Cecillia Ida Mowery

Waterville - Cecillia Ida (Derosier) Mowery of Waterville, Maine ascended to her eternal heavenly home on 29 September 2016. Cecillia was dearly loved by her family, friends, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was a former resident of Braxton County, West Virginia. She was an active member in her

community, working in the food banks, as it was in her heart to feed the hungry and provide for those in need. She loved to farm and garden as she enjoyed canning food and sharing these gifts with her children and friends. She had many friends she deemed as her family and loved them all very deeply.

She was a born again Christian saved by grace and a member of her church in West Virginia, a

proud follower of Christ and faithful prayer warrior, she prayed daily for her children, grandchildren and the lost. Cecillia was always looking out for those in need and subsequently had run a personal care home in her residence for about 20 years. She always worked very hard and tried to do her very best. She had a fiery spirit and also loved deeply.

She was preceded in death by her only son Frank Allen Severance; her mother Eleanor Derosier; her sisters; Connie Hall and Jane Raynes and one great grandchild, Jeremiah Stump.

Cecillia is survived by daughters: Gloria and her husband Mark Cotter of Waterville, Maine;

Tina Moody and her fiancé Rick Gosselin of Palm Bay, Florida; Maureen Boggs of Exchange, West Virginia; her grandchildren: Lisa and her husband Chris Pester; Ashley Galouch; Erica Galouch; Nathan Galouch and Amber Galouch, all of Maine; Tabitha and her husband Jason Carter; Ricki and her husband David Fahmie, of Florida; Lindi and her husband Jake Cottrill; Sarah Stump; Megan Stump; Salena Johnson Boggs; Nicole Severance; Fabian Nate Severance; Terry Eagle; Cole, Zachary, Chad and Christan Severance, all of West Virginia; her great grandchildren: Madylinn and CJ Pester; Leah Suddith; Kaylee Singleton; Teagan and Jaeden Galouch; Ethan Carter; Blake Fahmie; Rylea, Hanlea and Carlea Campbell; Jake Ryder Cottrill; Lillian and Simon Harman; Chloe Grace Gentile; Skylar and Gary Joe Boggs III; Braxton Miller; William Severance; Adam Eagle; Landyn Grenier and Olivia Peabody.

Grannie had a special place in her heart for all of her grandchildren, each one unique and very special to her. Whenever you would say I love you, she would always respond, I LOVE YOU MORE.

Much gratitude to Maine Elderly Care and the entire hospice staff for the excellent care of our mother and for helping our family through these difficult times and our mother’s illness. You are truly Angels of Mercy. Special thanks to her hospice nurses Linda Weeks and Jessie, Debbie Golden and Pastor Bill Myers. Also, to her two special friends, Amy and Mary from Helping Hands.

Visiting hours are Monday October 3, 2016 from 5 – 7 pm at Veilleux Funeral Home, 8 Elm Street, Waterville, ME 04901 with the funeral service also there on Tuesday October 4, at 11:00 am. Burial will follow in Kling Cemetery, Route 104, Augusta, ME. Please visit www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com to view a video collage of Cecillia’s life and to share condolences, memories and tributes with her family.

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A eulogy for Cecillia:

This is the life of Cecillia Ida Derosier, Born on March 17th, 1934 in Vassalboro, Maine

She was raised on a farm, at a time when most homes did not have electricity, so for entertainment after the days chores were done the siblings would gather around a Kerosene lamp and sing the song Billy Boy. As a child she was educated in a catholic school, she participated in the 4H club and won a blue ribbon award for a dress that she made, and even won a spelling bee.

As she began her adult years she moved to Connecticut to begin her family. She had to raise her children at a time that was not easy. Single mothers were frowned upon by society and the help of government programs did not exist. Yet even without help she was able to keep her family together and take care of her children. As time past she found the love of her life. A man that took care of here and her children. They then moved to New York and bought their first home together. Unfortunately life presents us all with challenges. The love of her life got sick from complications of Diabetes.

