Doris Brunilda Rodriguez

My mother was born Doris Brunilda Gonzalez Martinez.

She was one of 7 children born to parents Florencio Gonzalez and Ramona Martinez on December 9th, 1930 in Cayey, Puerto Rico.

Her father who, according to my mother, was a very respected barber, which was his profession. His clients included teachers, policemen and politicians. Her mother was a housewife who had jobs which included sewing, cleaning and cooking.

My mother was the 3rd oldest, but the eldest daughter.

NOW, I had a very long eulogy prepared to describe not only the history of my mother but also who she was, but I felt maybe getting to some key points would suffice in summarizing her life; plus she was a very private person. So out of respect for her I feel I could discuss things like her humble beginnings, starting in Cayey, Puerto Rico; her move to America around 1948, specifically the Bronx, New York; meeting her future husband, my father Angel Henry Rodriguez around 1951 at a party of a co-worker who happened to be related to my father.

Through this loving union 3 children were born:

Angel Candido, born 1954, deceased 2020 due to Covid

Deborah Ann, born 1959 and yours truly,

Kenneth James, born 1964

Her children created 6 grandchildren:

Kaylin Michele Rodriguez

Samuel Kaiser

Diane Ariana Rodriguez

Ethan James Rodriguez

Emma Jade Rodriguez

Olivia Lauren Rodriguez,

all of whom she loved very very much. She thought they were all beautiful and smart. And with God's loving heart, compassion and guidance, they will have full and blessed lives with hopefully little pain as possible.

I also wanted to expand on the jobs she had, which included working in a factory when she arrived in America at appx. 1948; becoming a part-time beautician; 20 years for the Board of Education as an Assistant Teacher and then a Bilingual teacher, specifically at Public School PS 122 and then I.S. 84, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, and then another 20 years but this time for the Department of Social Services as a Case Worker then eventually becoming a Supervisor, also Brooklyn and Manhattan, New York. Eventually retiring in 1998.

She was a devout Roman Catholic. Being involved with the church in my hometown of Williamsburg, Brooklyn , Staten Island and eventually Winter Springs, Florida...through volunteer work and singing in the choir, which she took great joy.

In the early 1980's she was able to graduate from college and receive her Associates Degree. Over a decade and a half later she received her Bachelor's Degree.

But to her, the most important thing........all she ever wanted was to be remembered as being a loyal, dedicated, loving wife and an attentive, responsible, loving mother. Simple really. No more, no less.

NOW, through all her personal issues, health, eventual age and frailty she was always wishing and praying for her children's well-being.

She was constantly praying for us, asking God to give us the strength, wisdom and foresight through all our trials and tribulations life had instored for us, self-inflicted or otherwise.

After my fathers passing in 2014 her health started to deteriorate. Through the involvement of my immediate family and I, we were able to prolong her life just a little longer.

We moved her from Florida to North Carolina in October, 2017.

I absolutely couldn't have helped and cared for my mother without my wife Alice's involvement and the fortitude of our children. Reason I say this is because of her diagnosed dementia getting worse and her Alzheimer's. At times, it became very challenging to say the least. As time went on it became more difficult and more heartbreaking.

NOW, what gives me pause, however, with some form of emotional and spiritual peace is my mother, to put it bluntly, not being in pain anymore. She's not frustrated over her mental condition anymore; she's not fraught with feelings of despair and hopelessness anymore; she's not crying anymore.

Eventually I had to accept her ill health. It was her time; her time to relax, her time to rest, her time for eternal tranquility, her time for peace.

I visualize her though, truly...smiling with her loved ones: her parents, two brothers, her son and her husband.

I mean, what else can I say regarding a woman who literally sacrificed herself for her family? What it meant to have her for a mother for approximately 60 years?

Playing with me as a baby and showering me with kisses, playing catch with me, showing me art as a child and always helping me with my homework, taking care of me diligently and relentlessly while I was going through illness, helping me mend my first broken heart as a pre-teen, talking tough in my teenage years when I needed it, giving me advice when I was going to be a "soon to be" married man, and when I became a father, showering me with pride and a sense of confidence, realizing I had come practically full circle toward my adulthood.

There's not enough adjectives...not enough words...not enough time to really express what my mother meant to me.

All I want to say regarding her is she did the best that she could. She tried and tried to be as good as she could be for her family; her husband and her children. What more would you want from a mother?

Perfection? No such thing. But her love was unquestionable. Her devotion is undeniable. Her resilience is admirable.

But now.....It's time for my mother to rest. You did good sweetheart.

Oh, and it's never good-bye, it's "I'll see you later".

I love you mama....twenty-twenty.