Harriet Evelyn Lopez

: Harriet Evelyn Lopez, age 90, died peacefully on June 15, 2017 in Port Orchard, Washington. Funeral service was held on June 27 at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, burial at Sunset Lane, Port Orchard. She is survived by Cassandra, Marvin, Ramona, Perry and other family members, including 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. See details of the service program entitled “Celebrating a Life… Harriet Evelyn Lopez” on this website. Readers involved in the service but were unwittingly omitted from the program were: Cassandra Moore, Vicky Lopez and Lisa Pettis (the family-chosen readings and Gospel are included on this website).
For a further glimpse of Harriet’s life, please see the Eulogy given at her funeral service.

EULOGY
I am PROUD to call Harriet Evelyn Lopez “MY MOM”.
Mom was VERY independent, worked HARD, DEARLY LOVED her family and ENJOYED things that were important to her.
My name is Ramona, 3RD child of 5 to HARRIET and MARVIN Lopez, grew up here in Port Orchard, went to LIVE & work in Great Britain, then CAME HOME to STAY 4 years ago, to be WITH MOM.
Her LIFE was something like this: Mom was born in British Columbia on an Indian Reserve. Her MOTHER, DEPRIVED of an education and FORCED into a love-less marriage, took CARE of her children as best she could. Without ANY MONEY from her husband, Agnes FISHED for salmon to pay for food and clothes.
As a child, Mom LONGED to go to school. Too young, but DETERMINED to go, ONE day she JUMPED on a TRAIN and travelled to the school in Kamloops, a LONG distance away. When she ARRIVED, she was told she WASN’T OLD ENOUGH, and was SENT BACK HOME.
LATER, finally AT school, she learned to PLAY THE ORGAN – a skill I seem to have inherited from her.
Mom ENJOYED animals. Still VERY young, but having NO fear, she had the RIDE OF HER LIFE…..ON A CALF not much bigger than herself. She WRAPPED her arms around its neck, DANGLED beneath it and HUNG ON for dear life – what FUN! She also rode HORSES and ALWAYS had a dog or 2 around her.
Life changed drastically around 1940, when Mom was 13. Her MOTHER had had ENOUGH with a demanding and “MEAN” husband, so she LEFT, taking Mom and Mom’s younger brother Isaac with her, in the hopes of a better life in the U.S.
California was MUCH better. Later, her older sister LILLIAN joined them. There were lots of jobs picking hops, strawberries, apples, whatever was in season. NOW, THEY could AFFORD to buy food and clothing.
Mom was VERY fashionable. She LOVED jewelry AND, since she HAD to WEAR them, Mom owned NUMEROUS pairs of glasses. She said “Since I HAVE to wear them, I like to change GLASSES like I change CLOTHES!”
As they travelled together UP and DOWN the west coast FOLLOWING the crops, Mom met LOTS of new people. She was UP in an APPLE tree when DAD first NOTICED her, and in JANUARY 1949 in Seattle, they FINALLY got married. Around 1952, Dad bought his own farm in Port Orchard. Strawberries and raspberries were his specialty.
Mom’s FAVORITE PAST-TIME was ………WRESTLING! I remember her watching it on TV back in the 70s with my Aunt Anne. Mom was NEVER loud and boisterous about it like Anne was, but she was COMMITTED to watching HER “SHOW”. Very recently, when her satellite provider STOPPED Pay-Per-View of SPECIAL wrestling matches, Mom got….. INTERNET so she could watch ALL episodes of her favorite SOAP.
LIFE threw her many curve-balls, but Mom continued to PLAY BALL to the very end, and LEFT US PEACEFULLY. At 90, WE WERE GLAD to have HAD her for SO MANY years and PRIVILEGED to have shared our lives with her. As I said in the beginning, Mom worked hard, dearly loved her family and enjoyed things that were important to her.
Thank you for coming. Thank YOU for the life YOU shared with MY MOM ……..OUR MOM. Feel free to look at the pictures on the POSTER BOARDS to get an IDEA of what life was like for her. She was a VERY SPECIAL LADY and she will remain a VERY-LOVED MOM, TO US.

MOM, we love you DEARLY,
We miss you GREATLY,
but we will LOVE YOU AND DAD FOREVER.

LOTS & LOTS of HUGS and KISSES to you.

GOODBYE MOM.
God bless you.
Rest in Peace. Amen.

NOTE: The above speech was the Eulogy I had given at Mom’s funeral service on Tuesday June 27, 2017 at 1.30 p.m. (see details of the service program entitled “Celebrating a Life… Harriet Evelyn Lopez”).
Signed, Ramona Lopez


There shall be no more death. Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7
A reading from the Book of Revelation
I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
Coming down out of heaven from God,
Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race,
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
And God himself will always be with them as their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
And there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
For the old order has passed away.”
The One who sat on the throne said,
“Behold, I make all things new.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
The beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give a gift
From the spring of life-giving water.
The victor will inherit these gifts,
And I shall be his God,
And he will be my son.” The word of the Lord.

Thus, we shall always be with the Lord 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
About those who have fallen asleep.
So that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
So too will God, through Jesus,
Bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
That we who are alive,
Who are left until the coming of the Lord,
Will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
With the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
Will come down from heaven,
And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
Will be caught up together with them in the clouds
To meet the Lord in the air.
Thus, we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words. The word of the Lord.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven Matthew 5:1-12a
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
And after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
For they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
For they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
For theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
And utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
For your reward will be great in heaven.” The Gospel of the Lord.