Shirley Forde

Shirley Eula Forde, Born in Georgetown, Guyana, on March 3rd, 1929, went on to Glory on November 18th, 2015. She was an amazing Mother and now she is a Mother in heaven as is reunited with her daughter Shelly-Ann.

She was known as Mom, Sister Forde, Auntie Shirley, Mother Forde, Mummy, Grandma Shirley, and Grandma.

We will miss her dearly and while her earthly body is no longer with us, we rejoice that she has left behind the suffering and pain, and has put on her incorruptible being.

Above all, we celebrate a life of selflessness, a life of love, a life of sacrifice, a life of praise, a life of hope, a life of caring and a life of what it means to be a Christian. She touched so many people in the time she was here on earth. The outpouring of love she received during her final days here is a testament to the legacy our Mom leaves today.

Her last few days on this earth she did not say much. She got a few sentences out, such as ‘I love you too.”, “Russel, I am your mother.”, “Hello Valence.”, “Hi My darling.”, “Hello Sweetheart.” We hung onto those words as gems and yearned to hear more. She did try to say more words, and some we could not understand, even when she repeated it. Those were the days of so many tears for all that saw her, first in suffering, then on her way out to the land of eternity.

Some of those tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy, as we realized that Mom is now resting comfortably in the arms of our Lord. One person said in response to her passing, that our Mom was able to run to hug Jesus this morning and that made us all smile.

Some of the words from one of her favorite songs:

This world is not my home I'm just a-passin' through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh Lord, You know I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

She was the first of the entrepreneurial homemakers as she directed her sisters and friends to do her homemaking. She never directed to others her motherhood, nor her friendships, as no one could actually fill her place. She was one of a kind, a gracious, good-hearted, sweet, loving, caring, generous, genuine, compassionate and simply, a dear lady.

We are so going to miss her smile, her charm, her passion, her wit, her love, her hugs and her presence. A warmer person we have never known. She would hug and love on anyone, as she never met a stranger. She would say, give me enough hugs and kisses for the next week. Those are the memories that we cherish and those are the memories that we remember her by. She was a tremendously gifted chef and her pastries were some of the best ever. We could go on about all her qualities that are embedded in our memories, but we will always remember what an exceptional mother she was to us and anyone that called her Mom or Aunt, a devoted wife to her husband 'Lence', as she called him, a tireless Grandmother, a Spirit-filled Christian with a heart of service, and the best friend to everyone she encountered.

Shirley Eula Forde

We will love her forever.