Two of the proudest days of my life were give the eulogies for both of my grandmothers. I am truly blessed and I wanted to share the eulogies of these two amazing women on my blog.
Cecilia Priest, June 18th, 1923 - April 9th, 2008
I am Shaun Priest, Stephen’s son and the oldest of Nana’s sixteen grandchildren. I want to thank my aunts and uncles for giving me the opportunity to talk about how all of us have been blessed to know and be loved by Cecilia Agnes Priest, my Nana.
This past Saturday, our family gathered in a Memory Circle for Cecilia at my Uncle Eddie’s house. The Memory Circle for Nana was led by Reverend Tricia Tummino and included Nana’s children, grandkids, great grand kids, nieces, nephews, and cousins. We laughed and cried as a family sharing wonderful stories of an amazing person who taught and touched each one us of individually and deeply.
We discussed Nana’s wonderful traits and consistently returned to her love for her husband and family.
Just seven months ago my grandfather passed away. It’s not surprising to anyone that my Nana passed away so quickly because there love is so deep. They had 66 wonderful years of marriage. It’s not just that Cecilia and Harold loved each other, it is that they were IN LOVE with each other. Everyone could see it, in everything they did. As Uncle Eddie said, “That’s why all us can dance with our spouses without music because my parents showed us how to carry the music of love always inside us.”
We are blessed with a strong family with unbreakable bonds that keeps us together. This bond includes our extended families and is fueled by faith, good food, a priority on staying connected, and good old New England common sense combined with a sense of humor. This source of this bonding and love is my Nana and Grandpa, Mom and Dad to her kids, Uncle Buddy and Aunt Cecilia to many others or simply Harold and Cecilia.
Family to Nana meant much more than just her seven kids, it meant her grandchildren, great grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins and all of their friends. On Friday, my cousin Bobby Poulin, said when he thinks of the family, he thinks of the Priest Family.
The door to 128 Pierce Street was always open to family and friends. Including never having to knock on the door, everyone just walked in because they knew they would be welcomed at anytime in any situation. In my early twenties, I was blessed with living with Nana and Grandpa for a year and being so close to their love.
When I told my wife this past Wednesday that Nana passed away, Christine immediately said, “Nana welcomed her to the family with open arms.” At the memory circle everyone those who married into the Priest and Savard families, talked about how Nana welcomed them to the family and treated them like her own children. My mother talked about when my parents only had one car Nana would drive over to Raynham to pick her up to her and the kids to the beach.
Nana, Cecilia, is a source of many strengths. She loved those around her with honesty, integrity and caring. Her love is alive in all of us – much of it manifested in practical and obvious ways others more discretely. When the family gathered to reminisce on Saturday right away we found ourselves talking about how she fed us all. Whether it was a boiled dinner, split pea soup, smelly beef kidney stew, homemade pancakes or tapioca, she made sure there was always enough for everyone – even when there wasn’t, she made it work. Cousin Wayne remembered that she’d say, “Would you like something to eat? If you said no, she would keep asking until she got a yes.” She would start making dinner for 6 and by the dinner was over there would be 12 or even 18 people at the table. Amazingly there was always enough food for everyone. Nana has a huge heart and always had room one for more.
Having a close-knit family is important to Cecilia. Her two brothers, and three sisters had a very difficult childhood. Nana’s birth mother passed when she was five, her second mother died two years later, and her father didn’t married again until Nana was seventeen. Nana’s brothers and sisters were moved from house to house, including orphanages. This was during the great depression and many times the brothers and sisters were separated. This deeply affected her, making her close to her brothers and sisters, and extra-protective of her children.
Aunt Barbara remembers being attached to the clothesline so she would not be in danger of going in the street. To this day her adult children have strong habits which they can trace directly to her careful mothering. They know when they’re in the sun and slathering on huge amounts of sun block or putting A&D ointment religiously on every cut and scrape – they can trace the habit to her care.
Her protective trait remained with her always even when her kids were grown. When my dad, Stephen, was in his thirties he ran his very first road race, a seven miler. He came in dead last. When he crossed the finish the line there were only two people left the time keeper and his mother. Later he learned the time keeper wanted to leave but Cecilia wouldn’t let the timekeeper go home until her son finished the race. Nana loved sports, she attended countless basketball, soccer, football, road races, and baseball games. Not just for her children but for her grand children and her nieces and nephews too.