They decided that it was time to got back to a simpler lift. To live off the land and be self sufficient. The moved to Sutton West Virginia and bought a piece of property on a mountain. There they built a home together, called it the Farm, and continued to raise their family. They planted gardens and canned food. Life unfortunately took her love from her.

Cecillia did not let this keep her down, she opened her heart and her home to those that were less fortunate. She brought adults and kids to her farm to give them an opportunity to better their lives. She was a devoted member of the church, she worked at the local soup kitchen. Cecillia learned from the challenges in her life to give what she to those that did not.

Cecillia eventually left the mountain and bought another home in Braxton, West Virginia

She continued to grow her gardens and can food. She would spend hours a day tending to her gardens. She canned so much food that her basement was full of food and what she did not have room for she gave to those that needed.

Life challenged her again as she lost her home to fire. Her Daughter Tina took her to Florida for a time. Eventually Cellia decided that she would return to Maine, the state of her birth. She spent her remaining years first in Augusta and then in Waterville. She passed from this earthly plane on 29 September 2016. She will be sorely missed by her family and all those that have had the honor of knowing her. We know you will be in heaven waiting for us to join you.

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The following was given by Mark Cotter during Ceillia's funeral service:

First Off –

I would like to thank all of you for coming

Before I begin to talk about Cecilia I need to take a moment to recognize a very special person. My wife, and Cecilia’s daughter, Gloria. I know that this day is about Cecilia, but this is a very important story in Cecilia’s life. When I met Gloria and we got involve and started talking about our lives to one another, one of the things that she brought up was that she did not have any kind of a relationship with her mother.

She explained to me the circumstances and why she did not have a good relationship with her mother. Several years into our relationship Gloria started to make contact with her mother and began a dialog. We then made a trip to visit her mother in West Virginia. This was the first time that I had ever met Cecilia. I could see in her heart that she wanted nothing more than to see her daughter and spend time with her and have a relationship with her.

As the time past following that trip, an accident caused Cecilia to lose the home that she loved to fire. Luckily she was able to get out of the house alive. Unfortunately the house was a total loss. Tina, went to West Virginia and picked Cecilia up and took her to Florida.

Eventually it was time for Cecilia to decide where she was going to buy and house and live out her remaining years. Gloria came to me and asked my opinion on the subject. I told her that I would support her in whatever she decided. Gloria’s desire was to have her mother move to Maine so that she could work on her relationship with her mother. Finally it was decided, and Cecilia bought a trailer and moved to Maine.

Gloria did work on the relationship, at times it was difficult, Cecilia like her daughter had a stubborn streak. However, Gloria would make sure she had heat, food, take her prescribed medications and was as comfortable as she could be. Gloria doted on her mother.

Eventually her mother was just not able to live by herself any longer. So Gloria asked to move her mother in with us. Were the situations reversed and I was asking to move my mother in I would have expected Gloria to say yes. So what could I say? I said yes. Were there difficult times, yes there were. But Gloria always found the strength to get through them. Eventually Cecilia started to require 24 hour care, she started to suffer more and more from her dementia, she started to get weaker and weaker. This did not occur overnight but progressed over several years. Gloria gave up her full time job and became Cecilia’s primary caretaker.

Last year during a hospital stay, it was determined that Cecilia had lung cancer. Due to her health and her age and conversations with doctors and siblings it was determined not to do a biopsy and allow life to take its natural course. Cecilia was placed and hospice, family members were notified. At this time Cecilia was only expected to live another 3-6 months.

But here we are almost a year later. And now Cecilia has passed.

I am so proud of my wife, she took on a challenge that I have admitted that I could not do. A challenge that I know for a fact, not a lot of people could do. Gloria wanted to do this in order to have a relationship with her mother that she never had. She did not get the relationship that she had expected to get. What she got was the opportunity to make her mother’s remaining years comfortable, vibrant, and fulfilling. The Daughter became the caretaker. I truly believe that the rewards that Gloria got from taking care of her mother are immeasurable. And, I also believe, that had Gloria not been there, that Cecilia would have passed several years ago. I am truly honored to be married to this woman and to have been able to see the care, the concern, and the comfort that she gave her mother.

