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The family of Mary Caroline Bush uploaded a photo
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
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The family of Mary Caroline Bush uploaded a photo
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
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Bush Family lit a candle
Monday, November 7, 2016
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Eulogy for Mary Carolyn Bush – 5 November 2016
St. John The Baptist Catholic Church, Rome, NY
Thank you all for being here to celebrate the life and passing of our Mother Mary Carolyn Bush (Angotti)
As I was preparing for this eulogy I looked for some notable, appropriate quotes and one that came to mind was from Abraham Lincoln
"It is better to remain silent and thought a fool than to speak up and
remove all doubt"....my wife Shalini Arora recommended that for me.....she always recommends that one for me......"it suits you".....thank you Darling for that inspiration.
My Mother hated peas!
Buttered, boiled or brined she could not handle them
.....don't like them, can't have them, can't win with them.......
Ok Ok Mom we'll get rid of the peas.
In truth my Mom couldn't say hate, she was too much of a lady to use that tone
......she would say....."I don't care for them"
So as I struggled to gather material for this eulogy..... I remembered one unique funeral where the deceased lived with a particularly bad temperament and sour disposition and in truth no one cared for the individual
.....finally the eulogist got up and said ....."Well.......her children are worse"
Well of course we have the opposite situation today.
Our mother was a loving and caring individual. She taught us to have a sense of humor about everything, not to take life too seriously, and so today as we think back and remember Mom, we'll be laughing through our tears.
Mary was resilient in her life, dealing with hardship and sorrow and in reflection of her life we realize that
God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Born in 1923 to ethnic Italian parents on River Street here in Rome NY. She lived through a time of Charlie Chaplin, Louis Armstrong, Charles Lindbergh, Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler.
She was so proud to attend and graduate from the Academy of Holy Names High School.
A Catholic, independent co-educational elementary and a college preparatory school for young women.
AHN closed in 1963 and was replaced by Rome Catholic High School.
Mom talked about life growing up on River Street and attending AHN, always in glowing terms, about the friends she made - lifelong friends - skating on the pond and picnics at Pixely Falls.
She never really talked about the hard ship of the times or the struggles .....mostly she remembered the love of her parents....and the strict standards they demanded......but even then she laughed at all the ways she and “her girls” would test the limits and move between the lines......going to USO dances, chewing gum in class, dating boys, and even smoking cigarettes. "What fun we had"
Mom loved music, all the greats of the 40s and 50s, she loved Sinatra and Martin (although I don't care for his behavior she would say), Eddie Arnold, Julie Andrews and Andy Williams.
One name we heard a lot around the house was Mario Lanza, we couldn't go one weekend without hearing his name and how his voice was like “dew drops from heaven”.
She married tall and lean, Joseph Arthur Bush....and Mary Angotti from River Street, became Mrs. Carolyn Bush.
The couple had a busy life, raising a family, finding steady employment, paying the bills, going to Silvan Beach in the summer, sledding down
Elmer Hill Road slopes in the winter and keeping up with friends and family in the hustle and bustle of the 1950s.
We can't live next to your parents Joe would say....OK we'll live across the street.
They had three wonderful children and one exceptional child.
Naming them was at first an honor and a blessing.....the first, a boy of course would be Joseph Arthur Jr.......tall and sturdy, the leading edge of the family,......
the second a boy......whew, chaos, kids take up a lot of
time.....Lawrence would do for him regal and independent, no time for a middle name.
Third, ah finally a girl, feisty and bold, caring and graceful, Sheila would
be her name but ...Sheila Ann, for St. Ann no doubt.
St. Anne is patroness of unmarried women, housewives, women in labor, grandmothers, horseback riders, cabinet-makers, and the Mi'kmaq people of Canada.
And the fourth ...not again.......the runt, what shall we do, all that noise
and racket, late night feedings, dirty diapers, messy floors, when will it
end.......
We've run out of names.......March 17th, thank you God.. no deep
thought there, but let's see a middle name......hmmmm how about James Street.......well maybe just James,....... done!
