in a nursing home in Charlotte, NC.
She was a great role model to so many people. Not only did my mom change the lives of so many people, but she left behind a legacy that will not be forgotten. A legacy that says:
value people enough to make a difference in their lives;
laugh often, especially at yourself;
love people as you love yourself;
have faith that the Lord will lead you, and
always remember to be true to yourself.
Today, we say goodbye to a great woman, wife, sister, mother, grandmother and friend. May she rest in peace and know that she will always be loved, remembered and cherished. We love you Mom!