On behalf of my wife, Jeannette, her sisters, Alex and Cathy, my brothers-in-law, John and Michael, her grandchildren, Christine, Melissa, Edward, Nicole and Danielle and her beloved great-grandchildren, Dylan, Luke, Jacob, Andrew, Christopher, Rylee, Noah and Sophia, I would like to thank you all for coming to honor and pay homage to my mother-in-law, Gloria.
The feeling of devastation at the passing of Gloria is profound to us all. She was a lady to whom FAMILY was everything. Gloria was surrounded by love. The love she had for her husband, Jacob, his love for her and the love she had for her daughters. The love she had for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was immeasurable. Mami Goya came to the United States from Ecuador in 1953 with her husband Jacob and her 2 daughters, Jeannette and Alex. Cathy was born in Brooklyn where the family settled down near her mother, Angelica, her father, Bolivar, her sister, Aunt Fanny, and her husband, Uncle Louie.
Gloria was a very strong and determined woman who, despite not speaking English and being uncomfortable riding the subways, still managed to overcome her fears and insecurities and rode into Manhattan every day. Gloria loved to sew and had an incredible creative talent. She worked as a seamstress and then a sample maker in the Garment Center. Her skills with a needle and thread were so outstanding that she handmade the latest style dresses for her daughters. In fact, Alex was voted best dressed by her classmates at Shallow Junior HS. Gloria even went so far as to handmake and stitch Jeannette’s wedding gown. She felt such joy in creating the perfect Halloween costumes, birthday dresses and even Pirate costumes for her great grandsons that rivaled any Disney creation. Cathy, as the youngest daughter, remembers the excitement she felt every Friday, when her mom came down the block with the latest Barbie doll she bought for her from Macy‘s. Gloria was very proud that Jeannette inherited her artistic talent and creativity. She had many of Jeannette’s drawings and paintings hanging in her home.
Gloria was an exceptional cook and her specialty was Hen stew. Her Turkey recipe was the best anyone ever tasted. She passed on her culinary talents to Alex and Cathy. My wife, Jeannette, “not so much.” Her birthday and all-occasion cakes were superior to any bakery. Cathy carries on the Thanksgiving tradition to this day. Latin music and family dancing were dessert at Gloria and Jacob’s home most weekends.
On weekends, the grandchildren loved to go visit Mami Goya, knowing that she would be immersed in reading. They took full advantage of that while, trying to drown each other, laughing and then running around the house wet and screaming. Mami Goya would open the second floor window and yell in Spanish, “Are you kids ok?” They would answer, “ok” and then continue the chaos and Gloria would go back to reading. One of her favorite authors was Isabel Allande who tells the story of her own mothers’ passing. Her mother told Isabelle shortly before she died, “There is no death. People only die when we forget them. If you can remember me; I will be with you always.” Mami Goya will be with us always because we won’t forget. Her memory will be kept alive.
Gloria was a very religious woman whose faith carried her through many crises’. On September 7, 2013, Jacob, her husband of 63 years, passed away and a small part of Gloria passed along with him. Her daughters all worked lovingly together to try and help her physically, spiritually and psychologically fill the void left by the grief she felt at the loss of the love of her life. As Queen Elizabeth II said at the loss of her husband Phillip, “Grief is the price we pay for love.”
The last thought I would like to leave with you is that, “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever; the goal is to create something that will. Death leaves a memory no one can steal? Gloria certainly left us with both her memory and a love we will never forget.”
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