But sometimes good things take a bad turn, Mom's wonderful life was interrupted by tragedy, while on patrol one summer day her husband was critically injured.
She endured weeks of uncertainty, months of agony and years of recovery and reconstitution.
Mom stayed strong, brought up the family, cared for her husband and learned to cope, adapted to new environments, became inventive with bill paying strategies, creative with meals, and through it all relied on family to help.
God Bless our family.
She loved Sunday meatballs at Grandma's and Christmas meals with Aunt Jeannine and Aunt Barbra, the family, the kids.....the food, ...we loved the meals together. Italian favorites, shrimp, smelt, squid on holidays, and eggplant, stuff peppers, ravioli....and of course hot dogs for the second son...it was a time to come together, forget, forgive and carry on.
Bringing up four children was no easy ordeal on its own, but with the needs of an injured spouse the task was made even more sporting. But she rolled with it.....
Even through all the mischief and pranks we did to her, and did
to each other she stood out.......as in any family growing up ...words get
said, bones get broken and blood spills.
she kept faith, adjudicated the arguments, brought us together and tended our wounds.
She embodies the human spirt to withstand tragedy with courage and not only be happy in her own personal circumstance but make others around her comfortable, happy and optimistic. She did so with love, hope and faith.
I must say she made us do some crazy things though....one of which was watching the Lawrence Welk show every Saturday night...oh the pain...the agony....at the time .....I would roll on the floor and moan like I was a wounded creature.......
Thank you Mom for being a great woman, a great leader, who used your life to serve others....treasure your relationships not your possessions was her motto.
Mom was a very smart women. Although she had a little trouble with
technology.....when we got her a computer one year for Christmas she was afraid she would forget her password....so Michael recommended that she use "incorrect" as her password so when she forgot it, the computer screen would read "your password is incorrect".
She was very proud of her children. All grown up. But she was most proud of her grandchildren. You could tell by the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye whenever they walked in to a room or even when their names were mentioned in passing
In going through her belongings and cleaning up her apartment I came across a few personal items...one of which was a paper entitled "unfinished business"......and I think it's fitting to read a few of those items today:
One item read simply:
To Joe - I miss you
Another item went like this:
Middle names for Larry: #1) Lawrence Welk Bush - crossed out (too obvious);
#2) Lawrence Mario Lanza Bush - again crossed out (too dated)
and #3) Lawrence Joise Wales Bush – with two stars (recommendation from Pat)
Another entry was:
To Michael - I love you like a son, can you come over and fix my computer
A final entry was for Sheila –
You took good care of me when I needed you just like St Ann.....
….(And I heard every word you said even without my hearing aide)
As you can see there wasn't too much else left on Mom's list......she lived a long full life....
it's true that we only live here once, but if we do it right ....once is enough.
So Mom you don't need us to take care of you any longer but you left behind people who do ........
and Mommy you can't take care of us any longer...but you left behind people who will
I know there are no peas in heaven
and I’m sure that she is in the arms of the angels now
.....may you find some comfort there.
P
Patrick Bush lit a candle
Saturday, September 24, 2016
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Mom. Thank you for all you did. I miss you. Through all the ups and downs life had to offer you adapted and moved on. I'll never forget your smile and your laughter. You are my model of humility and love.......
D
Dolores Cornish posted a condolence
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
My sincere sympathy for the passing of your dear Mother. Love and prayers.
B
Bob and Jeanne Bush lit a candle
Monday, September 19, 2016
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We are very sorry to hear about Aunt Carolyn. We have many wonderful memories of her. It has been many years since I have seen cousins Joe, Larry, Patrick and Sheila and we send our sincere condolences to them and their families.
ABOUT US
The Nicholas J. Bush Funeral Home is committed to serving the personal needs of each family through compassion, attentiveness, and dedicated service before and after a loved one’s passing.
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Nicholas J. Bush Funeral Home, Inc.
7751 Merrick Road
Rome, New York 13440
Phone: (315) 337-2950
Fax: (315) 337-4711
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