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On this first anniversary of my mother’s passing, I share with you the eulogy I wrote and delivered at her service.
Mamá
One of my mother’s favorite writers was Edgar Allan Poe. She would often break out into recitations of his poem the Raven. Poe once said:
The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world.
While I won’t recite a sonnet today, I wanted to share some of her lovely mantras that she would repeat throughout our childhood and her life. Mantras that led her to have lived a most wonderful life.
One of the earliest was: Put your brain in gear before you put your mouth in motion. Taught us to listen intently, build empathy, and yes, to think before we speak.
Just do it. This one she borrowed. She couldn’t always wait for someone else to get it done. She loved creating with her hands. She built any and all furniture, she was the handywoman of the house. On weekends you’d find her wielding a machete or climbed up in a tree with a chainsaw. She made her own clothes, she made our Halloween outfits and costumes, she painted, she cultivated incredible flora in our yard. She was a renaissance woman.
Life is more fun in song. She loved oldies, bops from the 50s and 60s. Her instructions or requests were often little ditties from songs she loved. As kids she also would sing to de-escalate our moments of torment, singing through our tears until we started laughing.
Like Twain, she never let schooling interfere with her education. Like her mother, and inspired by her, she was a supreme auto didact. Head often buried in books. She dropped out of college and at 22 commenced what would be a 21 year career at Delta. At age 55, she graduated college the same year I graduated high school. She was a walking encyclopedia of jazz. She was a fiercely independent woman and thinker.
She instilled the Power of positive thinking. She taught us that there is great power in positive intentions and meditations, in being optimistic and believing in yourself and in your ability to succeed. Nearly without fault, this would result in her always finding a good parking spot.
Where there’s a will there’s a way. She was the most resourceful person. She built an enduring legacy at WDNA through diligence, persistence, and relentless collaboration. She would often remind me of how her father endured nearly a decade as a political prisoner, spending a year in solitary confinement with nothing but a cold rag. He had the will to endure, and so should you. She learned how to navigate so many systems and institutions, all in service of a mission to help expand arts and culture. All was in partnership, fueled by her determination.
There are no coincidences, everything happens for a reason. Even her passing. She would want us to draw a lesson or inspiration from her life. A reminder that so much of life is about creating and experiencing art, in all its forms. To seek out and celebrate culture and design. A life without art is too dull.
Whether in life or in your travels, always take the scenic route.
On behalf of our family, thank you all for the love you gave Maggie throughout her life. Thank you for the love and support you’ve shared with us and with each other. May God bless you, thank you.
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