MEMORIAL SERVICE1

August 7, 2009

 

Greetings to all Nancy’s friends this is a copy of the Eulogy that Nancy’s sister, Wendy gave at Nancy’s Memorial on Saturday, August 1, 2009.  I hope you enjoy it.

Love and kisses.

Xoxooxoxo

Jerri the older sister

 

 

 

 Hello and Good Morning!

 

Welcome to the memorial service for Nancy Cooley.  We are here today to celebrate Nancy’s life and accomplishments.   I want to acknowledge a group of women known as Nancy’s Support Team. These were Nancy’s closest friends and supplied her with the help and love she needed for the last year and half.

 

Jerri Price

Rachel Nardo

Allegra Bandy

Nancy Hurley

Che Hurley

Gretchen Armstrong

Colette Cann

Salihah Cann

Christina Benson

Janice Whaley

To start we have a slide show, which was put together by Rachel Nardo.  Jerri supplied the photos.

 

 

ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

How did you like the slide show?  (get a response) 

 

Jerri and I both laughed and cried when we saw it.  Next Allegra Bandy will sing “A CHANGE IS GOING TO COME”.

 

 

Thank you, Allegra and now we will hear from Nancy’s best friend and sister Jerri Theo Price.

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We are here today to honor one of the most important people in my life – Nancy Carol Cooley.  She was my baby sister and I loved her greatly.

 

Sisters are so special. For in many ways, no one knows you better.  You share the common bond of growing up together and being taught the same lessons and thus share many of the same core values.

 

Nancy and I had many differences but we agreed on the important things, hard work, helping others, and giving life your best shot.  My mom used to say, “You have to roll with the punches.”  Nancy certainly proved that she could do that. 

 

Nancy’s life may have been relatively short, but I know that she did follow her own pathway, made many dreams come true and in the end faced her final destination with courage and dignity.  

 

I recently moved to the San Francisco Bay area, as it happens I walk by Brandy Ho’s restaurant in China Town on my way to work, Nancy took me to dinner one time when I visited her.  That is my daily reminder of Nan-Nan Charlie Dog.  I wish she were here with us, but it is now time to say good-bye.

 

I know that I have known Nancy before and I also know that this will NOT be the last time I get to hang with her.

 

I hope the following service brings you solace and comfort as it does for me:

 

 

            “Our loss

            is gain in other times.

 

            Our hopes on future bent

            Must then depend on

            Incidents

            Like these

 

            For bodies wear

            And in the fine gristmill of time

            Are spent in service such as yours

 

            And go, our time

            By smallest time

            Into the yesterday, wherein began

            The conquest of Eternity.

 

            “ Our suff’ring is

            Self centered here

 

           

For we have lost

In truth

 

            The smile,

            The touch,

            The skill and happiness,

            We gained

            From Nancy

            Who gave to us

            From her past

            Ability to live

            And fare against

            The tides and storms of fate.

 

            It’s true we’ve lost her

            Shoulder

            Up against the wheel

            And lost as well her

            Counsel

            And her strength

 

            But lost them

            Only for a while.

 

            She goes

            Not with the dismal roll Drum

            But with a whisper like

            A faerie’s sigh

 

            To smooth the way

            For when we come.

 

            She’ll be in some good Future time

            And future place

 

            Her smile

            Her touch

            Her skill

            Invested there to make

            A way for life.

 

           

            …. And into some new

            corner or new world

 

            We’ve sent you,

            Nancy,

            And there you’ll be

            We know it now,

            A smile,

            A touch,

            A happiness for us and you

            You could not find

            On Earth…

 

            Into the dark

            Has come the light

            Into tomorrow

            Enters night

                       

            Into life our

            Spirits soar

            Conquering ever

            Wisdom’s store

            We do not tremble

            Faced with death

            We know that living

            Is not breath

 

            Prevail!

 

            Go, Nancy

            And take

            The life

            That offers now

 

            And live

            In good expectancy

            That we

            Will do our part.

 

            Go, Nancy

            You can control

            That which you must.

 

            Our loss

            Is gain

            In wisdom and in skill

 

            To future dates

            And other smiles

            And so we send into the

            Chain of all enduring time

 

            Our heritage

            Our hope

            Our Sister

            Our friend.

 

Join me now in saying good bye to our dear Nancy.

 

Goodbye, Nancy

 

            Your people thank you for

            Having lived

 

            Earth is better for your

            Having lived

 

            Men, women and children

            Are alive today

            Because you lived and touched their lives.

 

            We thank you for coming

            To us

 

            We do not contest your

            Right to go away.

 

            Your debts are paid

            This chapter of thy life is shut

 

            Go now, dear Bunny,

            And live once more

            In happier time and place

 

            Thank you, Honey.

 

            …

            Goodbye, our dear

            Goodbye.

 

            We miss you, you know.

 

            Let the body now

            Draw away

            To be consumed to ashes

            And to dust

            …

            to be no more, no more

 

            And that is done.

            Come family and friends,

            She is all right

            And she is gone.

 

            We have our work

            To do.

            And she has hers.

 

            She is welcome there.

 

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I would like to introduce Rachel Nardo who will lead us in one final song.