My sweet Nana, Grace Elizabeth Andreu Pomar, passed away on Sunday, September 20, 2009. She was an inspiration to all who met her and I loved her dearly. My mom gave her eulogy on Thursday, September 24, 2009. I've included it here for those of you who are interested. Mom did a great job of delivering Nana's story to those that loved her.
Grace Elizabeth Andreu Pomar, born December 23rd, 1921. Almost a Christmas baby, she would, for the rest of her life, be a gift to all who had the good fortune to meet her.
Mom was born in Mayport, FL to David and Mary Andreu, the fifth of six children. She is the last of those six to leave this world. She grew up as what is referred to as “dirt poor”, living in a small wooden home that lacked plumbing, in Mayport. I don’t know a lot about my grandparents because they were both deceased by the time I came along, but I do know that my grandfather died when Mom was six years old and my grandmother never remarried. All the Andreu kids really had was each other and they were a very close family. She was the only one of her siblings that graduated from high school and that was through her own sheer determination to do so. She rode the bus every day from Mayport to Jacksonville Beach and graduated from Fletcher High School, an institution that still stands.
Mom’s oldest sibling, Mary, had married and moved to St. Augustine while Mom was in high school. Mom was visiting Mary when she met our dad. The apartment belonged to his Aunt Tena and he had come to visit her when fate stepped in his path and he met his true love. There is no reason to doubt that mom’s beauty overwhelmed him, in today’s vernacular she would be considered a “hottie”. But I’m sure her sweet spirit, wit, and generosity toward others set the hook. Our parents’ marriage was storybook. Sure, they were human and had the same trials others had, but they loved each other and were united body and soul.
With Dad’s support, it was Mom who was responsible for the foundation we were raised on. She emulated our Lord in that she taught by example and with patience. She never preached or pressured. Her ability to love unconditionally and completely allowed us to grow up in an environment where mistakes were forgiven and differences of opinion were tolerated. She always loved us “no matter what”. But…that doesn’t mean she wasn’t a strict disciplinarian. Small and mighty she never hesitated to put it on one of the boys if they needed it, even if they were twice her size. Teresa and I were a little smarter than the boys and learned early how to avoid spankings, but Mom had a more painful tactic to for us. She would ignore us. That hurt us worse than anything she could have done physically. We have had quite a few laughs over the past few weeks as we gathered each day to help Mom in her journey home and re-lived some of our childhood experiences.
As we talked together and the grandkids and friends came by to visit her in her last days, I asked some of them if there was one thing they would want people to know about her, what it would be. I got quite a variety of answers, things such as “tell them she could touch her toes, even when she was in her eighties”, “she once asked me to take her to confession, when I asked what she could possibly have to confess, she told me in her sweet southern voice, I get angry sometimes”, “she was a teacher of family traditions, like making fudge, nut cookies, macaroni and cheese, and beef stew” “she taught us so many things, how to respect each other, how to take turns, how to think critically, perseverance, even though we thought we were just playing cards”. “She wasn’t just all hugs and precious puppy laughs and peanut butter cookies, this was a woman of substance and steadfast, devout faith; a woman who had been a force to be reckoned with for most of her life. She had a lot of jobs in her life as a wife, mother of six and Chief Operating Officer for her household. But as a grandmother, she was the best there ever was; there simply wasn’t one sweeter.” When my folks celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1990, we asked people to share their thoughts on my folks with us. One of Mom’s oldest and dearest friends wrote “What can one say about Gracie? Only that she was one of the most beautiful girls who ever graced the halls of Fletcher High School. Like the princess in a fairy tale, she was as good as she was beautiful so no one could be jealous of her.” No truer words have been written about Mom and she remained as Helen Cooper Floyd described her until the day she left this world.
People often speak of their destiny in life or their purpose for having been sent to this earth. I believe that Mom’s purpose was predestined from the beginning even if her parents didn’t know it. They named her Grace… the meaning of that word in the dictionary is: charm…pleasing…praises…a virtue coming from God…an act or instance of kindness or courtesy…a charming or attractive trait or characteristic…a pleasing appearance or effect…ease of bearing…a short prayer at a meal asking for blessing or giving thanks. In the baby name books, Grace means good will and her middle name, Elizabeth, means God’s promise. Mom spent her entire life spreading good will and sharing God’s promise with those she met and she has influenced more lives from the corner of 60 Osceola St. than those who may be more connected to society or in the workplace. In addition to her own children, she helped shape the lives of many of you in this church today as she took you in to her home and cared for you while your parents worked or your mom just needed some time. “Mama Grace” was how she was known by many of you and she loved each of you. Our house was always filled with the laughter of children and as our grandchildren accompanied us to her house last week, that laughter rang out again and I know she was familiar with it and pleased by it.
I would like to thank June, Stacey, and Nancy for all they did for Mom. You increased the quality of her life and helped us keep her safe. Your tender care of her will always be remembered. Miss Ann and Miss Dee thank you for your friendship and your daily visits to her. She loved each of you dearly.
A chapter in all of our lives closes today as we pay our final respect to the wonderful woman that was our mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and friend. The Lord puts few people on this earth as special as her. I challenge each of you to continue her legacy by holding your family close, putting them first, and by just being a little more gentle with each other every day.
Thank you all for coming today. After the services at gravesite, we will be going home to 60 Osceola St. We invite all of you to join us on the corner that Grace loved.
