Age 83, of Marlborough, Massachusetts passed away on Saturday, January 7, 2023.
A Funeral Service for Lorna will be held in St. Michael Cemetery Chapel, 500 Canterbury Street ROSLINDALE, on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 10:00 AM. Private Cremation will follow.
Lorna was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 12 November 1939, to Sony Benedict and Alice Franciscus. Her mother Alice traced her heritage to the colonial Dutch and father Sony to the colonial Portuguese settlers in Ceylon. Lorna schooled at a Convent School run by Catholic Nuns. As a spirited and rebellious youngster, Lorna questioned why she was asked to do things that were not expected of her brother and compete for her mother’s attention at home. Instead of doing the expected girl activities, she took to helping her father, learning and working the garden, planting vegetables and flowers, a passion she continued all her life. For peace at home, her father decided that she be boarded at the Covent, away from home while her brother and sisters were sent to local schools. At the convent school, with her rebellious streak, she would lead her fellow classmates in playing tricks on the nuns, and skyping prayer services for other playful activities. Lorna would fondly reminisce her of her schooling at the convent, how the example and influence of the nuns, made her want to emulate them into life of nunnery when she grew up.
Upon graduating high school Lorna decided choose a nursing career instead, an early indication of her caring instincts. She left home to attend nursing school in Colombo and on graduation qualified as a registered nurse. She did her nursing training in at urban and rural hospitals in Sri-Lanka and worked there as a nurse and mid-wife, in both the private and government health sectors and as a resident company nurse. Seeing an opportunity to expand her nursing education and career, she decided to go abroad to United Kingdom. A bold and gusty decision, as she had never travelled out of Sri Lanka and going to a new place and cold environment, she knew little of and not knowing anybody there, the first in her family to do so. Lorna moved to London in 1970, and trained in operating theater nursing practice at Hammersmith Hospital Nursing School, and joinied the hospital specialized in assisting in heart and orthopedic surgery, rising to the position of senior supervising sister.
Working at Hammersmith Hospital and living for many years in the nursing dormitory, required observing the dormitory restrictions, with limited social activities, but also bonding experience with her fellow nurses, originating from many different countries, and exposing her to Australian, Pilipino, Ghanaian, Jamaican and several other experiences and cuisines, as they shared their cooking. She met and became friends with a Sri-Lankan couple and their children, often staying weekend with them and attending their Pentecostal church services.
To expand her social activities, Lorna took to dancing, joining a class to learn ballroom and Latin dancing. It was there she met Edul, leading to a courtship over several years. Spending weekends and holidays together on several travel and camping trips all over United Kingdom and Europe. Visiting Europe’s beautiful and historic cities, art galleries and museums, while camping at beautiful lake and forest sites, was a great and learning experience Europe’s different cultures, customs, farmers markets, castells, vineyards, and festivals. Often joined by friends, while Edul did the driving and setting up the tent, Lorna would be busy preparing meal on the camp stove with provisions she had meticulously planned and packed or from local farmers markets.
After 20 years of living, studding and working in London, in !985, Edul had job opportunity to work in USA. Lorna persuaded Edul to take up this opportunity, even as it meant possible separation for years. She took over, living and maintaining Edul’s house while continuing her nursing career. She married Edul in London in 1988, and followed him to the US in1990.
Lorna loved children from her teenage youth. Encountering a child anywhere would light up face with a bright smile as she beaconed the child to come to her. Even unknown children took to her instinctually as she carried and hugged them and played with them. Though not being blessed as a mother, Lorna was a mother to her nieces and nephews Dunstan, Romana, Renuka, Nilmini, Gihan, Indunil in Colombo, Tehmina, Shaherazad, and Sorab, in London, Elizabeth, Sonia, Johan, Ishan in Marlborough. Looking after each daily, educating them in behaviors, manners, reading, feeding and playing. So in arriving in USA she started doing childcare, working fulltime to help rear individual children of close friends. Over the years she was mother to several children from a few months to kindergarten. The children are now adults with careers in medicine and arts.
After childcare Lorna switched to a career in fashion clothing retail, working with clients on social and work dressing. Lorna returned to her nursing roots, providing to the needs of disabled elders homecare and re-habitation, as she visited and provided care in their homes.
At this late stage in life, Lorna learnt to drive and get her driving license. This took some determination and dedication, as in the cities she had always used public transport. But now with driving, she was free and independent.
After a fruitful and rewarding career, Lorna retired to peruse her passion for gardening and cooking. She would spend hours in the hot summer sun tending her flower and vegetable plots. Roses were a favorite, but getting them to thrive in the harsh winter weather was always a challenge she took up. Once she asked Edul to prepare a plot to plant flowers in the rear garden. Not happy with the small plot Edul had prepared, she spent the next few weeks digging out the grass with a small hand spade to the full width of the garden and planted wild flowers and various flowering shrubs. Waking up early morning she would be out watering and tending her garden daily.
Cooking was another passion. She was open to try varied cuisine styles and recipes and then modifying them to her liking. Galette, Beef Borgnine, Chicken, and Indian Rice and vegetable cuisine dishes, and Blueberry and Chocolate cakes and Pineapple Fluff deserts were enjoyed by all. She took particular pride in preparing a full menu of homely and exotic dishes, severed and enjoyed at home parties she loved to host with all formal dining etiquette, roots of her time in England. Edul enjoyed several “Surprise Birthday Parties” with family and friends over the years.
In recent years Lorna suffered from health issues that took a physical and mental toll on her, restricting her activity, but would rarely complain. Even as her verbal communication declined, Lorna maintained a fierce determination of Will and Can-Do attitude. Her concern for others was as always, when being helped feeding, she would point out and indicate the others also join and feed with her.
Undertaking a five week vacation, she travelled to visit family and friends in Sri Lanka and India she had not been able to visit, with the 14-16 hours flights and airport changes, all being wheelchair bound, this last December was a memorable and fulfilling event for her.
Lorna followed the Christian faith of her birth and was a regular church goer, both in the Catholic and Born Again Churches. She was also interested and participated in Zoroastrian events at ZAGBA functions and Jashans.
Lorna was 83 years old, and is survived by her husband Edul, and sisters in Sri-Lanka and New York and several nieces and nephews that she raised and was a mother to them.
Lorna was always very personable. Her kind and gentle nature, with concern for all. Her sensitive nature led to the occasional upset due to some comment or action. Even when upset, never did she let that result in a malicious thought or action, and it was soon forgiven and forgotten. She will be missed by all family and friends who came to know her over the years.
Her passing will leave a deep, deep, hole in Edul’s heart in facing a life without her being there after 35 years of Happy Marriage and a 45+ years of companion and friendship. Though her passing was a very sad event, by the grace of the Lord, it was peacefully in her sleep, even as Edul was holding her and talking to wake her.
May God Bless and Always be with Lorna.
All my love as ever yours – Edul.
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