Doris Cormier, born and raised in New Orleans, is a very interesting person worth sharing with those who did not know her. In giving a eulogy at her funeral, the traditional gospel song of New Orleans, "When the Saints Go Marching In" became so meaningful to me and all those present. May we learn from it and from Doris too.
A EULOGY TO DORIS CORMIER (1925-2015)
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Doris Cormier at the wedding
of her granddaughter Diane
As an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister
since 2009, I had the opportunity to know Doris well during that time. It was an awesome privilege to bring Christ
Himself and His love to her in Holy Communion every Sunday, to pray with her,
and to help her in a little way for her encounter with the Lord in eternity.
I was supposed to minister to Doris, but she also ministered to me. She placed great value on the Eucharist and she
did spiritual reading. She was faithful
to her Catholic Church to the end.
I enjoyed
Doris. She was wonderful to me. She’d always have a snack for me, first in
her own home and later in the Nursing Home. Doris was always so hospitable and generous. She was a leader on the Nursing Home Council,
even arranging for a religious service.
Doris loved to have visitors and talk. Mary Louise, she so much appreciated you and
all of your visits as well as Ella Bokovitz and Irene Surber, who also visited her on occasion. Doris had nobody else
here outside of Susan and her family. She
also loved football, especially her New Orleans Saints who are not on
television much in our area. But we
would watch my Pittsburgh Steelers.
Doris loved
Susan and her family very much. She
often would show me pictures of her four grandchildren, Dianna, Stephanie,
Amanda, and Joseph and tell me how they were doing. She was so excited about her great grandson,
Roman. It was a joy for me to meet
him.
Doris would
often talk about her beloved husband, Maurice, but called him by his nickname,
Moose. Born and raised in New Orleans,
they would go to football games of the New Orleans Saints when they featured
all-pro wide receiver Danny Abramowicz, today the host of EWTN’s “Crossing the
Goal” on Men’s spirituality, and his great quarterback, Archie Manning, the
father of Peyton and Eli, both star pro quarterbacks today.
Doris missed Moose
very much. Occasionally, she would
complain that Moose should have hung on longer and put up a better fight against
his Cancer as if he had control. I would
just say, “Doris, someday we’ll all be together again for that one big party”
and she smiled. May we all make it to
Heaven and join that big party.
Although very spry, Doris
suffered a lot as we all will... sooner or later. I tried to impress her with the fact that
suffering can be very valuable and productive.
If accepted in faith, it can be a great preparation for eternity. I would say, “Doris, you can reap great
fruits with your prayers and by uniting your cross with the Lord’s cross of
Calvary and offering it all up to God as a dynamic prayer for the Church, the
missions, for our country, for a better world, and for your loved ones. God knows how much our country needs
prayers. In that way you can be most
valuable.” And she did that.
May the fact
that Doris died on a date so close to All Souls Day November 2 inspire us to
pray often for Doris and all of our deceased loved ones. After all, according to Catholic belief, most
souls that make it to Heaven must first spend time in Purgatory in order to
become holy enough to be in the presence of the most holy Almighty God. May Doris inspire us to strive to become holy
and saints on earth in the here and now.
The Church helps us to achieve that goal if we only take advantage of
it.
Please permit me to close with the
somewhat abbreviated lyrics of an old Gospel song often sung at New Orleans funeral
marches. I’d like to dedicate it to
Doris.
The
Lyrics of “When the Saints Go Marching In”
We are traveling in the footsteps
Of those who've gone before But we'll all be reunited On a new and sunlit shore Oh when the Saints go marching in When the Saints go marching in O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in And when the sun refuses to shine And when the sun refuses to shine O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in When the moon turns red with blood When the moon turns red with blood O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in On that hallelujah day On that hallelujah day O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in O when the trumpet sounds the call O when the trumpet sounds the call O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in Some say this world of trouble Is the only one we need But I'm waiting for that morning When the new world is revealed
When the revelation comes
When the revelation comes O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in When the rich go out and work When the rich go out and work O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in When the air is pure and clean When the air is pure and clean O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in When we all have food to eat When we all have food to eat O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in When our leaders learn to cry When our leaders learn to cry O Lord, I want to be in that number When the Saints go marching in
Songwriters: Traditional,
When The Saints Go Marching In
lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.,
Let’s all try to sing the most
popular verse together. We can’t do as
well as Louis Armstrong, but let’s try.
Everybody sing!
Now when the saints……..go marching
in
When the saints go marching in
Lord, I want to be….. in that number……
When the saints go marching in
In
any event when the saints go marching in, I know that this New Orleans gal, now
young and beautiful, will be one of them.
May all of us some day also be in that number among the saints that go
marching in. Let’s all work on it with
our lives as faithful practicing Christians with our lives. Doris, we love you. Good-by until we see you again.
Appendix
Obituary Gallipolis Daily Tribune
Doris Cormier| Visit Guest Book
GALLIPOLIS — Doris Cormier, 90, of Gallipolis, passed away Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, at Holzer Assisted Living.
She was born Oct. 8, 1925, in New Orleans, a daughter of the late Joseph and Marie Lonatro Demma Sr. Doris was a member of St. Louis Catholic Church, enjoyed sewing and loved the New Orleans Saints. She was married to Maurice J. Cormier on Jan. 26, 1957, in New Orleans, and he preceded her in death on Oct. 20, 1997. Surviving is a daughter, Suzanne (Gary) Jarvis, of Gallipolis; four grandchildren, Dianna (Rod) Bruning, of Zanesville, Stephanie Jarvis, of Cleveland, Amanda Jarvis, of Cincinnati, and Joseph Jarvis, of Gallipolis; one great-grandson, Roman M. Bruning; and several nieces and nephews. Doris was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and by three brothers, Joseph Demma Jr., Albert Demma and Marco Demma Sr. Funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, at St. Louis Catholic Church with Father Tom Hamm officiating. Following her services, she will be entombed in Chapel of Hope at Ohio Valley Memory Gardens. There will not be calling hours. Willis Funeral Home is assisting the family of Doris Cormier. |
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