Remarks of Remembrance of Cathy Murray by her husband, Doug January 31, 2013 St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Colorado Springs, CO On behalf of our family I want to thank each of you for being here today. Your presence and caring sustains us and enables us to continue on. My task today is to do the eulogy. The definition of “eulogy” is a high praise or commendation. And, in that regard, your presence makes this a living eulogy. But, not so fast! A eulogy can also be a speech, and, as you know, I am never one to forego giving a speech. Thus, let me thank you for indulging me; to let me tell you about Cathy for a few minutes. For the family, it is a catharsis; I hope it will be somewhat the same for you. Cathy would like that. So why are we here this morning? Some would answer, “to mourn a death”. Others would answer, “to celebrate a life”. In truth, both answers are correct. The brain and heart, you see, answer, “to mourn”, but that part of us that is eternal, the soul, answers, “to celebrate a life”. I pray that as I tell you about Cathy, for me, and for all of us, that the sorrow of the heart and mind will be overwhelmed by the joy of the soul. A few days ago, as we completed paperwork, the funeral director asked, “What is Cathy’s profession?” I could have answered, “a Special Ed teacher”, or “a World Book or Mary Kay sales representative”, or, “a homemaker”, or “an entrepreneur”, for she was the founder and CEO of European Treasures LLC, a highly successful import business of Polish pottery and Lithuanian candle houses. And, in fact, we still have some inventory. And, if you are interested, come see me later and we can work out a deal. Cathy would like that also. But none of these roles were her profession; they were things she did. Her real profession was, as we said in the obituary, LOVE. And in this profession she had a PhD. Her father, Mike, was frequently heard singing, “Everybody loves somebody sometimes”. For Cathy, her song was that she loved everybody, all the time. In her practice of this profession of love, there were a number of roles. First is the role of woman, and Cathy’s life exemplifies everything that God intended when he created woman as described in today’s First Reading from Genesis. A close friend and colleague of Cathy and I, since our days in the missile business, said yesterday, “all of our women, our wives, are stars, but Cathy was a shooting star that impacted everybody’s galaxy.” Where Cathy went, love followed, and in 1963 both found me. And in 1967, I was lucky enough to become her husband. This was her second role; she became the spouse of an Air Force Officer and my Chief of Staff. Many in the church know so well the challenges and sacrifice that accompanies this profession. The first Superintendent of the Air Force Academy, General Moorman, put it best when he said, “your husband’s success through these years is directly attributed to the stability you provide through many transitions. Frequent moves, difficult tours, and extended separations placed great demands on you as a cornerstone of the family”. Those words describe our Cathy; describe her as she counseled the new wives of young airmen, many of whom were not much younger than she, as they tried to understand why their husbands in the Airman Education Commissioning Program attending the University of Texas were gone from home so long. These words describe the love she gave the Academy cadets and their parents. For example, one cadet was overheard talking to his mom on the phone saying, “Mom, you do not have to worry about me. Mrs. Murray has you covered in the worrying department.” Or the cadet parent who called us at 2:30 in the morning and asked Cathy to go up immediately to the cadet dorms to be with her son when she called him on the phone to tell him that his brother had been killed in an auto accident. The lyrics of one of Josh Grobans songs go like this: When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary When troubles come and my heart burdened be Then I am still and Wait here in the silence Until you come and sit a while with me. You raise me up, so I can stand on Mountains You raise me up to walk on Stormy Seas I am strong, when I am on your shoulders You Raise me up …. To more than I can be That is what Cathy has done for me as my wife, and for our children, Mike, Doug, and Lisa. She has guided them to adulthood and gave them the sense to marry three wonderful spouses in Colleen, Karen and Doran, who are doing for them what Cathy has done for me. And now we come to the role that she did best – a grandmother to what we call “Meemaw’s Gang” - Ashlyn, Luke, Megan, Cole, Adam, Emma and Lucy May, who was called to Jesus just two years ago this month. Now we know why – to prepare a place for Meemaw in heaven. I suppose right now the two of them are planning a trip to Target? And to that gang we can add Nik, Aleck and Zak, Doran and Lisa’s nephews who also called Cathy, Meemaw. In fact, I think anyone 10 or younger could join the gang. There is nothing that Cathy would not do for the grandchildren. For example, when no one else would go on the “Steel Eel” death defying rollercoaster at Sea World with Ashlyn, Meemaw did. The result you will see in a picture taken on the coaster that is at the entry of the church. It characterizes her devotion to the grandchildren – take a look. By the way, each of them this morning wrote a note or drew a picture that they placed with their Meemaw in the coffin. In Closing, let me say that in all of these roles, Cathy’s love touched many lives and, in return, was touched by so many of you. Your presence here bears witness to that, and I bet as I spoke, you remembered a few examples as well. And that is why we are here; we celebrate a life rather than mourn a death. But we do more than that. The second reading today, Luke’s Gospel, and Deacon Dick’s homily give us a hint at what that is. In a few earlier passages in Luke’s Gospel that Deacon Dick did not read, we are told that when the women entered the tomb on the third day after Jesus’ death on the cross, they could not find the body of the Lord. But, two angels said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has been raised.” Translation – HE LIVES. This past Friday, another Luke, one of Meemaw’s gang, pointed out to his mother, “Meemaw is with Lucy May, with Jesus, and with God.” Translation – SHE LIVES. That, dear friends, is what we celebrate today in this Mass, and, in doing so, reaffirm our faith and belief in the life everlasting. Thank you, thank you, my beloved Cathy, for giving all of us this occasion to do just that.