She was a fun person just to be around. Playing cards at the house, going to the beach, or simply sitting on the porch. Uncle David’s loves to talk about going to Foxwood’s with Nana. Nana has a great sense of humor. A couple of years ago, I took her and Grandpa to visit Aunt Teddy at the Nemasket Nursing home. We were in the main room when Grandpa started to fall asleep, Nana said, “Buddy wake up or you will never get of here.”
She is a strong person in other ways as well. If she thought you were doing something wrong she’d straighten you right out. Nana was not afraid to disagree with you. In this way she modeled honesty for her kids - and this went for in-laws as well as her own children.
She was very wise. When Dennis got married he remembered his mom telling him straight out, that his wife is now his number one priority – not his mom.
Cecilia is a people person and extremely compassionate. She always said if you didn’t have anything good to say about someone then don’t speak – she always nurtured the good side of folks. When Sandra learned that her husband Dennis was kicked out of Kindergarten, Cecilia was quick to defend her son, “Oh, he is so smart didn’t need Kindergarten!”
She kept the family connected. When Barbara was down in Florida, at the age of 19, needing support, living with Nana Lankis. Her parents, drove down, stayed with her and helped her find a new place. This without telling Barbara what to do or making her move back to Middleboro. When David was in the Navy, she wrote to David every week and this continue writing long after David left the service. When her son Linwood was sick, her and Grandpa moved to Florida to care for him until the end.
She instilled in her kids the bond of family and keeping in touch with others. She would always ask them, “Have you visited Mrs. Healy? When are you going to see Aunt Rose Huxley? Go see Mabel, Misses McManus, Grandpa and Nana Savard? Did you get to see so and so?” Nana instilled in her children to care for other people with the simple gift of kindness and time.
Cecilia also knew what it is to be sick and to lead by example. In her sixties Nana was diagnoses with Breast Cancer. The day after her surgery she got dressed up and put on her favorite earrings. This standard of being strong is something she expected of herself and also encouraged in others. The day after my Aunt Andrea gave birth to Gabriella, She remembers Cecilia saying, “Get dressed, you’ll feel better!” When other women were diagnosed with or struggling with Breast Cancer, Nana would visit them, answer questions, give support, and encouragement.
Cecilia knew so many people, that she knew people and never missed a trick. Around Nana you never got away with anything. This is true not only among her children when they were young, her granddaughter Leann said, it is the same for the grandchildren. She always knew what you were up to including getting into trouble upstairs at Pierce Street.
They say Alzheimer's disease robs the mind of its ability to remember. But there are some memories no one can steal. Toward the end, when with her and Grandpa in the nursing home, if they were going somewhere, she would wait for him, still connected, as always, making sure he is alright. Even included trying to put someone else’s shoe on Grandpa. Their love is beautiful and timeless to the end.
Another strong trait in Cecilia is her faith. She was religious all her life including helping convert Grandpa to Catholism. When she was living at the Oak Hill Nursing, Aunt Carolyn got a call that her mother had fallen – they had found her on her knees at the edge of her bed, thankfully, unhurt but they wanted her to know. This same pattern of getting a phone call that Cecilia had fallen and been found on her knees happened a few times before the family realized what was happening. Cecilia had not fallen. The nurses did not realize they had found her on her knees in prayer.
Alzheimer’s or not, these strongest parts of Cecilia were alive, strong within her even to the end. Her faith is an ember that would not go out. On the final day of her life, Carolyn visited as she always did. When Nana was in the grip of Alzheimer’s, you often felt like you were talking to yourself as Nana sat there with a distant stare on not saying. On Wednesday, Carolyn was making conversation with a distant Nana about how she is on a diet and had recently lost some weight. Much to her surprise, Nana awoken reached over to Carolyn, held her cheek saying, “My beautiful daughter. You are beautiful just the way you are.”
Nana is in a better place with her husband, her parents, and our lord and savior Jesus Christ. I am truly happy for her to be with God and the communion of saints. The tears we cry are for us and missing her, but she will always be with our family.
There is a popular saying, “To know her is to love her,” This is certainly true for Nana. Thinking more deeply about Cecilia is, “For her to know you is to be loved.” Having been loved by this amazing, unassuming and remarkable woman is a gift we have all been blessed to share.
