Obituary of Eunice Richards

Eunice R. Richards, age 69, who dedicated her life to the disabled, her church, and family, passed away suddenly on Saturday night, December 6, 2008. Eunice was born in Kingston, Jamaica, the daughter of the late Albert and Sybil Richards. She grew up and was educated in Kingston. She worked at the U.S. Embassy and owned her own business in Jamaica. In May of 1979, she left everything in Jamaica to start a new life in the United States. She made her home in Arlington, Burlington, Billerica, and Chelmsford. Eunice had a passion for working with disabled children and adults. She worked for 28 years for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the Walter E. Fernald State School. Over the years she held a number of positions, and at her retirement, she was the Assistant Division Director. She also worked with TCS (Temporary Care Services) Family Support in Cambridge, a family support program serving children with developmental disabilities who live at home with their families. She was still assisting at TCS when she died. Her work was far more than a job, it was a vocation. Her clients were like her family and were often welcomed at her family’s celebrations and holidays. She truly made a difference in her clients lives. Eunice had a strong faith and knew the importance of family. She was an active parishioner at Saint Malachy’s Church and Saint Mary’s Church. She especially enjoyed being part of the church’s music ministries in Jamaica. She was blessed to have a warm and loving family. She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered. Eunice was the beloved mother of Peta-Gaye Prinn & her husband Michael of Boston. She was the loving grandmother of Jackson Prinn. She was the devoted sister of Marie Lewis & her husband Harry of New Jersey, Joseph Richards & his wife Beverly of Canada, Michael Richards & his wife Jean of Randolph, Claire Richards of Chelmsford, and the late Theresa Morales. She was the aunt of Deanne & Richard Benevento of Beverly, Paul & Carol Morales of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, Cathy-Ann Morales and her partner Dr. Nakela Cook of Washington D. C., Janice & Court C. Rideau of Chelmsford, Simone & James Tigges of Burlington, Warren & Christine Richards of Duxbury, Roderick & Norma Lewis of New Jersey, Donna Lewis of New York, and her nieces Karen, Melanie, Nadine, Tricia and the late Camille and their spouses of Canada and Jamaica. She is also survived by countless other relatives and friends. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in St. Mary’s Church, 25 North Road (Rt. 4), Chelmsford, on Friday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. Interment in Chestnut Hill Cemetery,BURLINGTON. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Eunice’s name may be made to the Temporary Care Services Family Support, 5 Sacramento Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Eunice R. Richards So often we take for granted the gift that we have been given and focus on the material aspects which at the end of the day, do not make us who we are and are not important. She was Niecy, Mom, Nana, Auntie Niecy and Eunice and if you wanted to live dangerously, you could call her Regina or Reggie which her many grand nieces and nephews seemed to get away with more than anyone else. She had a heart larger than life itself. Born the youngest of six, she came from a small island that our family holds near and dear, but one that we knew we needed to leave if we were to have a better life. Our family was strong, led by our dear grandmother Sybil who set the standard for our family ties and for our life. Aunt Niecy had an incredible bond with her three sisters each unique in its own way. She drew strength from her oldest sister Theresa and leaned on her as a mother; she received advice from her sister Marie on a wide variety of topics (whether she asked for it or not); she learned compassion and found companionship with her sister Claire as her roommate for many, many years. She even cooked a few meals for her along the way. She and her sisters Theresa and Claire embraced the title of the Golden Girls, as they moved into the next phase of their life with Deanne, Cathy, Janice and Peta-Gaye now out of the house. As for her brothers, the oldest Joseph was always there to strengthen her faith and her brother Mickey always nearby to lend a hand and drive her and the family on trips - he had a special knack for turning that 10 hour ride into a 17 hour adventure. Our family has always been led by strong women and when our grandmother passed away, her oldest daughter Theresa “Leonie” took over. Aunt Niecy, was a quick understudy to Theresa and would take on that role when Theresa was no longer able. For example, Sunday dinners were a tradition and if there were friends in need, they were included. As the family grew in size and the distance between our homes lengthened, regular Sunday dinners became more difficult and more emphasis was placed on holiday gatherings. These gatherings were important to Aunt Niecy and she made sure that we all shared in the responsibility of preparing the meal. When she first moved to this country, she accepted a position at the Walter E. Fernald State School, the state’s oldest institution for the mentally handicapped. At many family events or holidays she included those who were dear to her from the Fernald School, Dottie B and her Mom come to mind. Through her, they became family to us. There were also countless others that she cared for who became part