Below is my letter to Lois. But before you read it I wanted to give you a little info on how Lois came in to my life. After reading it, I think you will come to the same feeling that I have had this whole month after she passed here on Earth. On December 29th 1999 a reporter by the name of Bob George from the Sun-Sentinel published a very long story about three full pages long, about myself and John McCormick titled, “My Friend named John.” About three or four weeks after the article I got a Catholic Mass Card from Lois sent to us with a donation. Besides the card and the donation there was a note saying that Lois wanted to volunteer a few times a month. I called her up and we met and she said she wanted to bring in flowers for the girls and get a monthly birthday cake for the birthday people of that month. A few weeks went by and my friend Johnny went missing. I called Lois up and asked her if she wanted to go on the search party. She went that night and we found John-John. In a matter of a year she was working about 12 hours a day. Then her title changed to the same position as me, “Co- Director.” In a matter of a few years she moved in to our new shelter and slept with me on the floor between the copier and the file cabinets. That lasted about 7 years. Her 12 hours a day went to about 18 hours a day with no days off. A few years later we finally got a place in our office to sleep and a nice TV. A few year back she and I would land in Haiti with the jet we rented two days after the earthquake bringing in 70 doctors and antibiotics for thousands of people.
Lois was a person who did not have to work. When her loving husband Gary died it was then she decided it was time to retire. She could have done anything she wanted to do at this point in her life because Gary and she were good savers. She was a person who went on pilgrimages with the church. She was a person who went to church day after day praying for strangers. She would see something on TV where maybe a mom and dad were suffering over the loss of a little one and she would pray for them. She never boasted in her praying she did most of it behind closed doors.
She was a person who did not have to work all these hours in the most stressful environment in the world.
She was very good to our Johnny, in fact over time he became her Johnny for she had the same relationship with him that I did. She treated him as if he was Jesus Himself. John was born on 4-29-1952, our Lois died on his birthday. The feeling I have after her death was like a message from Jesus. Lois was here to serve, to meet us, to meet this shelter and to meet Johnny. She was here for me because without her this place would have shut its doors a very long time ago.
When it came to Lois there is no other way to say it…. She was for sure the Wind Beneath My Wings…. I can only smile thinking of her these days knowing she has done her job on earth perfectly. No matter how many smiles there are, there always comes a tear and that is how I know I loved her so. She was my Honey, my friend, my soul mate, my miracle worker and the world’s prayer warrior.
Around here we have a bed titled a “Mother Teresa Bed.” This is a bed for life for those who will never work, never get a check- they are our guest. Now we have a bed titled a “Lois Bed”- yes Lois was a Saint.
Lois, you were everything to me. There is no other way to say it than this way. You did it all for me. No matter the time of day or night you were at my side. You gave me more than any other person in the world. You also gave me the strength at the most difficult choices in my life. The best part of our life I think was when I said lets go Grammy it is time for us to go see the kids. Before I knew it you had all of Pap Paps stuff packed and ready for our trip. The love you gave everyone including Marks kids was just because it was all you. Nothing but love came from you. I am quite sure you are loving life now with our Jesus. You got your wish honey. You are with Him. You are there with the man who made us all, the man who made the water, the air the earth and even this shelter that we worked at every day of our life. Lois I love you. Keep us in your eyes and help us make the correct decisions on the people we serve. THANK YOU SWEETIE I LOVE YOU