I would like to ask everyone to hold hands and say the 'Hail Mary' in honor of my Nana, Cecilia Priest.
Cecilia Priest, June 18th, 1923 - April 9th, 2008
I am Shaun Priest, Stephen’s son and the oldest of Nana’s sixteen grandchildren. I want to thank my aunts and uncles for giving me the opportunity to talk about how all of us have been blessed to know and be loved by Cecilia Agnes Priest, my Nana.
This past Saturday, our family gathered in a Memory Circle for Cecilia at my Uncle Eddie’s house. The Memory Circle for Nana was led by Reverend Tricia Tummino and included Nana’s children, grandkids, great grand kids, nieces, nephews, and cousins. We laughed and cried as a family sharing wonderful stories of an amazing person who taught and touched each one us of individually and deeply.
We discussed Nana’s wonderful traits and consistently returned to her love for her husband and family.
Just seven months ago my grandfather passed away. It’s not surprising to anyone that my Nana passed away so quickly because there love is so deep. They had 66 wonderful years of marriage. It’s not just that Cecilia and Harold loved each other, it is that they were IN LOVE with each other. Everyone could see it, in everything they did. As Uncle Eddie said, “That’s why all us can dance with our spouses without music because my parents showed us how to carry the music of love always inside us.”
We are blessed with a strong family with unbreakable bonds that keeps us together. This bond includes our extended families and is fueled by faith, good food, a priority on staying connected, and good old New England common sense combined with a sense of humor. This source of this bonding and love is my Nana and Grandpa, Mom and Dad to her kids, Uncle Buddy and Aunt Cecilia to many others or simply Harold and Cecilia.
Family to Nana meant much more than just her seven kids, it meant her grandchildren, great grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins and all of their friends. On Friday, my cousin Bobby Poulin, said when he thinks of the family, he thinks of the Priest Family.
The door to 128 Pierce Street was always open to family and friends. Including never having to knock on the door, everyone just walked in because they knew they would be welcomed at anytime in any situation. In my early twenties, I was blessed with living with Nana and Grandpa for a year and being so close to their love.
When I told my wife this past Wednesday that Nana passed away, Christine immediately said, “Nana welcomed her to the family with open arms.” At the memory circle everyone those who married into the Priest and Savard families, talked about how Nana welcomed them to the family and treated them like her own children. My mother talked about when my parents only had one car Nana would drive over to Raynham to pick her up to her and the kids to the beach.
Nana, Cecilia, is a source of many strengths. She loved those around her with honesty, integrity and caring. Her love is alive in all of us – much of it manifested in practical and obvious ways others more discretely. When the family gathered to reminisce on Saturday right away we found ourselves talking about how she fed us all. Whether it was a boiled dinner, split pea soup, smelly beef kidney stew, homemade pancakes or tapioca, she made sure there was always enough for everyone – even when there wasn’t, she made it work. Cousin Wayne remembered that she’d say, “Would you like something to eat? If you said no, she would keep asking until she got a yes.” She would start making dinner for 6 and by the dinner was over there would be 12 or even 18 people at the table. Amazingly there was always enough food for everyone. Nana has a huge heart and always had room one for more.
Having a close-knit family is important to Cecilia. Her two brothers, and three sisters had a very difficult childhood. Nana’s birth mother passed when she was five, her second mother died two years later, and her father didn’t married again until Nana was seventeen. Nana’s brothers and sisters were moved from house to house, including orphanages. This was during the great depression and many times the brothers and sisters were separated. This deeply affected her, making her close to her brothers and sisters, and extra-protective of her children.
Aunt Barbara remembers being attached to the clothesline so she would not be in danger of going in the street. To this day her adult children have strong habits which they can trace directly to her careful mothering. They know when they’re in the sun and slathering on huge amounts of sun block or putting A&D ointment religiously on every cut and scrape – they can trace the habit to her care.
Her protective trait remained with her always even when her kids were grown. When my dad, Stephen, was in his thirties he ran his very first road race, a seven miler. He came in dead last. When he crossed the finish the line there were only two people left the time keeper and his mother. Later he learned the time keeper wanted to leave but Cecilia wouldn’t let the timekeeper go home until her son finished the race. Nana loved sports, she attended countless basketball, soccer, football, road races, and baseball games. Not just for her children but for her grand children and her nieces and nephews too.
