EULOGY FOR CORA GALICIA-PESIGAN

Eulogy for Cora Galicia Pesigan who died on the 7th of August 2009.

by Loui Galicia

This eulogy was shared during the mass for her burial at the St. Mary's Church in Vancouver, BC on 19th August 2009

SAYING GOODBYE IS NOT EASY. YET IT IS IMPORTANT TO DO SO. BECAUSE MY ATE CORA IS A SISTER THAT WE ALL LOVE.

NOT A BAD BONE IN HER BODY, SHE WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR US. SHE WAS NOT ONLY OUR BIG ATE. SHE WAS OUR SECOND MOTHER.

I REMEMBER WHEN SHE WENT TO COLLEGE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STO. THOMAS AND TOOK UP BACHELOR OF ARTS MAJOR IN NUTRITION, SHE USED US AS HER GUINEA PIGS. THAT WAS THE BEST PART OF OUR GROWING UP WITH HER….BECAUSE WE GOT TO SAVOR ALL THE DELICIOUS FOOD THAT SHE HAD TRIED AS PART OF HER EXPERIMENTS. SHE FED US SWEETS. AND LIKE HER PASTRIES, ATE CORA WAS ALWAYS VERY SWEET. WE LOVED HER THEN. WE STILL LOVE HER NOW AND WE WILL NOT FORGET THOSE GOOD MEMORIES.

WHEN SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER IN 2004, IT CAME AS A SHOCK. HOW CAN SHE GET IT? SHE’S THE MOST HEALTH CONSCIOUS IN THE FAMILY. SHE DOESN’T DRINK ALCOHOL NOR SMOKE. SHE WAS CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT SHE ATE.

AFTER HER SURGERY, I ASKED HER TO COME TO HOLLAND. THAT WAS IN THE SUMMER. SHE WAS A PERFECT PICTURE OF JOY AND HEALTH. SHE WAS VERY STRONG. THERE WAS NO SIGN THAT THE DISEASE HAD RAVAGED HER BODY. YOU CAN SEE HER STRONGEST WILL TO LIVE. WHEN WE ARE AT RESTAURANTS AND THE KIDS WOULD NOT FINISH THEIR FOOD, SHE WILL DO IT FOR THEM. YOU CAN FEEL HER FULL DESIRE TO NOURISH HER BODY…TO FIGHT THE CANCER.

THE DOCTORS GAVE HER THREE YEARS…YET SHE BEAT ALL ODDS. SHE WAS A FIGHTER. NEVER IN THOSE YEARS DID I HEAR HER COMPLAIN ABOUT PAIN….ABOUT THE CANCER. NEVER. NEVER IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS WAS SHE BEDRIDDEN. SHE WAS A WARRIOR. SHE WAS JUST SO HAPPY TO WAKE UP EVERY MORNING…FOR FIVE YEARS. SHE ALWAYS LIVED FOR THE NEXT DAY.

ATE CHOR. I MISS YOU. I TRIED MY BEST TO SEE YOU BEFORE YOU’VE GONE. IF ONLY I CAN STOP THE TIME. EVERY HOUR SINCE I HAVE FINALLY PACKED MY BAGS, I WAS PRAYING FOR YOU TO HANG IN THERE BECAUSE I AM ALMOST THERE. BUT I GUESS THIS IS MEANT TO BE… BECAUSE GOD KNOWS I WILL NOT BEAR TO SEE YOU SUFFER..TO SEE YOU IN PAIN…BECAUSE AS MY ATE, YOU HAVE THE GENTLEST SOUL. YOU LOVED US SO MUCH. YOU GAVE SO MUCH OF YOURSELF FOR US. I AM NOW HAPPY TO SEE HER GO. AT LAST SHE IS IN PEACE. . BUT IF ONLY I HAD ONE CHANCE TO SAY GOODBYE...ONE LAST HUG…ONE LAST KISS…

ATE CHOR, I WILL MISS YOUR LIVELY VOICE. I SENT HER SURPRISE PACKAGES TO CHEER HER UP. SOMETIMES IT WILL JUST BE COFFEE PADS, COOKIES AND TEA. OTHER TIMES IT WILL BE FLOWERS OR SHIRTS BUT BOY SHE LOVED DESIGNER BAGS. ONE TIME I RAN OUT OF IDEAS SO I DECIDED TO ORDER FROM THE FRENCH BAKERY IN GRANVILLE ISLAND SOME CROISSANTS AND TIRAMISU. SHE LOVED TIRAMISU. SHE CALLED ME IMMEDIATELY AFTER DELIVERY. SHE WAS IN A FRENZY. SHE SAID THE TIRAMISU WAS SO HUGE IT WAS THE SIZE OF HER DOORMAT. I ORDERED THAT ALL THE WAY FROM HOLLAND. I GUESS GOD FOUND A WAY TO HELP ME KEEP HER HAPPY AND IN HIGH SPIRITS IN A LITTLE WAY. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT VOICE BURSTING WITH ENERGY AND LIFE. SHE HAS LIVED TO SET AN EXAMPLE THAT WE SHOULD LOVE OUR LIFE. ATE CORA HAS SHOWN US THAT LIFE IS GOOD BUT TOO SHORT TO WASTE.

ATE CHOR WAS A GOOD MOTHER. HER DAUGHTER ANGELEE WAS THE CENTER OF HER LIFE. SHE WAS A FAITHFUL AND LOVING WIFE. BUT ALTHOUGH SHE DID NOT GET NOR FEEL THE SAME AMOUNT OF LOVE....SHE DIED LOVING DANNY. ATE CORA SHOWED US THAT WE SHOULD LOVE AND GIVE LOVE AND NOT EXPECT TO GET LOVE IN RETURN.

I GUESS IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO MOVE ON WITH HER PASSING. BUT WE KNOW THAT SHE IS IN GOOD HANDS. SHE IS WITH GOD.

I WROTE THIS EULOGY EXACTLY DURING ATE CHOR’S DYING MOMENTS.

BUT ON MY ARRIVAL HERE IN VANCOUVER, I REALIZED I HAD TO REWRITE IT.

TO INCLUDE A BIG THANK YOU TO HER CLOSEST FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH HER ALL THROUGH HER DYING MOMENTS. TO DONNA AND RAY...WHO TOOK CARE OF EVERYTHING. WHO TOOK ALL THE RESPONSIBILITIES FROM THE HANDS OF A SUPPOSEDLY GRIEVING HUSBAND. DAY IN AND DAY OUT AFTER ATE CORA DIED, DONNA AND RAY DID NOTHING BUT WORK FOR THIS BURIAL...TO MAKE SURE THAT ATE CORA’S LAST WISHES ARE FULLY MET.

TO JOYCE AND ARNOLD, CINDY AND JERRY, LOY AND DWIGHT, JUDITH AND JOEY, MERCY AND ERWIN, LILIA AND FREDDIE WHO HAVE UNTIRINGLY SPENT THEIR HOURS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, ATE CORA’S FAMILIES ARE CARED FOR.

THE SUPPORT AND PATIENCE THEY HAVE GIVEN US WERE BORNE OUT OF THEIR LOVE FOR MY SISTER....BECAUSE CORA WAS A GOOD AND LOVING FRIEND TO THEM....AND THEY WANTED TO GIVE HER THE BEST EVEN IN HER DEATH.

CAN I PLEASE REQUEST EVERYBODY TO STAND UP AND GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THE BEST SISTER, MOTHER, WIFE AND FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD..THE ONE WHO I ALWAYS CALL A LIVING SAINT SISTER WHO HAS FINALLY JOINED HER CREATOR. ATE CORA.