of our lives. Her services at the Fernald School did not quench her desire to care for those who needed it most. She joined the Temporary Care services in Cambridge, helping families with children in need. Just as she did with each of us in our family, taking the extra time to make sure that we were cared for, loved, fed and clean,( which meant regular inspections of our ears, nose, teeth and finger nails); she loved and cared for the kids in respite care. There are the D’Ambrosia triplets, Annmarie, Vinny and Billy, who are now young adults and have been part of her life for 20 years; Liam now a young man in his 20’s, and his sisters Jossie and Jasmine in their late teens, who recently enjoyed sleepovers at Eunice’s house and most recently, Lynn who enjoyed going to the movies and lunch with Eunice on Fridays. There were many other little ones who did not make it far in this life, notably Ashleigh who Eunice provided love and support during her short time on earth. In addition to our family, this was her extended family and she did not rest until they were all cared for. She was a woman of moderate means, but just like Sybil our matriarch and her mother, she learned the importance of life and not just how to make the most of what she had, but how to share it with those that were less fortunate. Eunice recently retired after 28 years at Fernald. But as this door closed another opened for her. She cooked dinners, had sleepovers and visits with her grandnieces and nephews but nothing gave her more pride and joy than her new grandson Jackson David Prinn. Born into this family on June 4th 2007, little Jackson was met by Mom, Peta-Gaye, Dad, Michael, and his new Nana, Eunice. Nana was filled with love, pride and joy just at the mention of his name. When Peta-Gaye was ready to go back to work Eunice would get up at the crack of dawn, and it did not matter, snow, sleet, freezing rain, she would make that commute from Chelmsford to Boston, to take care of Jackson. Her very first day, she had no idea what the Rt. 3,128 traffic was like and she was late getting in, she was more upset about being late to take care of Jackson, than Peta-Gaye was about getting to work. Peta-Gaye wanted a few words expressed on her behalf so that you would all know how much her mom means to her. “My mom completed me. She is a part of me and we are one person. She is my best friend and the love of my life. As a single mom she has given me so much and she never offered me anything less than the world. She sent me to private Catholic grammar school and high school; she allowed me the privilege of attending Boston College and wanted me to have the same college experience as all other kids and live at school (although she did cheat by doing my laundry and hand delivering many home cooked meals). She supported my decision to attend law school and welcomed me back into her home during that time. She worked countless hours, holding down 2 jobs at times. She took me on many vacations to New York, Washington D.C., Disney World and Jamaica with my high school friends and even a special cruise for just the two of us to Bermuda. She has always been by my side at difficult times and on two of the happiest days; when I married my husband Michael and gave birth to my son Jackson. She loved them both as if they were her own --- and that is because we are one person. I want everyone to know that I am who I am today because of my mom.” Aunt Niecy had a kind and gentle heart; she gave more of herself to others, than she took in return. She raised a beautiful, intelligent daughter Peta-Gaye. She welcomed Michael into her heart and her family as her one and only son in law and treated him like a son. She loved us all, including little Jackson, more than life itself. God took her from us at a time when we are still mourning the loss of her eldest sister and my mother Theresa as well as other very close extended family and friends. Her passing was unexpected and as we sit here today, we are still asking the question, why? We may not find that answer, today, tomorrow or next year. We can however take peace and comfort in knowing life is a gift from God and we are each given that gift for a purpose. Once we have fulfilled that purpose, God takes us home. Aunt Niecy lived her life and lived it well. She gave from her heart which is a gift that money cannot buy. She will be sadly missed by the parents of those children who are now angels for God. To those parents, take comfort in knowing that she is now looking after your children in heaven. She will be missed by the children that she was working with who may not understand why she is now gone. To those children, know that she is with you everyday, learn from her and make her proud in whatever you do and to their parents, we ask as her family, that you carry on caring for your children in the same manner that she did. For little Jackson, you are too young to remember Nana, but don’t worry, we will all be here to help you remember her as you grow. Lastly, to her family, brothers Joe and Mickey, sisters Marie and Claire, daughter Peta-Gaye and son in law Michael, nieces, nephews and many friends; live your life with the fullness of your heart. Life is short, our time on earth undetermined, make the best of it, lead by Eunice’s example. I end this remembrance by borrowing a few words from one of her dear grand nephews, Paul Morales Jr, he wrote “I believe that in the end we can be comforted by the fact that God needed an angel and Auntie Niecy - he chose you.” Janice Grace-Rideau Dec 2008