She was a fun person just to be around. Playing cards at the house, going to the beach, or simply sitting on the porch. Uncle David’s loves to talk about going to Foxwood’s with Nana. Nana has a great sense of humor. A couple of years ago, I took her and Grandpa to visit Aunt Teddy at the Nemasket Nursing home. We were in the main room when Grandpa started to fall asleep, Nana said, “Buddy wake up or you will never get of here.”
She is a strong person in other ways as well. If she thought you were doing something wrong she’d straighten you right out. Nana was not afraid to disagree with you. In this way she modeled honesty for her kids - and this went for in-laws as well as her own children.
She was very wise. When Dennis got married he remembered his mom telling him straight out, that his wife is now his number one priority – not his mom.
Cecilia is a people person and extremely compassionate. She always said if you didn’t have anything good to say about someone then don’t speak – she always nurtured the good side of folks. When Sandra learned that her husband Dennis was kicked out of Kindergarten, Cecilia was quick to defend her son, “Oh, he is so smart didn’t need Kindergarten!”
She kept the family connected. When Barbara was down in Florida, at the age of 19, needing support, living with Nana Lankis. Her parents, drove down, stayed with her and helped her find a new place. This without telling Barbara what to do or making her move back to Middleboro. When David was in the Navy, she wrote to David every week and this continue writing long after David left the service. When her son Linwood was sick, her and Grandpa moved to Florida to care for him until the end.
She instilled in her kids the bond of family and keeping in touch with others. She would always ask them, “Have you visited Mrs. Healy? When are you going to see Aunt Rose Huxley? Go see Mabel, Misses McManus, Grandpa and Nana Savard? Did you get to see so and so?” Nana instilled in her children to care for other people with the simple gift of kindness and time.
Cecilia also knew what it is to be sick and to lead by example. In her sixties Nana was diagnoses with Breast Cancer. The day after her surgery she got dressed up and put on her favorite earrings. This standard of being strong is something she expected of herself and also encouraged in others. The day after my Aunt Andrea gave birth to Gabriella, She remembers Cecilia saying, “Get dressed, you’ll feel better!” When other women were diagnosed with or struggling with Breast Cancer, Nana would visit them, answer questions, give support, and encouragement.
Cecilia knew so many people, that she knew people and never missed a trick. Around Nana you never got away with anything. This is true not only among her children when they were young, her granddaughter Leann said, it is the same for the grandchildren. She always knew what you were up to including getting into trouble upstairs at Pierce Street.
They say Alzheimer's disease robs the mind of its ability to remember. But there are some memories no one can steal. Toward the end, when with her and Grandpa in the nursing home, if they were going somewhere, she would wait for him, still connected, as always, making sure he is alright. Even included trying to put someone else’s shoe on Grandpa. Their love is beautiful and timeless to the end.
Another strong trait in Cecilia is her faith. She was religious all her life including helping convert Grandpa to Catholism. When she was living at the Oak Hill Nursing, Aunt Carolyn got a call that her mother had fallen – they had found her on her knees at the edge of her bed, thankfully, unhurt but they wanted her to know. This same pattern of getting a phone call that Cecilia had fallen and been found on her knees happened a few times before the family realized what was happening. Cecilia had not fallen. The nurses did not realize they had found her on her knees in prayer.
Alzheimer’s or not, these strongest parts of Cecilia were alive, strong within her even to the end. Her faith is an ember that would not go out. On the final day of her life, Carolyn visited as she always did. When Nana was in the grip of Alzheimer’s, you often felt like you were talking to yourself as Nana sat there with a distant stare on not saying. On Wednesday, Carolyn was making conversation with a distant Nana about how she is on a diet and had recently lost some weight. Much to her surprise, Nana awoken reached over to Carolyn, held her cheek saying, “My beautiful daughter. You are beautiful just the way you are.”
Nana is in a better place with her husband, her parents, and our lord and savior Jesus Christ. I am truly happy for her to be with God and the communion of saints. The tears we cry are for us and missing her, but she will always be with our family.
There is a popular saying, “To know her is to love her,” This is certainly true for Nana. Thinking more deeply about Cecilia is, “For her to know you is to be loved.” Having been loved by this amazing, unassuming and remarkable woman is a gift we have all been blessed to share.
I would like to ask everyone to hold hands and say the 'Hail Mary' in honor of my Nana, Cecilia Priest.
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