Eulogies/Tributes
Share Your Tribute
Write a heartfelt tribute to Linda to honor her memory and share your thoughts and memories with others.
Vince's Eulogy
Many of you know the story about how Linda and I met. I was a paramedic student trainee and Linda was an ICU nurse at one of the hospitals in Trenton, New Jersey. After working together a few times, I worked up the nerve to ask her out. She declined, at first. Then about two weeks later, she called me up and asked if I still wanted to get together. Our first date was at the Rusty Scupper restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey. We were supposed to meet for just a few drinks right after work. A few drinks turned into hours of talking, dinner and a kiss in the parking lot. Three or four months later we were sharing an apartment, and within a year we were married. We both felt a deep connection from the beginning of our relationship. Some people call it finding your soul mate. Whatever it is, it lasted for 45 years. Linda was a strong, intelligent, talented woman. She set an example for her daughters to be independent, self-made individuals. Linda was naturally talented. She taught herself pottery, stained glass, and portrait and still life drawing. Her creations are amazing. As many of us know, she was a perfectionist. There was nothing that couldn’t be made better. From her artwork to mundane daily chores, she constantly sought to improve how they were done. Some saw this as her being overly critical, but it was really her simply trying to learn and be better at what she did. She had a lifelong reverence for the Earth and nature. Many of you were the recipients of her special holiday gifts that reflected her passion for the environment. She taught Kelly, Kate and I to respect the Earth too. That was one of her great attributes; teaching others. Linda met her diagnosis of terminal cancer with grace and dignity. While she was hopeful at first that treatment might give her several more years to be with us, as time went on and her condition worsened, she began to prepare for what she called the inevitable. She started by getting me ready for living without her. Linda went over everything she took care of to make sure I knew how to do them. She talked with me about taking care of myself after she was gone. Her selfless compassion and concern for others was truly remarkable. She never wanted to be a burden to others. Even during her last days, she insisted on doing as much for herself as was possible. Two days before she died, she even mustered the strength to sit up in bed and talk with all of us for several hours; her brother Tom and his wife Sharon, Kelly, Kate, our son-in-law Dustin, and me. We had gathered to celebrate her 70 th birthday a week early and she didn’t want to disappoint us. She was able to have a small piece of cake and some ice cream. That evening she slipped into unconsciousness and never woke again. Linda died on Monday morning, February 12th with Kelly, Kate and me by her side. Linda impacted many lives for the better. She made me a better person. The world is a better place for her having been here. We will miss her deeply.
Kelly's Eulogy
Good Morning. Thank you all for being here. I think you all know me, but if you don’t, I’m Kelly, Linda’s oldest and most well behaved child. Also, the funniest. Again, on behalf of my father and sister, we really appreciate you all being here to support us in our time of sadness, and to celebrate the life of my mother, Linda Robbins. I have to say that I am not often at a loss for words, but I really struggled in writing this eulogy. There is so much I wanted to say about my Mom, so much I wanted to share about her with you, but I never really had a conversation with her about what she would want shared, so I kept finding myself asking if this is how she would want to be remembered. I am also still really grappling with the fact the she is actually gone. I haven’t really processed her loss yet, so much so that I have picked up my phone a few times since she passed to call her. My first eulogy draft was not great. My sister called it “clinical.” Clinical is a nice way of saying it was terrible. I tried to talk about her childhood, about her education and career, and about the things she loved. Somehow it all came out flat. “I must be doing this wrong,” I thought, and I googled “eulogy templates” and asked others for eulogies they had written, in a desperate attempt to honor my Mom by writing “the best eulogy.” My second and third drafts were equally dreadful. So, I’m skipping the normal template and I’m just going to tell you who I knew my Mom to be. My mom was very loving. My earliest memories are of feeling loved. My childhood was full of love and happiness, in large part to her and her warmth. My mom was an artist. She was always making art or making the things around her more beautiful. She could draw stunning portraits in charcoal, paint with watercolor, and create stained art. She used to sew our halloween costumes, doll clothes, and curtains for our house. She would make centerpieces and place settings for holiday gatherings. My mom incorporated art into so many things that she did. She like to take care of things and make them grow (besides just Kate and I). She was a gardener, a landscaper, a dog mom, a cat mom, and a birder? If that a word. My Mom supported us in everything we did. Well, everything I did - Kate was a little bit of a rebel child. When I wanted to play rugby in college, my mom just reminded me that concussions cause brain damage. When I came home after getting my Masters degree and said I was going to join the Philadelphia Police Department she said I should do what I felt I was called to do. When I got a prominent tattoo at 42, which I was nervous to show her, she said, “Life is short, do it while you can.” I hope I can be as supportive to my girls when they choose to do things that might not make any sense to me, but are fulfilling to them or make them happy. I’m going to miss her hugs and miss her telling me that she is proud of me, which she did often. While I’m happy she is not longer suffering, I will miss her unwavering love and support. I’m sure many of you in this room have your own things that you will miss about my Mom. Please keep her in your thoughts and try to remember the happiest times with her. I believe that is how she would want to be remembered.
Sharon Holmes's Tribute
Here's one of many fond memories I have of your mom. In the 70's. Linda and I worked together in the ICU at Helene Fuld. She was a terrific nurse and wonderful coworker. We became good friends. Linda had been caring for a patient who was dying. One of his regrets was that he would never see his beloved dog's new puppies. So, your mom orchestrated a secret operation to sneak the pups into the ICU for a visit. Obviously, she breached regulations big time, but the joy she gave her patient was so worth it. Just one example of Linda's compassion for others. Rumors of the great puppy caper reached our supervisor, but no one was able to prove it really happened.