Good morning. For everyone who doesn't know who I am, my name is Samantha Dugas and I have been given the honor of giving this eulogy for my great grandfather, Alonzo Dugas.
I wanted to thank you all for coming. Who was Alonzo? How do you describe someone who was a force of nature but like anyone else, Alonzo was a mixed bag. He had his faults but he also had his positive attributes. Alonzo was charismatic with a vibrant sense of humor and certainly could not be described as a shrinking violet. He filled any room he was in by the sheer force of his personality. This was a man who cheated death not once, not twice, but three times because he refused to let the old man in.
He took pride in seeing his grandchildren graduate and be successful, taking credit for their success because Alonzo believed he was largely responsible. He believed in education. How else do you explain someone who had a grade three education rising to become head stationary engineer at the Dr. Roberts School and D-V-A Hospital.
Alonzo loved to coach baseball and hockey. His middle son, Wally, remembers getting beat 50-1 by the Saint John Midget Team when they lived in Blacks Harbor. He remembers baseball faring better though.
He also remembers Alonzo being rough on burglars. In fact, he met one while still in his underwear. The burglar was just climbing into the window and Alonzo's fist met him at the top. He fell eight feet to the ground, head first, with a big bang, and never came back. And that was in his eighties.
But, what can I say, he had one daughter, Gloria. Who loved him very much. He was immensely proud of Gloria's accomplishments. In fact some of his proudest days were the births of his grandchildren and Gloria's wedding.
As a child, I always thought of Alonzo as a ambiguous, mysterious, loud french man that always gave me a twenty dollar bill and a pat on the back at Christmas time. He always greeted me at the door with smiles and a good story. He would always pull out his old ID's, and show me how handsome he was when he was younger. It always fascinated me what a proud man he was.
Death is more universal than life. Everyone dies but not everyone lives. just living is not enough... a man must have sunshine, freedom, and good company. Alonzo's beautiful wife was Geneva. He was comforted by one of the simpler emotions which some human beings are lucky enough to experience. He knew when he died he would be watched by someone who loved him. Grief is the price we pay for love and if love could've saved him, he would've lived forever. Alonzo was also lucky enough to have a second lady in his life. Left to grieve is his companion, Lottie, who's presence was enough for Alonzo to drastically change his way of life, for the better. Alonzo loved people, and always wanted to be the showman in the room. Whether that be with his captivating storytelling of his youth, or his tear jerking humor. Alonzo never failed to be the bold personality, the familiar face at the mall, a social butterfly and a working man. When somebody becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure. May God hold him in the palm of his hand, and have him shine down on us in ever star we see as a reminder that he is happy and at rest at last. To the children of great grandfather, Eugene, Julian, Wallace, and Gloria our thoughts and prayers are with you on this day.