My Wife would never ask nor would she ever expect anyone to acknowledge what she has done, but that is what I am doing now. Cecilia may not have been my biological mother, but Gloria will forever have my respect, gratitude, and admiration for the care that she provided to her mother.

So at this moment I want to stop, look at my wife, and say to her what Cecilia at this moment is unable to say, Thank you, and I love you, and from myself personally, I am honored to know you.

Now, let’s talk about today. We all sit here with our hearts saddened. We shed tears and cry for the fact that Cecilia is no longer with us. We are sorrowful at her passing. But I want to remind each and every one of you is that today need not only be a day of sorrow but a day of celebration. Why do I say Celebration, well that is easy, Are we all not here to say goodbye and to Celebrate the life of Cecilia? Her body is empty of life and her soul has passed on, but her spirit resided in the minds and hearts of everyone in this room. Whenever you take a moment and you think of a past time, when you said or did something with Cecilia, you are keeping a small piece of her spirit with you. As I stand here before you I can recall very clearly moments that I have had with Cecilia. One in particular comes to my mind. When Cecilia was in better health she would join my wife and me at the dinner table. Cecilia would sit to my left and my wife to my right. I always used to poke fun at her, small little comments like, “if you don’t eat all your dinner, you can’t have any dessert.” She would look at me and smile and say “I love you” or she would tell me I was a good man and that she thanked me for taking care of her daughter. I would look back and her and tell her that “I love you too.” Those are the memories that will keep Cecilia forever alive and with us. By carrying the thoughts of her she will never truly be gone from our lives.

Cecilia had a large heart, a giving heart. A desire and a need to help others. Throughout her life she did what she could to ease the burden on others. She opened her house to the less fortunate and treated them as her own.

Gloria has shared a lot of memories with me from her childhood. But recently one seems to have been most memorable to her. She told me that she remembered the Farm in West Virginia. She remembered the warmth of the summer days. Cecilia every day would be in the kitchen working on making meals, or canning or cooking. Gloria said that her mother would put on feasts when it was dinner time. The house was always hot because Cecilia was using and wood cook stove. In the evenings when Cecilia was done with the day’s work and it was time to relax Cecilia would pour a large glass of iced tea and go the front porch where she would sit on the porch swing and relax.

Recently I built a front porch on our home and built a porch swing for Gloria to relax on. I know that one memory that will forever be with her is the day recently, that we were able to get Cecilia out on that swing and Gloria was able to sit swing with her, able to think back to days that have gone by and remember a simpler time in her life. This is a memory that she will have forever.

We all have those moments in our lives that we shared with Cecilia. I ask all of you to take a moment and remember a happy time that you spent with her. Take that feeling and have it lift up your heart and bring a smile to you face. Remember the good, embrace it and allow it to give you peace.

We need not feel sorrow, or pain or loss. We celebrate because Cecilia as attained that which we all hope for. She now sits in heaven with God. She is with those that have gone before that meant so much to her. I my mind’s eye I can picture the scene. She passes from this earthly plane, her soul rises as it heads to heaven. Silently she says goodbye to those she now leaves behind. The clouds above her part, as a soft, glowing, white light reveals the gates before her. She feels the warmth of love and utter peace as the gates open to grant her access. As she steps through she is greeted by her son Frank, behind him are the shadows of all those who have been waiting for her. She steps forward and embraces her son and she is filled with only peace and joy. The shadows move to surround them and all are revealed and all embrace the two.

This is what the Bible has promised us if we accept Jesus as our lord and savior. She is now in a place without fear, without pain, or doubt, or hate or anything negative. Her body and mind are once again whole and she is able to look down upon her children and watch as we live out the remainder of our lives on this earth. One day to finally join her and those that wait for us in heaven.

Thank You.