Anonymous
Eulogy
First let me say that the on behalf of the family, thank you for being here to today to celebrate mom’s life. Second, please join us after the service next door for lunch. Jill has done a great job in meeting mom’s wishes. Special thanks to the Aunts for your support over these last few difficult days, amazing what margaritas can do.
We are here today to celebrate the life of Marie Caroline Sekeres Papanek. Well this pretty much is the story, a women of many names and facets. Marie: daughter of Mary and Mart, known as Dodo to her friends and family in MI. Known as Dood to my dad, married for over 25 years. Caroline after her dear sweat aunt Carrie. She was as caring and loving. Sekeres: daughter, sister, cousin and aunt. I am told it means “You’re a Fighter”. Mom always said that Sekeres’s were gypsies and that meant she was tough and that we were tough. Papanek: wife of John, mom to Mary Ann, Carolyn, John and myself. Grandma RE to “Sweat little” Emma and Sara as she would say and a “Nother Mommy” to my god kids Maggie and Katalin.
This is a hard task, but since I am a physiologist or one that studies the body by training, I thought it might be easier to do this for mom if I stayed on my own terms. So with that in mind, I will start with her feet. Mom had the tiniest feet. Real, did you notice that? As many of you know, she was also missing a toe, which as the story goes occurred because she didn’t listen to her mother, something she swore she never did again. I swear she never stopped thinking that you should NEVER disobey your mother! That was tough act to follow.
LEGS. I heard from my dad actually that mom had great legs when she was young, long legs that “wouldn’t quit”. Lately, we used her legs as an index of her health, if they were big and swollen, red or inflamed she was not well or if they were getting smaller they were telling us she was feeling pretty good, good enough to get shoes on and to go out or travel. Her legs served her well.
On up to the stomach. I have never heard one family carry on about their stomachs like the Sekeres family can. Discussions about bodily functions often seemed to take on a life of their own, or discussions about the size seemed like daily fair. But the stomach is also about food, and Mom could cook and enjoyed food. Recipes that will live on in us include: nutrolls, kolage (both regular and vegetarian versions!), nothers mac n cheese, chili, surfboard cookies or on a cold winter morning: oven baked to a perfect bubbly top: cinnamon toast. Mom would taste or try anything, a part of her adventurous spirit I suppose. In Italy, Hawaii or Kentucky, if you told her what is was, she would reply “sure, I’ll try that”. She had a real sense of adventure when it came to foods. She was great fun to go to dinner with, drink with (I do so hope there are blue cheese olives and quality vodka in heaven) and to travel with. It is this spirit that I think all of her kids share in equally. I hope you are making kolage for me, but not in a hurry for me to get there!
On to her spine. Dang that was a problem area. Osteoporosis stole most of her later years as she was in such pain. The lesson for all of the women here from Mom is that it doesn’t have to be that way, get your calcium and exercise NOW. She told me just 2 weeks ago, that if she had listened to us kids and did her exercise she knows she would have been healthier. So learn from DoDo, walk, play, move to stay young. It it your life, but your gift to those who love you.
I going to come back to her heart, so lets jump over to her hands. Mom had the prettiest hands. Long, narrow, gentle. Hands that could sew, crochet, quilt, she had perfect penmanship. Her nails were always beautiful, polished, long. But it is her hands I will miss. When she placed them on your face and would say “my sweet little Paula”, some how my heart would melt. In those hands, all things were forgiven, all things were possible, love was transmitted even without words. Jewelry looked good on those hands and