Eulogy for Mary Irene

As some of you know, our neighbor Mary, mother of two, died on Monday, May 15. Here is a memorial of sorts that I wrote to share with her family and thought I would share with you, as well. Please keep Mary and her surviving family: Greg, Courtney, and Landon, in your prayers.


******************************************************************

Good Morning. My name is ***** and I am a neighbor to the ****** family. We have only been neighbors for a short 2 1/2 years, but have become well acquainted during that time as our children have played away countless hours together. Mary and I spent a good many of those hours on the swing in her front yard talking and sharing about our children, our families, our past, and our futures.

I didn't meet Mary until after her cancer treatments were complete and, yet, it was evident to me that she never really recovered from the tremendous insult the disease and other difficulties of her life, had dealt her mind and body. Her broken spirit and emotional battles often clouded her view of reality so we are so grateful that she is now in a place where she can see all that was and is with great clarity.

Nonetheless, I have many memories of Mary opening her heart and sharing glimpses of her true and best self. She remembered my birthdays with thoughtful presents and delivered lovely handwritten notes to our family at Christmas. For my daughters, she always had a heartfelt hug and an easy smile. One autumn day, she took my children and hers for a memorable nature walk around the neighborhood to collect pinecones and other tidbits for craft projects. At her suggestion, we spent a windy but enjoyable afternoon with all of our children hiking around the little lake behind the Arboretum and often talked of repeating it. Mary seemed to have a special fondness for the holidays and always delighted my little ones with her whimsical yard decorations at Halloween and Christmas. In the spring, she could frequently be found in the yard, planting and landscaping and occasionally happened into our backyard to offer advice or kind words regarding my latest projects.

While Mary was easily discouraged and overwhelmed by the hardships of her life, I believe that her creative spirit held much potential. I know that her love of music, art, and the outdoors gave her, and those around her, much happiness. I know, too, that she admired greatly Courtney and Landon's penchant for the creative. She beamed with pleasure last Halloween as Courtney came up with one idea after another to bedeck the yard and heartily encouraged any creative endeavors either of her children pursued. She once scolded me for spending so much time painting and decorating my daughters' room because she insisted that someday soon they ought to be permitted to paint their own walls and door.

The last time I saw Mary was Saturday evening. She had come to the door with Courtney to deliver a birthday present for my four year old daughter. When she learned that I was about to leave to vote, she asked, pleadingly, if she could accompany me and I agreed. Our voting place happens to be ***** Elementary, Landon's school. Before even getting in the line, she went straight to a wall display of student art and searched until a smile came across her face. She had found Landon's work and was swelling with pride. When I finished casting my vote, I told Mary I would wait near the door for her, but she encouraged me to first go take a look at her son's work.

A couple of days after their recent car accident, Mary asked me to pray with her. I readily agreed as I knew how she longed for spiritual nourishment for herself and her family. I think my prayer with her that day was not what she expected. I asked God to help that incident, the car accident and its resultant injuries, to bring the ***** family closer to one another and to the Almighty. I asked the Lord to grant Mary perseverance and to give the whole family a spirit of forgiveness and peace. As always, I asked that these petitions be granted if they be the Will of God and then we prayed the Lord's Prayer together. It seems that my prayer was not entirely reflective of God's Will as is evidenced by our presence here today. Nonetheless, the basic tenet of the prayer remains the same: May this loss bring the ***** family closer to one another, closer to God and as they move, sometimes tentatively and sometimes passionately through their grief, they will find in their hearts a spirit of forgiveness and a genuine peace: the Peace of Christ.