Evelyn Joseph

Evelyn P. Joseph, 99, of Flushing NY passed away on December 6, 2022. Evelyn lived a full life and was always surrounded by friends and family. She is predeceased by her parents Thomas and Virginia; her husband Joseph; and her siblings Millie, David, Carmo, Tony, Phil, Rita and Trevor. She leaves behind her 3 children, Lorna Joseph- Pal, Ludi Joseph, and Leslie Joseph; her granddaughter Lori Joseph; and her siblings Rev Msgr. Nicholas Soares and Laura Doyle.

Evelyn was born on March 16, 1923 and raised in India. She was the second oldest of 10 children. When in India she worked as an administrative secretary in the US Embassy. In 1983 she came to the US and resided in New York for almost 4 decades. While in the US she worked as an administrative secretary at a major law firm.

Evelyn always enjoyed spending time with people. She was always the life of the party and would brighten the room. She also was very generous and would dedicate a lot of time to the church and people in need.

Please see the information below regarding services for Evelyn. Additionally in lieu of flowers please consider donating to Food for the Poor ie foodforthepoor.org

A visitation for Evelyn will be held Friday, December 9, 2022 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Quinn - Fogarty Funeral Home, 192-15 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11358. A funeral mass will occur Saturday, December 10, 2022 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Saint Michael's R.C. Church, 136-76 41st Ave, Flushing, NY 11355. A burial will occur Saturday, December 10, 2022 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Mount St. Mary Cemetery, 164-15 Booth Memorial Avenue, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.quinn-fogartyfuneralhome.com for the Joseph family.

Evelyn Joseph – Eulogy at Funeral Mass, Saturday, December 10, 2022 By Leslie Joseph

My mother was a remarkable woman who lived a life of service to others. Born in Goa (on the west coast) in then Portuguese India in 1923, she witnessed eras and epochs in history ranging from when slow-moving bullock carts were the mode of transportation to today’s high-speed internet. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she embraced new technologies, even as she struggled to interpret them.

Here’s a funny story! She had just joined Facebook and people she’d grown up with were popping up as friend suggestions. She didn’t realize that Facebook had found these names among her contacts. She was convinced that every person with the last name of Soares (her maiden name) had managed to find her on the site!

She went to boarding school in Calcutta (on the east coast) in the mid-1930s to the early-1940s. It was a school where Saint Mother Teresa was a new nun. Mum’s schooling was cut short by World War II. She’d just finished 10th grade when the Japanese bombed Calcutta in 1942. She returned home to her parents in Bulsar (in the west) and found work in the British Indian Railways as administrative assistant to the Chief Engineer; then moved with her boss to Bombay on transfer, where she met my dad.

When my Mom and Dad married, she resigned her job and they moved to Lucknow (in the middle of the country) where Dad had been transferred. Mom was now a full-fledged homemaker. Three children followed in quick succession. Then Dad fell ill and lost the use of his legs and this 30-year-old (with three children by the mid-1950s), became the breadwinner and major provider for our family!

They made a good team. Dad focused on our education, Mom on our nutrition. And, yes, we were all subjected to daily cod liver oil supplements — because they were good for you! Mom worked the whole day, then came back to make dinner in the evenings. Her day began early and ended late. Eventually Dad learned to cook and helped ease her burden.

The family moved to Delhi (the Capital) when Mom found a new job. Dad passed away in 1970, at which time we were in college. Mom worked at the US Embassy and its sister organizations for about 25 years. To thank her for her service, they offered her a green card. Mom came to the US in Jan 1983. She found work in a law firm and sponsored us to come here. I came in December 83; my siblings followed later.

In 1993, Mom accompanied Kathy and I to India to bring Lori home. After she retired from the law office, Mom worked with the Dominican Charities and studied western cooking at the Grace Institute. We would visit her on weekends and she would have cooked up this 4-5 course meal, slogging the entire weekend to make sure we were fed!

Retirement didn’t slow her down. She promptly volunteered here at St. Michael’s Church — in the CCD program, the soup-kitchen, and then became a Eucharistic Minister. She took computer classes at Elder Care, a Community Health Care Organization, and became adept enough to help other seniors learn!

To give you another anecdote of her service to others: one time we were driving down Main Street, Flushing. We passed a grocery store and she said “Oh that’s where my old lady lives, down that block.” We asked her, which old lady. She explained that once a week she took her grocery cart, got on the local bus to that particular stop, walked to the lady’s apartment, got her grocery list, did her shopping, walked back, loaded the lady’s shelves, made her a cup of tea and returned home by bus. I asked her, “how old is the old lady?” She said, late 50s. I said “Mom you’re in your 70s!” She responded, “I know, son, but she is so frail!”

Until the end, she continued to do works of charity, writing out checks in her beautiful handwriting, to all the organizations that sent solicitations, even (mistakenly) to a white-supremacist organization (they get IRS tax exemptions too)! She lived a life of service always following the maxim of our Lord… to love her neighbor.

I would like to close with a quote from one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost:

The woods are lovely dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep

Those lines embody and capture the spirit of my mother! Thank You.