Gloria Rodrigues

“Hold onto your Faith” were her words, so loud and clear she proclaimed them for all of us. And we all hear her now. She says it without hesitation, with clear breath, with true strength, and her fist is clenched so tight.
Gloria Dawn Rodrigues (fondly known as “Mum”, “Darling”, “Grandma”, “Auntie” and “Glor”), was sadly taken on the morning of January 28th, 2014. She lived an amazing 71 years, and was safe in her last few months with her beloved Daughter, Son-In-Law and Grandson, Dawn-Christine, Matt, and Brandon.
This is her life: Mum was born August 2, 1942 in Karachi, Pakistan. Of Portuguese, Spanish and Irish decent, she was raised in British compounds and was the middle sister of four. Her childhood was shared with Yvette, Paddy and Rodney. At a very young age, Gloria had something so special in her that tore her apart from others. She was born with it. An amazing bond with something beyond anything we can comprehend here on Earth. A spiritual connection with a much greater power than anything we can even control, and His Name is God. Gloria was always the close one with our savior Jesus Christ, Our Lady Mary Mother of God, and our Holy Father in Heaven. And we believe that is where she is now. There’s only a few of them in this world today, and when God places them here on Earth, those who know her, remember that there’s something special about her.
Gloria used to be a teacher back home. She was well educated and was always very academic. She loved to read, write, knit and was musically inclined. She married at a young age of 20 to John Eugene Rodrigues and became a sister-in-law to a very large family, who today, also have so many fond memories of her. And so her Faithful journey continued. Her first born – a beautiful girl, baby Dawn, was born in Pakistan. Shortly after, the family set sail to England, where more adventure awaited and her Faith, always strong and true. In London, England, Gloria had four more children. Things were always tough in England. Not much money, prejudice was rampant but one thing was always consistent – Faith. And so, every Sunday, we religiously trekked off to church, mother hens and their chickadees. But that Faith – was held onto, so strong.
At the age of 42 and after 20 years of marriage, Gloria lost her loving husband to a tragic train. Christmas of 1983 was a sad one for all of us and somewhat traumatic. But it was her journey and became her children’s too. Now, alone to raise five young children, the true test of Gloria’s Faith was upon her now more than ever before.
Just back-tracking a little, in 1982, Gloria and John came to Canada for a second honeymoon. And when Dad came back, he said, “pack your bags, we’re going to Canada”. And the seed was planted then. We can never forget the movie reels of Dad flicking mosquitoes in Black Diamond and Mum climbing the Glaciers in Banff. We all fell in love with Canada that day, watching their honeymoon movie.
After Dad died, Mum made the decision to make this dream come true. Her family were here and she felt so strongly that this would be a good place for her children to have a better future. So with fear and trust, and a lot of prayers, she made it happen. It doesn’t matter what country you live in, as long as you still have your faith. And she did. There were tough times here in Canada for her too. She had numerous jobs, from her contributions in the family business, the church and her accounts payable roles in downtown Toronto, where ever Mum worked, she worked hard and had fun. The workplace was her fun place and made trouble when she could, just to spice up life. She loved going to work and worked hard and with vigor. Boy was she fast with that keyboard. Her piano skills sure helped her there.
Gloria retired in her 60’s and went back to work part time to keep her mind active. She loved her co-workers who were more her dear friends. But soon, she found it a struggle with the commute. No longer could she handle the stairs at the train station. No longer could she speed walk. Her breathing became such a struggle.
Soon, after Gloria was diagnosed with a rare condition, where the cells on her lungs were depleting fast. The only thing that would make her comfortable was her new partner on wheels. With oxygen attached, she still held true to her Faith. Family is always number one she would say, and we all spent our next years with her, cherishing our family get-togethers even more now, watching out for each other, watching out for her, and learning as much from her as we possibly could, knowing that the end for her was close by.
Mum taught us so many things. She taught us music, she taught us that knowledge is important. She taught us not to accept if it didn’t feel right. She taught us that it’s good to question. She taught us to not be lazy. She taught us to be kind and speak gently. She taught us respect, kindness, charity. She taught us that Family is the most important thing in life and nothing should stand in it’s way. And she taught us to believe in what is truth – in God. And that is Faith. This was her life.
An Angel has been added to Heaven – her name is Gloria. She is breathing now. She is happy now. May you rest in peace Mum.
We will always hear your words – Hold Onto Your Faith.