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Howdy. We've moved from Cayce, but St. Elizabeth of South Rose Hill or Lizette de Waccamaw de Sud just don't do it for me.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Amazing (and yet true) Obituary

Learned about this one from M.E. at the YACS! gathering.

Dorothy Gibson Cully obituary

On June 3, 2005 at 10:45 p.m. in Memphis, Tennessee, Dorothy Gibson Cully, 86, died peacefully, while in the loving care of her two favorite children, Barbara and David. All of her breath leaked out. The mother of four children, grandmother to 11, great-grandmother to nine, devoted wife for 56 years to the late Ralph Chester Cully and a true friend to many, Dot had been active as a volunteer in the Catholic Church and other community charities for much of the past 25 years. She was born the second child of six in 1919 as Frances Dorothy Gibson, daughter to Kathleen Heard Gibson and Calvin Hooper Gibson, an inventor best known as the first person since the Middle Ages to calculate the arcane lead-to-gold formula. Unable to actually prove this complex theory scientifically, and frustrated by the cruel conspiracy of the so-called "scientific community" working against his efforts, he ultimately stuck his head in a heated gas oven with a golden delicious apple propped in his mouth. Miraculously, the apple was saved for the evening dessert. Calvin was not.

Native Marylanders and long time Baltimore, Kent Island and Ocean City residents, Ralph and Dot later resided in Lakeland, Florida and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Several years after Ralph's death, Dot moved to Raleigh in 2001, where she lived with her son, David.

At the time of her death, Dot was visiting her daughter, Carol in Memphis. Carol and her husband, Ron, away from home attending a "very important conference" at a posh Florida resort, rushed home 10 days later after learning of the death. Dot's other children, dutifully at their mother's side helping with the normal last minute arrangements - hospice notification, funeral parlor notice, revising the last will, etc. - happily picked up the considerable slack of the absent former heiress.

Dot is warmly remembered as a generous, spiritually strong, resourceful, tolerant and smart woman, who was always ready to help and never judged others or their shortcomings. Dot always found time to knit sweaters, sew quilts and send written notes to the family children, all while working a full time job, volunteering as Girl Scout leader and donating considerable time to local charities and the neighborhood Catholic Church.

Dot graduated from Eastern High School at 15, worked in Baltimore full time from 1934 to 1979, beginning as a factory worker at Cross & Blackwell and retiring after 30 years as property manager and controller for a Baltimore conglomerate, Housing Engineering Company, all while raising four children, two of who are fairly normal.

An Irishwoman proud of and curious about her heritage, she was a voracious reader of historical novels, particularly those about the glories and trials of Ireland. Dot also loved to travel, her favorite destination being Eire's auld sod, where she dreamed of the magic, mystery and legend of the Emerald Isle.


Dot Cully is survived by her sisters, Ginny Torrico in Virginia, Marian Lee in Florida and Eileen Adams in Baltimore; her brother, Russell Gibson of Fallston, Maryland; her children, Barbara Frost of Ocean City, Maryland, Carol Meroney of Memphis, Tennessee, David Cully of Raleigh, North Carolina and Stephen Cully of Baltimore, Maryland. Contributions to the Wake County (NC) Hospice Services are welcomed. Opinions about the details of this obit are not, since Mom would have liked it this way.

Although the "obit" now appears in a column (leading one to assume that it is a parody), turns out it's there only so it didn't disappear from the N&O's website, as do most obits after 2 weeks.

For more on the decisions (and lack thereof) that went into the publishing of this obit (originally published on 7/2/05), see Ted Vaden's column here.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Another Project Completed

Working here and "out-sourcing" a bit to India, finished the ministries guide for our Parish.

http://www.stthomasmoreusc.org/files/stmguide2005.pdf

Now to see if anyone reads them...

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Green Card -- Alleluia! (+ Te Deum)

Heard from G:

Dear friends and family:

I am now a lawful permanent resident of the United States. The interview this morning was smooth and uneventful (after waiting at the Embassy for a little over 4 hours). The only questions asked were, "What do you do" and "How long have you been in the US? You sound like an American!" :) My passport will be sent by courier to Bombay in a couple of days with an Immigrant Visa stamped inside. I just got back from the Embassy, after a brief stop to light some candles at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart where, unexpectedly, the Eucharist was exposed for the adoration of the faithful. If you can, join me in praying a Te Deum today!

I thank y'all for your prayers and support throughout this long journey, which made the waiting and the frustrations and ups and downs of the process less burdensome. On the 25th I'm flying back to the US. Back home.

Peace,

G

PS: To quote a certain Latin teacher some of us know: "Gaudeamus igitur! Nunc est bibendum!" "Let us rejoice therefore. Now, to drink!" :-D




My response:

Amen. Halleluia. Yippee!

Or as [Baldman] said at YACS! on Monday: "We love him [you] to death but we can't wait to get rid of him." (Or words to that effect.) I think we all figure it'll be good to have priest/bishop/cardinal on our side someday....8-)

Thanks for the link to the Te Deum page. We sang a version in All State choir when I was a younger thing, and I used the text to remind myself of the words to pray them in the musical setting. It was also neat to see ALL of the verses of Holy God we praise Thy name. I had learned somethere that it was based on the Te Deum, but had not seen verses with Doomsday, white ro-bed martyrs and "Lo, I put my trust in Three, Never, Lord, abandon me." Neat interlude in my day. Thanks again.

One hopes you used "y'all" or "sho nuff" when Embassy staffers commented that you sounded American.

In final news that you might not be aware of since you've been away, "P-Diddy" is no more. He announced yesterday that this was now "the era of 'Diddy'." Wouldn't want you to sound out-of-date upon your return.

[Lizzie],
au currant.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Time to Worry?

The hospital just called. They finally got my old mammogram films from NC, and on comparison want me to come back in for more films and a sonogram. I'll see them at 1:50 tomorrow. Chances are it's nothing, or as the lady of the phone was quick to say, "it's probably just a cyst, but we have to prove it's just a cyst."

So, how do I keep my head functional for the next 24 hours or so?