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Dorca posted a condolence
May your light always shine through your daughters and grandchildren. You fought hard....rest in peace.
Our deepest sympathy...
The Gilbertsons
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Katie Storck posted a condolence
Marie,
My deepest sympathy to you and your wonderful family.
Love,
Katie
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Denise Lonergan posted a condolence
Dear Rita, Kathleen $ Marie,
My prayers are with you. Much
love to you all. God bless.
Denise Lonergan & family
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Geraldine Osborne posted a condolence
Dearest Rita,Kathleen,Marie and all the family,we were so saddened to hear about Uncle Gene.I have so many fond memories of him and hope that all your own memories will help you through this sad time,you are in our thoughts and prayers,all our love,Geraldine,Sean,Eoin and Declan xo
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Francine Hughes posted a condolence
My Dear Auntie Rita, Kathleen and Marie
I am so sorry to hear the news about Uncle Gene. He was a wonderful man and I have such fond memories of spending time with him in Belfast.
I wish I could be there with you all now. You are very much in my thoughts and prayers.
All my love
Francine xxx
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S H Spackman posted a condolence
Dearest Rita, Kathleen, Marie and all the family. We were greatly saddened by Eugene's passing.R.I.P. We have happy memories of visits to Basking Ridge and of meetings in England and Wales. We will miss him and he will be in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time. Thinking of you all. God Bless, love Ann,Stan and family.
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Sharon Levitz posted a condolence
I met Gene in early 90's at Hemisphere Center in Aug of 1993 Gene became my DCO, assigned to the NJ IBMF (Mail Branch)Jersey City. He inspired me to work harder and to be a better employee. I will never forget the impression he left with me.
Bless you.
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Lauren Lonergan Henry posted a condolence
Many childhood memories include your family. I am sad to hear of Gene's passing. Prayers to you.
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Richard Askew posted a condolence
I want to express my sincere condolences upon Gene's passing. He extended the hand of friendship to me years ago.
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Marie Hopta posted a condolence
Before I begin, I would like to express the appreciation of the Doran’s, the Hopta’s, Mom and Uncle Frank. We would like to thank everyone for all the support our family has received over the past month. The number of calls, texts, emails, hugs, meals and notes have been overwhelming - in the best way. Dad would have been so happy to see the outpouring of love with which we have been blessed. It has also been amazing to see so many great friends and family members coming to our side during this difficult time.
When I first thought about writing a eulogy for my Dad, I was a little stumped. I thought about Dad’s hobbies and whether there were any sports or arts that he loved. I couldn’t really think of any one thing that dad loved to do or follow. Yes, he enjoyed the Giants and Yankees, liked to read and enjoyed traveling, but it was not his passion. And then it occurred to me. It wasn’t any one thing. His passion were the people around him. It was the people he loved with all his heart. Dad was a family man first and foremost.
When I think of Dad’s dedication to his family, there are 3 things that come to mind. Provider, teacher and man of pride.
First, he was a provider - I don’t know that I ever realized how much comfort and support mom and dad provided us until I began having children of my own. What I know is that we never lived life over the top - dad was very practical from this perspective, but we also never had to worry whether we would have a fun vacation each summer, about where we would go to school or whether we could have the weddings of our dreams. Mom and dad were conservative in our day to day lives so none of these important things would ever be a question - for these we had no doubt - and were spoiled rotten.
Secondly, he was a great teacher - the list of things that Dad taught us is endless, but some of the ones I remember fondly are riding a bike, driving a car (with special fondness that the lessons were in a stick-shift), to give a firm hand-shake (never give a wet noodle), to take everything in moderation and to work hard and take pride in what we do. All things that I hope to pass on to my children. This teaching quality was not just with us or in just in recent years. Uncle Frank remembers Dad spending hours teaching him algebra and encouraging him to work hard in school. I also heard last night about how Dad did the same at work - taking people under his wing to help show them the way.
Dad was also a man of Pride - The last two years, Dad has been an incredible fighter. After he was diagnosed with Cancer, we knew that he had a lot of pain and fatigue, but he never wanted us to see this. He would always put on a happy face and only want to talk about how we were doing and what was new with our families - Was Erin practicing her driving? How was Luke doing in school? Did Annie enjoy her ballet recital? Did Seanie score a goal? Was Owen excited to start snow-boarding? Doesn’t Mom look beautiful and when are we going to get her on her next cruise? It was never about him or the pain he was going through.
Dad did not have the easiest start to life. He grew up in Spanish Harlem, one of four boys, sons of Irish immigrants working to make a new life in America. Dad learned many lessons on the streets of NY, but most importantly, that he wanted a better life - for himself and his family. One of his first big steps towards this was the two years he spent in Germany serving in the US Army. Touring through Europe during his time off showed him the beautiful world around him - and he knew that he wanted to take a bite. This was one of his greatest joys - to see that he had gotten himself exactly what he wanted - he had a beautiful wife, who he loved to twirl around the dance floor, two amazing daughters (if I do say so myself), two dedicated sons in law and 5 beautiful grand-children - all living in a beautiful part of the country. He got exactly as he dreamed.
He not only wanted “the better life” for himself - Dad was drawn to people who were down. If he saw someone that was sad, he wanted to make them smile. He would give a hug, a smile and tell that person how beautiful or amazing they were. He had a special knack to make people feel good. If he knew that someone was down on his luck, he wanted to help them get back up again. He was always trying to help his brothers in every way possible too - always dedicated to them.
Some of the fondest memories I have of dad are the trips we took as a family (trips to Ireland, cruises, Florida to visit Aunt Theresa, the Jersey shore), nights out on the town (in NY or just local), or just the late night talks after coming off the train from NY.
Dad, Uncle Gene, Grandpa, Pa, Mr. McCann, Gene-Bo-Dene, we will all miss you, but we will never forget our time together or what you have taught or given us. Good-bye, my sweet. We know you are shining down on us, having a session in the sky.
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Tuesday, February 27, 2018
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