Eulogy – Lorna Dyer

by Conroy Dyer Fri Aug 09, 2013

I wish to talk to you about a lady who meant different things to many of us. She was a mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend and angel to some. I am talking about none other than Mrs Lorna Dyer (our mom). Mom was the third child for Matthew “dada” and Mary “mama” Culzac, the other children included (Uncle) Carl, (Tantie) Yvonne, (Tantie) Pearlita, (Uncle) Phil, (Uncle) Les, (Uncle) Alex, (Uncle) Max, (Tantie) Min and Larry. At the time we were growing up, the village still raised the child, so it was absolutely necessary to include the appropriate prefix (Uncle/Tantie) where applicable. The only person from the group who escaped was Larry, I guess because he was the youngest of the uncles and to us (the first batch of grandchildren) he wasn’t much older, so we just said Larry.

Mom was a kind-hearted human being and she understood from quite an early age the virtue of hard work. She often helped her mom “mama” with the house chores and taking care of the younger siblings, a practice which was instrumental in providing valuable experience in preparing her for her own children. Mom’s early schooling was done at the St Mary’s RC (Roman Catholic School), as most of the Culzac clan. Although she didn’t pursue secondary education, she was exceptionally gifted in reading and arithmetic and possessed a level of wisdom which pays tribute to the adage ‘common sense mek before book’.{{more}}

As a young woman, mom worked at Corea’s as a sales clerk; it was during this time that she met and fell in love with a young police officer from Spring Village. This young man (Elson) would eventually become the father of her six children, It was rumoured that ‘dada’ didn’t really favour policemen too much and also I don’t think the male fraternity of ‘Rose Place’ were too thrilled to know that a ‘Leeward man’ would come all the way from under Soufriere and pick one of their roses in town. However, with much support from ‘mama’, she followed her heart and she accepted dad’s hand in marriage. Maybe it was his muscular structure or his swagger that mom was attracted to (I don’t know); however, they started their family both at 25 years old.

Not long after the children started coming, mom would stop working at Corea’s to take on the most important job in the world, (that is taking care of us), a job performed with dignity, style and class. The couple had six children (Conroy, Kenroy, Leroy, Elroy, Fitzroy and Cheryl). Mom was an exceptionally good mother, very caring and even a little protective at times. She reminded me of a hen and her chicks, with her wings fluffed, out constantly caling and checking to make sure they were there. I remember her drilling us through a routine of crossing the road, always emphasizing the importance of looking left, right then left, right again, etc, before crossing. Up to this day crossing the road, I look so many times……… no wonder we enjoyed break dancing so much.

Mom totally enjoyed raising her children and with a combination of five boys and one girl, we were quite a handful. However, she made sure that our clothes were always clean, food was always on time and hygiene was a priority. I remembered she would dress us boys in white vests and white underpants to visit and play at our grandparents’ house. We would come home looking like had gone to work in a coal mine and she would transform these clothes to white again; every time they seemed to get whiter. She was a magician. I hasten to add, even though Mrs. Dyer loved her children, we were never spoilt. She made sure manners and respect were embedded deep in our psychic tapestry. As a family we had many of fun time together. We would go for drives in the country; stopping for ice-cream, going to the driving cinema, beach or just watch a nice programme on TV.

Christmas was an exceptional time at home. I did mention that mom was a magician, well this was when she really showed her true colours; she would clean up and cook up a storm, she would take us all shopping for toys and curtains.

Leroy learned to use the sewing machine very early, so he helped mom sew the curtains and cushion covers. The grandest showcase of the magic was Christmas day; on Christmas Eve, the house would be in a mess; stuff to clean, thing to pack away. Curtains to put up, cake to be baked etc, however on Christmas morning we awoke to a wonder land.

Our mom and Cheryl (our sister), her last child shared an extremely close and special relationship. We believed that they even had secret codes that they would use to communicate when they didn’t want the men folk in the family to know what was going on. ‘Cher’ and mom would always share that bond and ‘Cher’ knows that.

Mom was special, she would continue to live within us, and every now and then they may see a little ‘Lorna’ popping up to remind us of the beauty of genetics. We would cherish and continue to remember her time with us, it wouldn’t be easy coping with the physical loss, but with the blessing s of the almighty, we would get through and mom would ensure that we do just that.

Thanks to all the families, the many friends and persons who have come to celebrate with us the life of our mom and to pay homage to this good soul.