| My Eulogy for Ginger |  |
Ginger is my hero because of her dedication. It only took her 18 years to get her associates degree, with breaks for raising her kids, losing her husband, and fighting cancer. But she never gave up on her educational goals, and finally graduated with a 3.8 grade point average. Wanting to give them the best educational start possible, she homeschooled her children, Matt and Chelsea, for 9 years.Ginger is my hero because of her passion. She was passionate about her family: Sam her beloved husband; her son Matt, his wife Kelly and their daughters Kelsey and Ginger Rae, and her daughter Chelsea, her husband Frankie, and their daughter Elyse. She loved her mom Betty and her stepdad Phil. She treasured Mark's family, Sam's family, and all her many relatives.
She was passionate about the pro-life cause, and poured herself out promoting, celebrating, and accepting life. She was passionate about politics. She was passionate about truth. She was passionate about finding Christ and His Church. When she was 18, she converted to Catholicism. About fifteen years ago, she became passionate about sharing her Catholic faith. She taught CCD, organized confirmation retreats, led youth groups, attended World Youth Day in Canada, and started a Catholic singles group. She was passionate about apologetics, which is explaining and defending the faith. For the last three years, she was the office manager and heart of our apologetics ministry, spending hours on the phone listening, sharing, and counseling.
Ginger is my hero because of her generosity and selflessness. In her house, there was always food, family, and friends. She welcomed her kids' friends into her house, allowing some of them to live with her for a time. Ginger took her grandmother into her home and cared for her until her death three years later. Shortly after Mark's death, she even took in a foreign exchange student. Holding down a full-time job, she made time to take care of her granddaughter, Elyse. She would bring Elyse to the office and happily watch her on weekends. Throughout her struggle with cancer, Ginger maintained an open-door policy, welcoming a steady stream of visitors. She treated each one as if he or she was the exact person Ginger was hoping to see. She'd say, "I have plenty of time to rest when I'm gone. What matters now is my family and friends."
Ginger is my hero because of her courage. She bravely battled cancer-twice, the death of her first husband Mark, and the challenges of being a single parent and grandparent. She boldly proclaimed her Catholic faith, making no apologies for God's truth. She spoke her mind. She would remark, "They say you're not supposed to talk about religion or politics. But I say, 'What else is there to talk about?'" She was utterly unconcerned about popular opinion. She was only concerned with speaking and living the truth.
Ginger is my hero because of her feisty sense of humor. When she saw her stepdad Phil's antique car collection she remarked, "I never saw so much junk stacked so nicely in my life." She joked about death. She told Sam she was in a race with his mom: "I didn't do too well in track in high school, but I'm pretty sure I can beat a 93-year-old woman to heaven." When I would leave after a visit to her, I'd issue my standard closing: "I'll get out of your hair now." She'd always shoot right back, "But I have no hair."
Ginger is my hero because she joyfully accepted suffering. About ten years ago, Ginger asked God to allow her to suffer for the conversion of souls. God accepted her offer, and soon the crosses came: deaths of dearly loved family members, her first diagnosis of cancer, and the death of Mark. At each juncture she would say "Thank you, God, for this blessing" because she knew that souls were being converted. She never questioned God's plan. She did ask God to allow her to raise her children. But on Feb. 15, 2008, her oncologist informed her that her persistent cough was really lung cancer. Ginger and Sam moved up their wedding date to March 1, and in mid-April flew to Lourdes to ask Our Lady's intercession for a miracle. God did grant Ginger a miracle, but not the one we all hoped for. He poured out grace upon her family. Ginger and Sam had a happy, laughter-filled marriage. She spent precious time with her children and grandbabies. She and her mom grew even closer.
Ginger saw herself as an apostle of the redemptive power of suffering. She made it her mission to promote the value of Christians uniting their sufferings to the passion of Christ. Because she didn't want onlookers to associate pain with ugliness and despair, she always dressed nicely and wore makeup, especially when she was headed to a chemo treatment. She'd say, "If I look horrid, people won't want to embrace suffering." Ginger put a beautiful face on suffering. When people would ask Ginger's mom how she was getting through this, Betty would answer, "Ginger is my inspiration. Ginger is getting me through this."
Ginger was a living catechism of how to face death with grace and peace. She told a friend, "I only get to die once. I want to do it right." "Live well, die holy." That's the title of St. Robert Bellarmine's book on dying. It also perfectly describes Ginger's legacy. She lived well, she died holy. She left us a saintly example. And for that, she deserves to be everyone's hero.