1994 – 2018

Seven visits with Cely are all I have to remember my mysterious cousin by. Mysterious, because for the two visits my family made to River Oaks in Houston, Cely wasn’t home. Uncle Larry was the oldest in his family and my Mom, was the youngest. Aside from their age difference we lived in Delaware and rarely visited.

I first laid eyes on Cely when she came north to Wilmington to meet Tom’s family. They got engaged. She was a classic beauty with a french twist and a big smile both unreachable and present at the same time. I being 12 years younger was instantly mesmerized. I already had met her siblings and felt great respect for each… but finally here was the mysterious Cely. She stayed across the street at Aunt Agnes’. There was a bad spring snow storm and Tom had to stay overnight too when he brought her home that night from St David’s, PA. This must have been one of their first of many adventures.

I heard stories of Cely from my parents (Yvonne and Bill) through the years. She lived in Sri Lanka, she had four wonderful boys, she had big adventures, she made the best pumpkin chiffon pie my Dad ever ate…. They loved her and remembered her as a baby then child way back during Baton Rouge visits

My next ‘sighting’ was when I was heading to DC for a rock garden convention in 1991. Out of the blue… I had to stop to see her. Gracious as only Cely could be is how she received me. That visit cemented our cousinly friendship as we had a chance to get to know one another and share our life experiences so far. I met Channing and David during that visit.

When my own little family visited Jeanette and Larry in San Diego in 1996 we had a dinner at a restaurant at the beach. Cely was going to pop down just for dinner. She showed up refreshed with her hair still wet from the salty ocean and her beautiful smile.

In ’97 after I lost my sister Jeanne a little card, with flowers laminated in stickers to place on a window, arrived from Cely. Her heart was big. Sadly she was to lose, Marcia, only a few years later and know how hard it is to lose a sister.

The American Guild of Organists was having a convention in LA in 2004. There were concerts by major artists at every pipe organ venue morning noon and night. My husband and I attended and Cely met us for a morning concert not too far from her home. She took us back home for a delicious lunch and I learned just what good cook she was. This time it was a memorable date nut bread coated in powdered sugar.

We were back in CA (possibly 2005) and stopped in for New Year’s Eve at her house when I met Sonny, some of the Fox clan, Chris and Micheal for the first time.

The last time I saw her was in February 2008. I was stopping through en route from Hawaii. She relegated Sonny to pick me up from the airport because it was his poker night and he’d be up late. The next day she wanted to show me around and we went out to Pasadena to the fantastic succulent garden at the Huntington Library. She told me two stories. One was how she mourned for Tom and the dog sat by her side and howled along with her. The other was when she had just given birth to Channing the next thing she heard from a nurse was that her father had died. It was such a roller coaster of emotion. She said she felt both joyous and devastated in a matter of seconds.

We all know that she was a force of life, a positive soul, and a gentle spirit. As I was leaving for the airport to come home she handed me a miniature avocado that was ripe and ready to eat. I tried to beg off because who would want to carry that around on a plane? She insisted and said,’ You can grow it from the seed!’… and I did. The picture of this tree is in the collection here. It survives along with her beautiful spirit. The difference is her spirit will live forever.

Cely…. I wanted you to meet my new husband Andy and talk about philosophy. Maybe later.
I Love You!
Cousin Marie

Favrot Siblings at Amie & Patrick’s Wedding 2015