Saturday, June 1, 2013
Eulogy for Lois Lee
Written and delivered By Noreen West
at
St. Gertrude Roman Catholic Church Bayville, New York
May 31, 2013
Lois began her journey growing up in Brooklyn with her mom, dad, three brothers, and three sisters; Josephine, Gerald, Sonny, Milly, Dominick and Debbie. She lost her dad at the age of 13. Being the second youngest, Lois pushed the limits. She told me stories of how she dyed her hair blond, would change her clothes when she got to school and how she loved to run numbers. Nothing about Lois would shock me; she was ahead of her time. This lady had character! She was an independent gal from the start. Yes, that was our Lois, my dearest friend, my confidante. I was blessed that her family shared her with me and she was a part of my life! Family defined Lois. Nothing meant more to Lois than Family. Her husband Richie was the love of her life; her soul mate, the only one for Lois. Her children Samantha, Richie and James were the apples of her eyes and she welcomed their spouses James, Angie and Crystal like they were her own. As for her grandchildren Darby, Mitchell, Maddy, Kathryn, Richie, Kylie, Sophia, James and Myles, they were her world. She watched over her offspring like a lioness watching over her cubs. She would roar, “Don’t mess with my kids, or you answer to me!” She would glow just thinking about her 9 grandchildren. She was very proud of each one of them. She loved to tell you all about their accomplishments. Who was on the soccer field, softball field, earned a belt in Taekwondo, won science contests, plays the French horn, studies Irish Step Dancing, wants to be a fashion diva like a princess, is a wiz with today’s technology or just “Oh wait until you meet them, how beautiful they are! Really! Not just because they’re mine!”
Family didn’t stop there for Lois. Her friends were her extended family. If you were her friend, you were her family. Lois and I met through one of my best friends Lisa, some 18 years ago. Our friendship blossomed and grew instantly. I can’t begin to tell you how Lois impacted my life as a true and unique friend. I hold deep in my heart the memories of our many vacations to Lake George, Indian Lake and Virginia Beach. My most memorable road trip was our 1st journey to Virginia Beach to see Lisa, my triplets were just about 2 years old. Lois was my co pilot, but yelled at me the whole way for not having the kid’s potty trained before we left. Our excursions on black Friday at 3:30am to Toys r Us for the triplets was another adventure we tackled together for years. Lois was always done with her shopping, but of course she bought more! QVC also knew Lois well and then there was shopping at Macy’s with Snookie that was another one of her favorite things to do. Lois never paid full price for anything. As you know, Lois could shop until she dropped. Tag sales and garage sales, we did that too. Collecting Beanie Babies or unopened McDonald toys, Lois was up for the hunt! We were like two peas in a pod when it came to that.
Lois was a woman with a heart of gold! She was compassionate and trustworthy. She saw the best in people and pointed out their strengths. Just by knowing her I feel that I am a better person. I wish I paid better attention to all she taught me, because her knowledge was priceless. Having Lois in your life meant that you always had an unconditional friend to lean on. She would drop whatever she was doing and lend a helping hand whenever you needed it! Whether you wanted to redesign your kitchen, redecorate your house, sew new curtains, reupholster a couch, make a headboard, paint a mural for a playroom or needed flower arrangements for a wedding; Lois was the go to girl. I mean, who else could possibly design curtains from a pattern on a paper bag, create a palm tree from a boring old basement column and transform scrap wood from a construction site into a custom headboard? No job was too big for this talented lady. When she was done creating her masterpieces and you sang her praises and thanked her, she would reply, “If you think I’m good, you should have seen my mom!”
In addition to all of these talents, she was an amazing cook and a fantastic baker. From her homemade raviolis, to her mouthwatering scungilli, to canning her own tomato sauce, she was a master chef. Her cakes were works of art and her gingerbread cookies, sweet potato pies, and her zeppoles melted in your mouth. There was nothing Lois couldn’t do!
Lois also loved to travel. You could count Lois in whenever her friends, Jim and Lucia, were planning a trip. Europe, Germany, Ireland, France, and Alaska were just a few of the many places she experienced. She was always ready to go and see the world – and that she did!
Just the other night, Lisa and I were reminiscing and laughing about how our friend who was all of 5 foot 2 with a deep raspy voice could enter a room like a bull in a china shop and instantly, anyone who met her figured out that she had a colorful sense of humor and a heart the size of Texas. We just loved that about her!
Although Lois was taken from us too soon, we are comforted in knowing she lived life to the fullest! All of us here have our own special and treasured memories of her. As a testament of who Lois was, all you have to do is look around to see how many lives she touched and she will remain in our hearts forever.
In our disbelief in the loss of our dear friend, Lisa and I could only conclude that heaven must have needed a major makeover and God called upon the best, - he called Lois!
